I flew to Atlanta Airport in Georgia, US from London Heathrow Terminal 3 in the UK with Delta Airlines on their 11AM flight. I booked the ticket with Faregeek.com with Virgin Atlantic but Delta and Virgin co-operate so I ended up flying on a Delta Airlines flight direct to Atlanta.
The return flight was via Orlando Airport on a Virgin Atlantic plane to London Gatwick Airport.
The flight cost £421 return, booking four days before the flight departure date. My colleagues looked at booking the same flight two months earlier and it was so expensive they instead booked another flight for two days later.
I imagine a lot of other people did the same as the flight was almost half empty when I got on board. In this flight review you will read about my experience on a Delta Airlines flight to Atlanta Airport – if you are interested in other airlines, please check out this page.
Tips
- If you book with Faregeek you will need to call the airline three days before the flight to confirm departure and that you are booked on the plane.
- Arrive at least three hours before departure – there are plenty of checks, questions and things that can go wrong.
Finding Heathrow Terminal 3
I took a private hire car to Heathrow Terminal 3 but if you are coming from central London you can take the tube or Heathrow Express.
There are also many bus services serving Heathrow Airport, dropping you off at Heathrow Central Bus Station. From that bus station you can walk to terminals 1,2,3 or take the tube and train to terminals 4 and 5.
Entering Heathrow Terminal 3
Virgin and Delta have their own “wing” at Terminal 3 so I headed there direct from the drop off point. Here you can check in using the electronic kiosks or simply walk up to one of the desks to drop your bag off and check in.
First Impressions
Everything seemed very well organized and there were no queues anywhere. I walked up to the self-serve kiosk to check in.
Checking In
Checking in was straight forward although I don’t understand why it had to ask me the same questions it already asked when I checked in on my laptop and then later on my iphone.
Also, I am a Delta Sky Club member and nobody recognised me as such during any part of the check-in or boarding process.
I scanned my passport and entered my details then printed the boarding pass and headed upstairs to go through the security checks.
The Lift and Public Areas
I did not use the lift but the public areas and the lobby were clean and clutter free with plenty of seating. The escalator was working fine and I got up to the first floor swiftly.
The Security Checks
The security checks went fine, just the usual laptop and liquid checks. What I do is stop before I get in line and remove the liquids and laptop out of my bag. Once I have everything in hand I walk to the boarding pass scan and head to the shortest queue.
This doesn’t always help speed up the process but at least I don’t need to fiddle with the suitcase and other things when I am already at the x-ray.
Tips:
- Place the laptop and liquids in a separate tray then put your valet, phone, keys and coins and all loose items in your jacket pocket which should have a zip.
- Zip your pocket, fold the jacket and put this in a tray along with your shoes and belt. Then place your suitcase in another tray. This should take less than one minute.
- Then head through the x-ray machine and hope they won’t find any problems with your luggage. Even when I had no liquid in my luggage I was sometimes stopped and searched, so it is a hit and miss.
The Airport Restrooms
The restrooms at the airport were clean and well-lit. I checked out two of them and both had the same consistency of cleanliness.
Cellular Coverage
Heathrow Terminal 3 has sufficient cellular coverage so I could access my mobile network to check my mail and watch youtube while I was waiting. I did not check if there was free wifi access.
There were lots of phone charging points and some of the seats also had plugs and USB charge points.
There were also a few coin operated pay phones and computer terminals to check your email for a fee.
Prayer Rooms, Family and Kids Facilities
There was a prayer room, kids room and family area at one end of the waiting room, clearly sign-posted.
Finding The Gate
The gate was announced at 930 and we started boarding at 1015. The walk to Gate 29 took about five minutes from the main waiting area.
Boarding The Plane
At the gate they checked my passport, scanned the ticket and then asked me various questions about the reasons for my visit to the US. I was dressed in my hoodie and jeans so when I told the girl I was on a business trip her jaws dropped, looking incredulous.
Once I passed all her questions then another person asked me to proceed to the bag check. Here they emptied my bags, swabbed everything and also tested for explosives and narcotics. Fortunately I passed all the tests.
On-Board The Delta Flight to Atlanta
I sat in Zone 3 in Row 26F originally but swapped to 24F instead when I discovered that both seats in that row were empty. So I basically got a semi-upgrade! On most short-haul flights that have a business class it is basically the same: the passenger gets one empty seat next to him/her.
The flight was not very full, I would say only about 60-65% occupancy which was quite low I would say. There were a number of rows of three seats where only one passenger was sitting or none.
Flight Departure
There was a problem with starting the engine unfortunately – some kind of power issues. The auxiliary power unit would not start the main engine so they had to bring in a truck to power up the main engine.
They also had to completely restart the entire plane so the lights, onboard computers, fans and everything else turned off altogether. We were originally scheduled to depart at 1100AM but in the end we took off at 1200PM, one hour late.
The Seat And Legroom
I was travelling in economy class and I thought there was plenty of legroom even though I am tall. I could stretch out fine and my knees did not knock into the seat in front.
On-board Facilities
There was a small TV screen in front of me, the usual pocket with a magazine, safety notices and sick bag in case you cannot handle taking off or landing. The seating layout was 2x3x2 with small windows on the side.
After take-off the stewardess came around with a hot towel to wipe our hands then they served the first round of drinks and snacks.
I received a menu just after boarding although I ordered a kosher meal so I did not need it. The lunch meal was chicken schnitzel and pasta, couscous and some fruit conserve followed by a chocolate cake. I also got an apple juice and sparkling water plus a gin and tonic.
On-Board Toilet
The toilet was clean and smelled fresh with a stainless steel sink, a big mirror, baby changing facilities and soap plus hand wipes.
Overall Impressions
It was the first time I flew with Delta and I am so far happy except for the one hour delay at the beginning of the flight but that can happen to anyone.
In fact, in the past three years I think I only ever had two flights that departed on time and on average I board about two return flights a month.