Flight Review: Delta B737-800 First Class, MSP-MEM

Introduction: Late Summer in Scandinavia
Flight Review: American Airlines B737-800 First Class, MEM-DFW
Flight Review: Finnair A350-900 Business Class, DFW-HEL
Flight Review: Finnair E190 Business Class, HEL-CPH
Lodging Review: Fairfield by Marriott Copenhagen Nordhavn
Our Time in Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Best Western Hotel Hebron, Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Next House, Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Story Hotel Studio Malmö
Our Time in Malmö and Ystad, Sweden
Lodging Review: IKEA Hotell, Älmhult, Sweden
Our Time in Älmhult, Sweden and High-Speed Train to Stockholm
Lodging Review: Motel L Älvsjö, Stockholm
Our Time in Stockholm
Flight Review: SAS A320neo Economy Class, ARN-OSL
Lodging Review: Comfort Hotel Grand Central, Oslo
Our Time in Oslo
Lounge Review: SAS Lounge, Oslo airport
Flight Review: Lufthansa A320-200 Business Class, OSL-FRA
Flight Review: Lufthansa 787-9 Business Class, FRA-MSP
Flight Review: Delta B737-800 First Class, MSP-MEM

Why I Booked This Flight

When I look for award space for international flights, I basically just look for flights to any city which has a non-stop flight back to Memphis. I don’t even try to book all the way back to my home city because I typically book so far in advance that there are no saver-priced flights between an international hub and Memphis. This also gives me a lot more flexibility as to where I land within the US. This time I was fortunate that the flight I found got me back to Minneapolis and the connection there will get me home to Memphis earlier than any of the other connections.

How I Booked This Flight

I booked this flight using Delta Air Lines SkyMiles. I originally booked a premium economy flight for 24,500 miles and $5.60 because I didn’t have enough miles for the domestic first class seat. I later realized I could have transferred some in from my American Express Membership Rewards account. As I logged into my Delta account to see about canceling my award ticket so I could rebook it in domestic first, I received an upgrade offer. So I transferred over enough points for the upgrade for $9. (Amex charges a fee when transferring miles to US-based airline programs) I then paid an additional 14,500 miles for the domestic first class seat. Whether I flew premium economy or business class, it wasn’t much of a bargain either way. But that was not the point for this flight. It’s the tail end of my international vacation and I wanted to fly in domestic first, so I did.

Delta Boeing 737-800 credit: delta.com

DL 2713 (MSP-MEM)
Boeing 737-800
Seat 4A (Domestic First Class)
Depart: 03:15 PM (actual 03:25 PM)
Arrive: 05:16 PM (actual 05:14 PM)

Pre-Flight

While I didn’t have arrival lounge access from my Lufthansa flight, I did have access to the Escape Lounge through the Priority Pass card I have from my Chase Sapphire Reserve card. I had planned to do a review of the lounge and though I was able to find a small table for myself, it was fairly crowded and I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos of the lounge though it was a decent place to see planes on the tarmac.

View from the Escape Lounge MSP Airport

View from the Escape Lounge MSP Airport

I managed to time things perfectly and left the lounge in time to reach Gate F12 less than a minute before boarding began.

After getting settled in my seat the flight attendant asked if I wanted a pre-departure beverage. Having had two meals on the Lufthansa flight and a very light snack in the Escape Lounge, I didn’t feel the need for anything other than the bottle of water that was already at my seat.

In-Flight

This is a relatively short flight, blocked at two hours. The seat is a standard domestic first class seat, much wider than those in economy, with more legroom. It did have an AC outlet that was easy to reach. I appreciate having it in the armrest of the seat in front rather than having to contort myself to try to plug something into an outlet positioned between my seat and the one beside me.

We did have an entertainment screen though by this time the extent of the travel was starting to catch up with me as our flight would be landing just after midnight, Oslo time and I’d been up since about 1 AM Oslo time, which was about 6 PM the prior day Minneapolis/Memphis time! So I browsed the offerings a bit and half-watched a comedy while trying to stay awake.

Arrival

Despite pushing back about 10 minutes late, we still managed to arrive about 2 minutes early.

In the end

There’s a reason I don’t usually review domestic flights and that reason is there’s not usually much to them. Meals are rarely served (certainly not on this mid-afternoon flight) and interactions with the crew are minimal. Still I was able to get home before dark, unpack and get ready for work the following day without staying up late, so this flight accomplished what I needed.

And with that my big international trip of 2024 comes to a close. Stay tuned this winter for a lodging review of the Huntley Lodge in Big Sky, Montana, an Atwell Suites in Denver, and a condo property at Copper Mountain, Colorado!