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Delta Economy Comfort aboard an Embraer 175.

According to the Delta Airlines website, an Economy Comfort seat will get you 3-4 additional inches of legroom and Priority Boarding. Prices start at $9 and the upgrade is available on all two-class cabin flights worldwide. Free beer, wine, and spirits are also offered on all international flights and flights from/to JFK and SFO or LAX. Furthermore, you get an additional 50% more recline on most lengthy international flights.

Costs

Continuing from the Delta website, seats in Economy Comfort are free for all Diamond and Platinum Medallions and customers purchasing a Y, B, or M fare class ticket. Gold and Silver Medallions are eligible for discounted prices or sometimes free seats depending on flights and time of selection. The rest of us pay full price and we find out what that is when we select our seat on the website.

Is it worth it?

Reviews (ours included) indicate that the legroom is appreciated, especially by tall people. The additional recline is not enough to make a difference according to many reviews. As for the “free” booze, each individual will have to decide how much they drink and what the value is to them.  Concerning the priority boarding, that is also an individual value call. According to my observations of human behavior at the gate, this is a high-value item for most flyers.

Seat locations

If you do not find an aircraft listed below, that means that the plane does not have two classes for seating and no Delta Economy Comfort seating is available.

-Airbus:

319 and 320: first three rows of economy

330-200: first four rows of economy

330-300: first five rows of economy

-Boeing:

737: first three rows of economy

747: first five rows of economy

757 series: first three, four, or five rows of economy depending on the size of the plane

767 series: first four, five, or six rows of economy depending on the size of the plane

Click here to view the embedded video.

777: first four rows of economy

-McDonnell Douglas:

DC9-50: first three rows of economy

MD-88: first three rows of economy

Click here to view the embedded video.

MD-90: first three rows of economy

-Canadair Regional Jet

Click here to view the embedded video.

CRJ 700: first two rows of economy

CRJ 900: first three rows of economy

-Embraer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

E170: first three rows of economy

E175: first three rows of economy

Conclusion

If you have the funds and want a little extra room, lots to drink, and to be able to get settled on the plane early, then the Delta Economy Comfort upgrade is worth it. Check out FlyerTalk’s Delta Economy Comfort FAQ and watch our growing library of Economy Comfort video reviews.

The post Plane Guide | Delta Seating Economy Comfort appeared first on modhop.

Free lunch was the lure for travel writers and bloggers for a special look at Delta’s “T4X” a special NYC pop-up previewing the features of the airline’s new home at JFK’s Terminal 4…

Jake counts down to closure of T3- At Delta T4X in NYC.

This former Tommy Hilfiger store in NYC’s SoHo (thank you Google maps street view!) makes a surprisingly convincing airport lounge. Airplane sounds and projections even mimic a large window looking out toward departures. While I doubt this space is grand as the  SkyClub at JFK’s Terminal 4 when it opens, it’s a nice enough spot to take the second hour of my 1 hour lunch break.

My boss is on vacation.

The hubub surrounding this pop-up is the opening of the renovated and expanded Terminal 4 at New York’s JFK International Airport. Included in the terminal’s many upgrades is a massive 23,000 square foot Delta Sky Club (their largest), a 3800 square foot Sky Priority Check-in area and 9 shiny new gates.

What’s second-most exciting to me is the large Sky Deck, part of the new Sky Club. I can’t think of a better way to enjoy biscoff cookies and the smell of jet fuel in one sitting.

If you’re NOT a SkyClub member, the terminal itself promises to be a culinary adventure (at least for an airport). New York restaurateur and author of “Yes, Chef” Marcus Samuelsson has 2 new pre-flight foodie destinations alongside the now semi-famous Shake Shack and BBQ hotspot Blue Smoke.

The MOST exciting thing? The impending implosion of  the dilapidated Terminal 3. (I just hope they save all the birds inside first.)

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Airline: US Airways
Aircraft: A321
Seat: 10A
Class: Economy (Exit Row) – “Choice Seat”

Book It!:
Last minute flight deals at Expedia.com

US Airways “In Flight Cafe” serves up cold entrees, premium snacks and beverages for purchase. – Food aboard a US Airways A321.

