Delta First Class Flight 3394 Washington, D.C.-New York JFK
Major Delay Heralds a Temporary Return of Civility in the Air
Watching the movie “Grand Budapest Hotel” to completion
Both crew members gave everyone a very warm welcome after we reboarded. Once we were in the air, Christine began the first-class service, which was a selection of beverages plus the snack basket, which had cookies, peanuts, fresh fruit, and other goodies in it. Both flight attendants made sure that no one’s glass remained empty.
The delay brought about a kind of party atmosphere. Passengers in first class were talking to others as if they had known them much longer than one hour, and I myself got a great lesson in the aerodynamic properties of the Boeing 777-300ER’s wing from the American Airlines captain.
ARRIVAL
Wheels down was at 9:58 p.m. and we arrived at the gate, or what some refer to as hamster tubes, at JFK at 10:10 p.m., two hours and 41 minutes later than originally scheduled.
The walk through the hamster tubes at JFK
The American Airlines captain was the first to get off the plane and I tried to let as many people as possible who had connections disembark ahead of me as well. I thanked both flight attendants for a wonderful trip without a hint of facetiousness in my voice, and headed out through the hamster tubes.
BOTTOM LINE
A delay that is approximately 400% longer than the actual flight is without question a significant delay. Nonetheless, it didn’t trouble me at all. In fact, it was a remarkably zen-like experience, in that no one on the flight was visibly upset, raised their voice, or had a tantrum. Maybe civility has indeed returned to flying, even if only for a few hours. (Photos: Accura Media Group)
