As you can probably guess, this flight doesn’t go well. Getting diverted sucks, it just always does. But at least we’re in first class so while it sucks, at least there are free drinks. This flight is again on a Delta CRJ900, but in first class this time. This plane is also a slightly newer on so it has different overhead bins that allow more bags. Anyway, lets get into this flight review.
This flight was originally planned for Albany, but we don’t end up there. We do end up diverting and this turns into a flight to nowhere, but whatever, bad weather happens and there’s worse things going on in the world.
Delta Detroit Boarding Process
After our stop in the SkyClub we got the notification on our phones that our flight was boarding. It was about 15 minutes earlier than expected.
When we were approaching the gate we heard the “we have completed boarding all rows and zones for Albany.” We’re not scheduled to depart for a half hour so I was surprised. I looked at the board and it was showing a slightly early departure, I love early.
Once onboard it all made sense. The pilot told us that there is some fog approaching Albany and that it’s pretty time sensitive that we get into the air and beat the fog.
The good news is that we’re now departing early. The door was quickly closed and we were on the way.
Delta CRJ900 First Class Seating Review
This CRJ900 is one of the newer in the Delta fleet. These are very nice and well suited for the job. They have larger overhead bins and lots of light in comparison with the other CRJ900s. The leg room is good and there’s space to store bags under the seat under.
There’s power available here in the Delta First Class. We did end up using this to keep our devices charged. Side note, we’re both wearing boots, our end destination is Vermont and we’ll be doing some outdoor activities and with carry on only, you wear your largest shoes.
In our seat were water bottles and wipes.
These newer CRJ900s have very large overhead bins, big enough that our carry on bags fit just fine in a strait in orientation. That’s great on a regional jet.
The upgrade was a bit of a surprise, we were scheduled for comfort plus, but I’ll never turn down the upgrade, we even got to sit together.
CRJ900 In Flight
We pushed back early as promised and headed right to the runway.
The pilots are really flying this fucker. We took off fast and climbed hard. We then turned to the east and hit the gas. They’re really trying to get us to New York.
Delta CRJ900 First Class Beverage Service
The flight attendants came through and offered beverages. I opted for a coke. We have about a 2 hour drive when we land so no drinks for me.
The snack basket was also passed around and I just went for a bag of chips. I had plenty to eat in the Skyclub so just a little snack to keep me going is all I need.
Delta Flight Diversion
Well, we got some news from the pilots. It’s not great, the fog has descended and we’re not sure if it’s possible to land. Where about 100 miles away and they’re going to try to get is there, but it’s not looking good.
Well it’s happened, we tried to fly an approach but it isn’t possible. We’re diverting back to Detroit. As soon as that happened I bought access to the WiFi and booked us a hotel room at the DTW Westin. Because it’s weather Delta doesn’t have to provide anything and I didn’t want to sleep in the terminal. The flight attendants were great they came around and offered a second round of drinks. I’m not driving when we land in Detroit so I opted for a beer.
Our alternate airport is Detroit and turning around and going back doesn’t sound great. But there’s nothing we can do to change the weather. Diversions are never fun. This day hasn’t been great for flying.
Flight Diversion Final Thoughts
Once we landed in Detroit we headed to the Detroit Westin that’s attached to the A Concourse. It’s late and our replacement flight is leaving early tomorrow morning. I didn’t want to fart around with any of the other airport hotels that run a shuttle to the airport.
Getting diverted sucks, it really does. Landing back in Detroit is probably the lessor of all evils. Diverting to somewhere like Syracuse or Hartford would super suck, not close enough to drive to our final destination and less options for hotels.
Because this is weather related I didn’t even sit around at the gate after we arrived. We legged it straight to the hotel. When we landed we were notified that we’d be departing again at 7AM and that’s all the information I needed.