Tech/Connectivity: Zero  power ports and lack of entertainment options like personal TV’s keep this seat from higher marks. If your batteries are fully charged though, GoGo in-flight wi-fi is (or will soon be) available on all of US Airways A320 family planes  including their A319, A320 and A321 aircraft.

Service: Flight attendants nearly tore apart the galley trying to find one of the airlines “Power-Nap Sacks”  for me. (Available for purchase, the kit includes eye-mask  earplugs and inflatable travel pillow.) While they didn’t find one, I appreciated the effort but was disappointed after skipping the kit that I could have bought at the airport (wayyyy more expensive) before this overnight flight. Flight attendants were genuine and friendly throughout.

Food: You’ll find food available for purchase on longer flights in US Airways economy.

Summary: ”Choice Seats” are made up of scattered exit row, bulkhead and others that provide extra legroom or a quick exit from the plane upon arrival. 10A looks to be one of the best on the plane with tons of extra legroom, giving you a view outside and access to the aisle without bothering your neighbors. Wi-fi is a nice perk, but lack of power and better in-flight entertainment keep us from giving this one a very rare “4 hops” economy rating. So, 3 it is.

Rating: 3 “hops” (of 5).

Strategy: 

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View of the Norwegian Breakaway from the modhop Travel Cave. 5/7/13

We’re not big cruisers…wait, that sounds wrong.

While we don’t specialize in cruisi…okay, forget it.

The brand new cruise ship “Norwegian Breakaway” is just sitting there, docked in NYC, waiting to be celebrated. So, tonight (Tuesday, May 7, 2013) between around 6pm and 8pm we’ll be at the official welcome party to mooch free drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Follow @modhop on Twitter if you’ve been anticipating the arrival of this very large floating hotel, restaurant, fun-park and nightclub. In between gin & tonics and Vienna sausages we’ll be sure to tweet and instagram ship facts and fun stuff about the new arrival to NCL’s fleet.

http://twitter.com/modhop

Here are some glossy photos of staterooms & upgrades from Norwegian Cruise Lines.

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Airline: Austrian Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300
Row:  2
Class: International Business

Last minute flight deals at Expedia.com

Austrian’s Long-Haul Business Class Seat in full “Sleep” position. – Photo: Austrian Airlines Group

Austrian Airlines is introducing these new fully lie-flat seats into their long-haul business class cabins  aboard Boeing 767 and 777 aircraft. During the transition you’ll experience either this or their older business seating as seen in our earlier review.

Seat(s): Where long-haul comfort in the 8-10 hours category is concerned, these Austrian Airlines fully lie-flat seats are pretty comfortable. The cushioning and flat-factor measure up to today’s international standard in business class. When in the full “sleep” position your legs extend into the wide space under the seat in front of you. If the cabin isn’t unreasonably warm (as on our flight), snoozing should be a breeze.

In this set of two center seats, one comes with a nice, large console to your left and a smaller, center console to your right. The other seat shares the center console and has a small, economy sized armrest on the other side. While it’s nice to be the one to have the extra large console, it’s much easier to access the aisle on the other side.

The touch-controller lets you customize your comfort, not unlike the popular “Sleep-number” beds we hear so much about. While there’s no number to choose, you get to select how hard or soft your cushion is. If that doesn’t do it for you, there’s a massage function to distract you.

Little features that you might like are that the magazine and “stuff” holders are smartly placed. Nothing is in the way, hard to reach, or injects itself into your personal space.

The supplied noise-cancelling headphones work great but this guy likes them WAY too much. – Photo: Austrian Airlines Group

Tech/Connectivity: Directly over your shoulder is a multi-nation power port and a USB charger port combining with yet ANOTHER USB port attached to your personal TV. Bonus.

Your Personal TV comes with a small but decent selection of movies from Pay-Per-View-age Hollywood blockbusters to modern Euro-favorites. TV shows and videos come in single episodes, including one of the show “30 Rock” that we’ve seen aboard most of our international flights over the last 4-5 years. Mix it with a small handful of games (similar to what you should get for free on your smartphone) and a digital copy of the Austrian Airlines Duty-Free catalog and that’s it. The moving map didn’t work on our flight. Boo.

