Trip review: Delta A220 domestic first class (Denver to Seattle) [DEN to SEA]

In a previous post, I talked about my redemption deal for only 14,000 miles (roundtrip) on Delta plus a $95 upgrade fee to fly in domestic first class. That post contains my outbound flight from Seattle to Denver.

For my return flight, I flew in an Airbus A220 from Denver to Seattle. It’s a relatively newer plane model that’s not quite like other Airbuses. This was my first time flying on an Airbus A220. I was curious to see what gems lay awaiting for me in the marvel of Canadian engineering.

About the plane

For those who are unfamiliar, the Airbus A220 was not actually developed by Airbus, but rather by a Québecois company called Bombardier. They spent too much money developing this plane (which they called the Bombardier CSeries), so they had to sell a majority stake to Airbus. Then, Airbus rebranded the plane under them.

The A220 is smaller than even the A320 series. The fuselage is narrower, allowing for only 5 seats in each row in economy rather than 6. (This is reminiscent of the MD-82s I used to fly on as a kid on American Airlines!) We still had 4 first class seats per row though.

Departure experience

For more information about my departure experience, you can see the post that I will be adding about the Denver Centurion Lounge. But here’s the (in?)famous Blucifer that graces the airport’s presence (or haunts it, depending on what you think of him).

Experience

The plane arrived late from Seattle, so our flight was delayed by about 30 minutes. Our crew waited with us at the gate. As they were not the same one that flew from Seattle to Denver, I felt that we had a more energetic experience from the flight attendants.

We took off from Denver International Airport (known by the locals as DIA) at an elevation of 5,280 feet. During the flight, the plane never climbed above 25,000 feet.

Our flight path took us directly over the Rockies and Cascades. My window seat, combined with our altitude remaining beneath the clouds, allowed me to get a wonderful view throughout the flight of the snow-capped mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington.

Cabin

The plane was new, so the cabin was fitted with the latest comforts. The lavatory was well-kept and well-designed. I enjoyed using the new touchless sink with sensors that would turn on the faucet automatically. The lotion and soap provided in this lavatory were also quite nice.

My seat was noticeably newer than the previous one I sat in during my flight from Seattle to Denver. Rather than being completely draped in blue leather, the hard shell backs made for a sleeker seat.

The IFE had the same large size as on the older planes too. It featured a USB-A charging port in addition to the headphone jack. (Free earbuds were provided before takeoff.) There are also two universal AC power ports for use, located on the back side of the center console of the seat ahead of us.

Meal service

As you can see from the above sneak peek, the meal service featured a wonderful dinner.

As with last time, I ordered the beef cheeks. The menu basically remained the same whether I was departing from Seattle or Denver, which was both a shame and a blessing. I took this opportunity to get the same menu item because I wanted to try both the Seattle- and Denver-prepared beef cheeks to see which one I liked better.

I ordered sparkling wine with my meal. While it’s better to pair beef with red wine, I decided against it due to personal preference (as I did not feel like drinking red wine that evening).

The meal came with mashed potatoes, carrots, and pickled red onions. A walnut + brie + dried cranberry salad was provided with a vinaigrette dressing, in addition with what appeared to be a panna cotta with coconut shavings (and a lone blackberry) for dessert.

The taste was spectacular for everything! Although it was distinct from the Seattle kitchen’s taste, they both tasted great in their own ways. I would eat both preparations again in a heartbeat. I would prefer a few more vegetables in the main bowl though; the Seattle kitchen had asparagus and blistered cherry tomatoes, which added some less heavy variety to my diet and was much appreciated. The mashed potatoes and carrots both made for very heavy accompaniments to the beef cheeks.

The only issue was my original silverware was not washed properly, as there were still leftover bits of food on the fork I was given.

Final thoughts

The Airbus A220 experience on Delta was enjoyable because the plane was new, flew smoothly and quietly, and the onboard experience was noticeably newer than that of their previous planes. The new seat design was certainly conducive to a modern flyer’s comfort and productivity.

I continued to receive the wonderful Delta service experience on this flight, just like on my previous Delta flights. While there was a slight sanitation problem with the original silverware I was provided, the food was excellent and I’d definitely have it again.