What a pleasant surprise to find affordable first-class fares when planning a recent last-minute trip from Philadelphia to Los Angeles for business. In fact, first-class flights on Delta Air Lines, with one stop, cost less than non-stop economy-class fares on another carrier. Seemed a no-brainer to me!

My flights to Los Angeles from Philadelphia were a bit more harried, due to President Obama’s landing in the City of Brotherly Love and inclement weather. My Friday afternoon return flights to Philadelphia from Los Angeles, via Detroit, were much more relaxed.

The flight to Detroit was at capacity, but with priority boarding, I was comfortably seated with my bag stowed quickly. Mini bottles of water awaited premium passengers, and the updated cabins on the Boeing 737-900 aircraft were clean and modern. Each seat offered personal entertainment screens. The first-class seats were spacious, offering a limited, but comfortable recline, and featured individual power outlets.

With a flight time of more than four hours, I was able to work (in-flight WiFi was available at a cost and powered by Gogo), watch a movie (While We’re Young, a new release), eat lunch and catch up on a few episodes of the last season of The Following.

The lunch options included a pepperoni and cheese Stromboli (this option was no longer available by the time the flight attendant reached my fourth-row seat) and a salad with salmon. The salad was a play on the traditional Niçoise salad with potatoes, green beans, eggs and olives, but with salmon rather than tuna. Cheese, breadsticks and a piece of chocolate cake rounded out the meal option. I paired it all with a crisp white wine. Later, the flight attendants passed around a basket of snacks and continually checked in to refresh beverages or bring more water.

All in all, I was pleased with my experience. We landed early, meaning I didn’t have to rush to make my connection.

Delta Air Lines

Philadelphia (PHL) to Los Angeles (LAX)
First Class