Food: If the carnivore in you opts for the filet of beef (or “Filet vom Rind”), the sesame soya chutney should keep your 30r+K foot palate awake. A little rich but it had good flavor. The better half tried the Chicken Koi Soi with coconut chili sauce and was pleased enough to say it was good. tried the chiraz with my meal and didn’t like it. But I might just not like Chiraz.

The befores and afters were good too with one service promptly after another so that the trans-atlantic sleepers could nod-off quickly. Post-meal “Vienna-style coffee House” service kept me up to write these thoughts well into the night.

Service: The “Flying Chef” chef comes out in their best Sesame Street Baker garb before the flight to ask what you’d like for a  main course and pre-arrival meal. For us, this might have been better appreciated after we had put our luggage away and settled in. Otherwise the crew was very friendly, even turning down the heat mid flight when it got so hot that I had shed my fancy business class sweater and started fanning myself with safety cards.

Rating: 4 “hops” (of 5).

How we got em’: Miles! With the help of the PointsPros we snagged these seats (along with our return flight) with US Airways Dividend Miles. How many miles you use depends on your destination but US Airways for the time being has a few great redemption opportunities with Star Alliance partners like Austrian.

The post Video | Austrian Airlines 767-300 – International Business Class appeared first on modhop.

Frontier Airlines yesterday used flowery language to announce a new fee that charges certain passengers up to $100 for their carry-on bags…

But wait, it’s really not THAT bad. That’s essentially what the airline is telling us and to an extent it’s true. If you book your ticket at their website, FlyFrontier.com, You’re still allowed one carry-on for free. If you book at a 3rd party site like Orbitz you’ll be charged $25-$100, the lowest fees realized when checking in at the airlines website. The highest fees happen when you wait until you’re at the gate to drag your bulging-with-souvenirs bag aboard.

They really want you to use their website.

In addition to being able to skip some of these fees by using FlyFrontier.com, you can also avoid fees by buying more expensive, but more flexible fares like “Classic” and upward. Here’s the breakdown of the fees associated with this “enhancement”:

There was no fee for copying this image from the official press release at FlyFrontier.com. [Image: FlyFrontier.com]

“As part of the transformation into an Ultra Low Cost Carrier, Frontier will begin charging for onboard beverages this summer. Effective July 1, 2013, customers who purchase Economy or Basic fares will be charged $1.99 for coffee, tea, soda and juice. All on-board purchases continue to require a credit or debit card.”

Awhile back we sampled the Frontier product in one of their “Stretch” (extra legroom) seats. While we liked the service and thought some of these seats provided a reasonable amount of added legroom, the one we got wasn’t great.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The new carry-on charges aren’t much of a deterrent unless you’re determined to use outside sites to book your trip and continue a trend that might cause other airlines to follow suit. The beverage charges are a prickly annoyance simply because they’ll be able to price it like sports stadiums. At 35,000 feet, Where else are you going to buy a Coke?

The post News | Frontier Charges for Carry-on Bags and Drinks. appeared first on modhop.

Hotel Name: Sheraton Düsseldorf Airport
Location: Düsseldorf (Germany)
Room Type: Superior Queen

Book it!: Last minute flight deals at Expedia.com 

We’re not heavy drinkers but doesn’t seem right arriving in Germany to just one beer in the mini-bar. – Sheraton Dusseldorf

The Room: This Superior Queen room at the Sheraton Dusseldorf  is on the small side of average where size is concerned but sufficient for a quick stay.  The king size sweet sleeper bed was comfortable and consistent with what you’ll find at a majority of Sheraton hotels. It should make easy work of absorbing the few hours of sleep you missed on the plane. Best of all, someone paid attention to soundproofing when this place was built. The room is very quiet.

Your mini-bar is very lightly stocked with mostly non-alcoholic choices. Adorably packaged snack mixes are offered in jars but there’s little else to snack on outside room service. Your coffee maker is one-cup-at-a-time and designed with espresso in mind. Packets for 2 cups of each regular and decaf are provided.

Service: On our visit, service at the Sheraton Dusseldorf was pushing the limits of a 4 star hotel for the better. Missed wake-up calls were followed up by a visit (by a real person!). Help figuring out how to take the train to Frankfurt after a flight cancellation was provided with a smile (along with stern advice about having the airline pay for our ticket) and a pleasant, soft-spoken attitude seemed to be the rule, not the exception.

