Let’s get back to what Kinda Boring Travel is about, domestic US economy flights. Tonight I’m traveling up to Minneapolis for work. I’ll be riding on Delta’s A319 in Economy. It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed the Delta A319 so I figure this is a good chance. I usually like the Delta Main Cabin on the A319 so I’m expecting much of the same.
GSP doesn’t have direct flights to MSP so I decided to make the 45 minute drive to the Asheville airport and catch a flight. I’ll gladly drive for 45 minutes to avoid a connection, especially because AVL is a small airport. Unfortunately some travel days are worse than others. Today’s flight is delayed by about 2 hours. Not a huge deal, and I’m glad I hadn’t left for the airport before I started getting delay notifications.
Bottom Line: Delta’s A319 is a solid plane in Main Cabin Economy. The seats are comfortable, the in flight entertainment is very good, and the service is adequate. My flight was a little delayed, and that’s never fun, at least I didn’t have a connection to make.
Asheville Delta A319 Boarding
Once air the airports getting through security was fast and easy. I found a seat and waited for a few minutes before boarding was called. The gate area was very full as there’s also an Allegiant flight leaving at the same time right next door.
Asheville Airport doesn’t currently have jet bridges. So boarding is done via stairs. There’s also a ton of construction here at AVL so things can be a little hectic. Once past the boarding podium, you’re outside, I then walked to the gate 6 sign.
Before the ramp to the plane, there was an agent checking names off a paper list. I assume this is because the boarding gates can get mixed once outside and passengers have ended up on the wrong plane.
It was a nice clear night for a flight. I always love walking up to the plane outside, it’s just more fun and shows the scale of aircraft. Even the relatively small Delta A319 is a huge machine.
Boarding was somewhat orderly, I don’t think this is a completely full flight up to Minneapolis.
Nice night here in Asheville.
Delta A319 Main Economy Cabin
The economy cabin on the Delta A319 is a standard 3-3 seating configuration. The first few rows are Comfort +, these have a more leg room and get free drinks in flight.
Beyond that, there is standard Main Cabin Economy seats. These planes are not new, in fact most of them are more than 20 years old, but Delta has upgraded the A319 interiors to keep them looking fresh.
I’m sitting nearly at the very back of the plane tonight. I booked this flight very last minute so there were not any better seats available. At least I have a window.
Delta A319 Main Cabin Economy Seats
Leg room in the Delta A319 is adequate but not amazing. I’m lucky that there’s no one sitting in the middle seat next to me. There’s also a universal power outlet provided to charge devices.
The overhead bins hold bags on their sides, like books on a bookcase, to fit more luggage. The overhead panels have these interesting modules that have the air vents, lights, and call request button.
The Delta A319 has entertainment in each seat. There’s also a USB power port to charge smaller devices in your seat.
The pilots added their welcome. They told us exactly what went wrong and why we’re delayed. Our original aircraft had some damage when they did their walk-around. They had to wait for another plane to become available and thus the delay. I appreciate they told us the back story.
Delta A319 In Seat Entertainment
Each seat has its own individual in seat entertainment screen. These ones have the ability to sync with your Skymiles account. There’s a passcode in the entertainment system that’s entered into the Delta app. The system worked pretty well.
The screen is responsive and there’s a very good selection of movies and shows. This flight is about 2 hours in flight so there’s more than enough to keep me entertained.
Delta A319 Departure and Takeoff
The plane was boarding was completed and the flight attendants gave their welcome along with passing out earbud to be used with the in seat entertainment. The Pilot also said the first part of the flight might be a little bumpy so they seatbelt sign will be on for a little longer than usual during the climb out of AVL.
We pushed back from the gate and the safety video was show. We just over 2 hours behind schedule. We took off towards the North West and made a very slight turn towards MSP.
As we crossed over Tennessee it got a little bumpy, but nothing major. I’m pretty tired and just put on the moving map and tried to close my eyes a little. I have about a 45 minute drive when we land and just want to rest. I also did a little web surfing on my phone on the free Delta WiFi.
Clear night for the whole flight so we got a nice nighttime view of the cities we crossed over. I like trying to guess the city and check it on the map.
This is Indianapolis, at least I think it is.
Delta A319 Drinks and Snacks
As we crossed over the southern edge of Ohio, it was smooth enough for the seatbelt sign to turn off and the flight attandants began their beverage service. Unfortunately they said they don’t have ice, AVL didn’t have any to cater them with. Not a huge deal.
I decided to have a water, it’s late, I’ve already eaten dinner so I skipped the snack too.
Delta A319 MSP Arrival
With about 30 minutes left in the flight, the pilot told us it’s very pleasant weather in the Twin Cities, and that we’d have a few bumps but nothing serious. He also had started our descent into MSP and the seatbelt sign would be turned back on soon.
Just like the pilot said, a few minutes later the seatbelt sign was turned on. The flight attendants came through and collected the trash and then prepped the cabin for landing.
We made pretty good time on this flight. We pushed back from the gate almost exactly 2 hours late but looks like we’re going to land about 90 minutes late. Not a huge victory, but I’ll take it.
We touched down at MSP just a few minutes later.
Delta A319 Main Cabin Economy Final Thoughts
The Delta A319 is a comfortable plane in economy. I don’t think I like it as much as the A220, but I do like riding on the A319 much more than the 737. I don’t like that I was delayed by 2 hours, but at least I didn’t have to make a connection to get to MSP. The best part of the Delta A319 is the in seat entertainment and free wifi. For a 2 hour flight, it’s a nice way to pass the time.
I won’t avoid a Delta A319, in fact, I’d probably steer myself towards one if it didn’t add any more time to my trip. I’m really glad Delta has this route between AVL and MSP. I know it’s mostly because both Allegiant and Sun Country have this route too, but I still like it.