Background:

I booked this flight awhile back, and just wanted a nonstop from Maui (OGG) to Los Angeles (LAX). I had some Skymiles I decided to use, and the price actually went down quite a few times. Thankfully, it was quite easy on Delta to rebook and reprice, and I did that without issue 2 times when the price kept dropping. I ended up paying a total of 12,000 Skymiles plus $5.60 for the one way flight in the Main Cabin (not Basic Economy).

Flight Details:

Kahului (OGG) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Aircraft: Boeing 757-200 (H/D)
Ship Number: 5636
Seat: 32A- Window- Main Cabin
Date: October 2021
Status: On Time

Boarding:

Boarding for the Main Cabin has zones 1, 2 and 3 after First and Comfort Plus, and then the absolute last to board is Basic Economy. I was assigned Main Cabin Zone 2, and I was able to find overhead space for my carry on bag *relatively* close about two rows away. The flight wasn’t completely full but still crowded, with maybe about 20 or so seats free out of the 199.

This plane is sadly one of the older ones in Delta’s fleet with the older in-flight entertainment devices. I previously flew on this same aircraft type from Honolulu to Los Angeles back in 2019, and nothing has changed (if anything, the IFE is worse, which I will get to later).

The Seat:

Standard economy class seat, with average legroom, SeatGuru says the pitch is between 30 and 32 inches. The legroom felt adequate, not a lot but not super cramped. Sufficient for a 5 hour flight.

My window at row 32 was a bit forward, and so the wall kind of stuck out a bit on my shoulders, so if you want perhaps a bit more elbow room I would recommend the row right in front of me at row 31 on this specific plane configuration, as the window and the indentation would be aligned with your shoulder for some more room.

Delta Main Cabin

The window had clearly seen its better days.

Delta Main Cabin

Service:

A welcome drink and choice between a Pretzel and a Biscoff cookie we’re provided shortly after reaching cruising altitude.

Delta Main Cabin

The cabin lights were dimmed throughout this flight, and I didn’t noticed until I popped my window open that they gave me pretzels that expired a month ago and I ate the whole bag already #Oops. Not impressed Delta…

About 1 hour before landing, a second beverage and snack service was provided. I got almonds and a ginger ale. This time, I made sure the almonds weren’t expired LOL. To concede, I was impressed that there were 2 beverage + snack services.

In-Flight Entertainment:

This aircraft has the old Delta seatback TV. Most of the Delta planes I’ve been on have the sleek black screens on the 757 and A319, but this one is the older beige ones. On the device, there are movies, recorded TV shows, live TV and audio. 

Delta Main Cabin

I forgot to bring headphones on this flight with the cable to connect to the in-flight entertainment device and sadly the flight attendants did not provide any or offer them for purchase. No worries I thought, I’ll just stream on my phone. Delta advertises the ability to stream Delta Studio to your device via the WiFi. Yet when I went to do so, it populated with zero titles. Only 4 “Delta” videos were able to stream. Sigh.

Additionally, the options on the seatback screen also differed from the selection stated on the website. There were much less new releases. Looks like I didn’t really miss out on much anyway then! I ended up just napping and playing with my phone.

In terms of charging, at least there were power outlets are located at the bottom of the seat in front of you, which is good to keep your devices charged.

Inflight WiFi:

WiFi was available on this flight, for $9.95 for the whole flight which I thought was very fair! My United flight to Honolulu was $11.95 for one hour, and $21.95 for the whole flight. Can the big airlines become like JetBlue and just provide free WiFi to everyone? I mean it can’t be that hard…

Giving credit where it’s due, I appreciate that Delta at least gives you free Messaging on the flight even if you don’t purchase WiFi. iMessage, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are all supported.

The Verdict:

I used to always view Delta in a higher light compared to United and American. Maybe it was just this specific aircraft, but I do feel like Delta is losing its “premium” touch. From the streaming not working, to the expired pretzels, I’ll might opt to try a different carrier on my next flight to the Hawaiian Islands.

 

Have you flown on the 757-200 (H/D) on Delta before? How was your experience? Comment below!

 

Safe travels,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!