Wi-fi/Connectivity: Wi-fi comes with a charge and didn’t work well in our room, but a reliable, free signal is available in the lobby. Like many or most Sheraton hotels there’s a nice, open business area with internet-connected computers and a station for printing boarding passes.

We’re convinced there was a sale at “Low Glass Table Warehouse” – Sheraton Dusseldorf.

Overall: There aren’t many things better than having a bed in walking distance after an overnight flight. That’s why I, along with others who dread the idea of finding a cab, shuttle bus or tuk-tuk before fighting rush-hour traffic love when we hear that our hotel is actually connected to the airport. The Sheraton Dusseldorf airport is one such beautifully attached hotel. Just a few steps outside gets you into this mid-grade haven of deep sleep.

Rating (Room-only): 3 hops of 5

How we got it: This room isn’t really an “upgrade” in the classic sense, but we think it’s a huge plus to be able to roll off of a trans-Atlantic flight and into a “Sweet Sleeper” bed…or any bed for that matter. Day rates are available if you’ve got a long connection and want to get a long-ish nap in. In this case, they were able to combine a day rate with an overnight rate to accommodate an early arrival and midday departure the following day. It’s best to call well in advance if you’re making a similar arrangement.

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Airline: Austrian Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300
Row:  2
Class: International Business (Old)

Book It!:
Last minute flight deals at Expedia.com

Like Barney, This seat is a dinosaur…and purple. – Austrian Airlines Business Class (old).

Seat(s)- The color scheme of this Austrian Airlines Business Class cabin is nauseating at best. The purple and woodgrain of these near-retirement seats resemble something from  the set of TV’s “Barney & Friends“.

These are a throwback to the beginning of the new age of International Business Class. I can imagine the advertisements: “Austrian’s new Business Class features tens of movies on your own screen, a seat that tilts you toward the ground while you sleep and calms you with a massage function that mimics someone slowly kicking the back of your seat”. I’m sure they’d have worded it better.

But while we clearly disliked a few of the seats “features”, it still counts as business class. Antiquated compared to the airlines new-style seats, the recline features are still adequate for those who don’t mind sleeping a little bit upright or can do without the massage feature. In the fully-upright ‘seat’ mode, there’s a good amount of legroom, but seat-width is lacking. Another inch or two would be a world of difference for the larger-hipped.

Entertainment: This is as light on entertainment as you’ll find post shared-single-screen era. A small handful of movies are fed all at once to each personal screen in business class and start over whenever they’re all finished. Daydreams of what’s on your DVR at home are more satisfying.

Wi-fi/Connectivity: Wi-fi is still a dream for future Austrian flights but there’s power for your laptop and gadgets. Multi-nation ports accommodate many different plugs including US and European types.

Austrian Strudel Masters must have slaved over this in the galley. – Vienese Apples Strudel in Austrian Airlines Business Class.

Food: Austrian pays attention to catering and it shows. Luxurious appetizer and desert displays surround your choice of entree. Most of what’s served has good flavor and it’s presentation is decidedly high-end.

Service: I’m not sure if it falls into a category of elevated service or flight attendant abuse, but there’s someone on each flight dressed in a full chef’s outfit (Think Chef Boy-ar-dee). I like that they’ll come out to consult with you about your dinner choice but the costume seems unnecessary knowing that their next task is to start pulling everything out of a high-flying EZ-Bake Oven. Flight attendants offered friendly, garden-variety International business class service. Plenty of smiles and coffee refills for every cartoony seat.

Summary: While this version of Austrian Airlines Business Class seat is being phased out, it’s still what’s available on a good number of the airline’s 767 and 777 aircraft as we post this review. This was a daytime flight and we had no plans to sleep but our previous experience in similar, slightly-angled seats hasn’t been good on overnight flights. If you plan on being upright for most of the flight these give you room for your legs but don’t leave much elbow room, so you’ll likely rub arms with your trans-ocean seatmate…eww. Combine it with limited personal entertainment, you’ll be daydreaming of the airline’s newer business class seats.

Rating: 2 “hops” (of 5).

How we got em’: Miles! With the help of the PointsPros we snagged these seats (along with our return flight) with US Airways Dividend Miles. How many miles you use depends on your destination but US Airways for the time being has a few great redemption opportunities with Star Alliance partners like Austrian.

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