Rollercoaster Ride Through The Storm: Delta A320 Economy Atlanta (ATL)- Washington (DCA) Review

By Ramon

Ramon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. ​​

Flight Summary
 Delta hit a low in passenger comfort on this flight and its  operations team should have cancelled this scary rollercoaster ride. Pros-Great Delta Pilots. Cons- Aggressive Delta Operations, Bad Delay Notifications, Glitchy In-Flight Entertainment.
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The Club at ATL
We got off of our flight from MEX and took the ATL train to terminal F to visit the Club at ATL which I have access to as part of my Priority Pass membership. The Club brand is used for a set of independent airport lounges across the U.S. which partner with lounge memberships such as Priority Pass to grant access to members. The Club at ATL is located in Terminal F, the international, terminal at ATL. ​

The Club at ATL Entrance

As we entered the lounge to check-in it was a zoo. This lounge was very loud, overcrowded, and there was still a line at the check-in desk for additional patrons to enter. Once it was our turn the check-in agent told us that we could enter but were unlikely to find any seats. I agreed to enter just so I could get a sense of the amenities in the lounge for the blog. I can tell you this lounge is not even worth visiting. This was definitely the most full I have ever seen any lounge and their was not a single seat available and the noise was worse than sitting in the terminal. I imagine the huge crowds were due to the evening international departures. I checked out the food and it looked disgusting and picked apart. 

Club at ATL Food

This was one of the worse lounges I have ever seen and made American Airline's Admirals clubs look good. The Club at ATL really needs to expand their space. This lounge was terrible and my advice would be stay away. 

 Boarding
We left the lounge and headed to gate T5. The T-Gates have a Admirals Club next to T-11 but we did not check it out since it was already closed. As we walked up to the gate, which was full of people, the check-in agent announced that the flight was delayed because we were waiting for a new flight crew. I assumed the original crew had flown their allowable hours today so we needed a new crew. Despite the delay neither the Delta app nor the screen at the gate were updated with the new departure time prior to boarding. Passengers rely on accurate information about the flight and the fact that Delta did not update the time despite knowing about the delay is disrespectful of the customers time and shows a need to continuing improving there delay notifications. After a long wait there was no additional communication until the gate agent started making pre-flight announcements. In one of the announcements the agent said that the FAA restricts passengers to only one carry on and one personal item when there is in fact no such FAA rule and this is regulated by the airlines. I found this telling and it showed that some additional training is needed to make sure airline employees share accurate information with passengers. Overall, the customer service from the gate agents and Delta information technology was poor. After piling everyone onto the plane we ended up departing 14 minutes late.

Gate T5 Sign

In-Flight Entertainment
On the surface the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system on this flight seemed the same as the IFE on the A321 and A319. However, the IFE on this aircraft functioned the worse of any of the Delta flights. About half way through the flight the IFE system stopped working all together. Once it came back online it only allowed passengers to choose from a handful of films in French. I am not sure if this functionality was due to a poor IFE system on the plane or the bad weather but throughout the second half of the flight it continued to be glitchy and nearly non-functional. 

IFE Screen

On the surface the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system on this flight seemed the same as the IFE on the A321 and A319. However, the IFE on this aircraft functioned the worse of any of the Delta flights. About half way through the flight the IFE system stopped working all together. Once it came back online it only allowed passengers to choose from a handful of films in French. I am not sure if this functionality was due to a poor IFE system on the plane or the bad weather but throughout the second half of the flight it continued to be glitchy and nearly non-functional. 
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​ Weather and Turbulence
The flight attendants started beverage service and offered us a complimentary drink and snack. However, they abruptly ended service after row 14 when the captain came on the speaker and asked for the flight attendants to be seated due to rough weather ahead. The weather throughout the flight was so bad that the flight attendants never got back up again for beverage service. As we continued flying we flew directly into a thunderstorm and the plane violently shook due to the turbulence. We entered the clouds and the weather caused the plane to go up and down like a rollercoaster ride. I have been through bouts of turbulence many times on a plane but this was some of the worse I have experienced.

Thunderstorm Affecting Flight

 The weather and turbulence continued throughout the rest of the flight and passengers grew more and more nervous and uncomfortable on the plane. As we started our descent it was clear we were flying through a thunderstorm and it was raining hard outside our window. As we continued to descend there was zero visibility and we could not see the runway until seconds before we landed. This was one of the worst bouts of weather I have been through and one of my worst experiences ever on a plane. When we were finally let off Christina ran to the bathroom and threw up due to all of the tossing and turning of the plane. Afterwards I looked up our flight path and saw that we had indeed flown directly through a bad thunderstorm one that spawned a tornado in Virginia. The flight path showed that the pilot attempted to take us through the weakest part of the storm but it was still a terrible passenger experience. 

Flight Path

Take Away
This was one of the worst flights I have ever taken. It started with bad delay notifications by Delta, continued with a glitchy IFE system, and ended with what felt like a rollercoaster ride. I found Delta's reputation for operating during inclement weather is well earned but sometimes their operations can be too aggressive. Be aware of this on your next Delta flight during inclement weather.