We flew Delta to and from Reagan National Airport. Because it was summer, I booked us on morning flights both ways to try and avoid the typical afternoon summer storms in both Atlanta and Washington. Our flights were both scheduled around 9am and both were pretty much on time.

On the way up, we won the ATL lottery and were scheduled to depart from the T Concourse so we could get through security and walk about 50 feet to the T SkyClub, avoiding the train or walk to a further concourse. Security was pretty light even though it was the Friday after July 4th.

The T SkyClub was not too busy at 7:30am when we arrived, so we grabbed coffee and breakfast. There were the usual egg bites, biscuits, and other breakfast fare.

Our gate was literally across from the security exit (T-8) and we walked over right at the posted boarding time. Unfortunately, we waited about 15 minutes for the flight crew to get there.

We boarded with the First Class passengers and were offered a pre-departure beverage. My wife got a mimosa but I was driving on arrival so I declined.

The flight left on time and was pretty smooth. We were provided drinks and snacks.

We landed at DCA a few minutes early thanks to the padding of the schedule that Delta seems to add to each flight these days. I had rented a car for this trip as we had a day trip outside of DC planned and my points booking as a Hyatt Globalist provided free hotel parking as a benefit.

If you’ve rented a car at DCA, you know that besides taking the shuttle, you can walk over a bridge from Terminal 2 to the rental car garage via a covered pathway. I find this much quicker than waiting for a shuttle that will basically exit the airport and drive all the way around. Flying Delta definitely helps as the exit to the bridge is closest to the Delta wing of Terminal 2.

We rented a Mitsubishi hybrid SUV from National (upgrade courtesy of National Executive Elite status) and used two free day credits to knock the cost way down. I find National’s rewards program very easy to use and quick to provide credits, especially if you do a lot of short rentals (you earn a free day every five rentals).

On the morning of departure, we filled up the car near the Park Hyatt and drove back to DCA. It only took about 15 minutes, even on a fairly busy Monday morning around 7am. We did the reverse walk back to the Delta area of Terminal 2 and made our way through Clear and Precheck security which was very quick.

The SkyClub at DCA is one of my favorites as it is almost always not crowded. I noticed that the 8am Atlanta flight had been canceled. There had been storms in Atlanta the previous night and early that morning so it’s possible that the aircraft just did not make it to DCA. Luckily, our plane had flown up the night before and we were on time.

We had breakfast and coffee, although it was just regular coffee as the espresso machine was not working. They had mini-omelets, sausages and waffles as well as oatmeal and breakfast breads and pastries.

The lounge never got crowded in the hour or so we were there.

We waited a bit longer to head to the gate as my wife reminded me of the crew delay at ATL on our outbound. But this time, the flight seemed to have started boarding early and they were already boarding Main Cabin when we reached the gate. We were able to skip ahead a bit through the Sky Priority lane but still waited a while on the jetway.

When we reached our seats, we were never asked about pre-departure beverages. I didn’t notice anyone else had one, so I don’t believe it was just our late boarding that was the issue. Delta seems pretty inconsistent with pre-departure beverages.

The flight was a bit delayed as we waited for our turn to take off. Both of these flights were on A321 aircraft (not the NEOs) and featured live TV so we were able to watch live Wimbledon coverage on ESPN to pass the time.

The in-flight service was good on the return flight. I prefer it when the flight attendant takes drink orders first and delivers the drink before the snacks. When you get the snacks first, they just sit there while you wait for your drink.

We landed in ATL with a minimal delay and a long taxi to B Concourse. We had a long schlep to our car in the Park and Ride lot, but at least we were able to park at ATL as there have been many recent weekends where all the lots have been full.

We enjoyed our Delta flights as it’s always a treat to fly up front, even on a shorter flight. Even as a Delta Platinum Medallion, it’s rare to get upgraded to and from ATL without paying for the privilege in miles or points, using an upgrade certificate or using a Delta Reserve companion ticket.

Up Next: Park Hyatt DC Park Suite Review.

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