Delta vs. Air France: Which is ACTUALLY Better
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Date: 2026-01-23
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Comments and reviews: 20
erniekillstrom233
Thank you for this informative video. I live in Lyon and have family in Minneapolis and Orlando and always book through Delta for the U. S. Now, I have to say that I have flown business class
with Delta from MSP, Orlando or Atlanta a number of times to CDG or AMS, but only on Delta, and I have enjoyed all flights with Delta. The Delta One lounge in Minneapolis is wonderful and the other lounges were also quite nice, maybe with exception of Orlando which was a bit run down and crazy busy with families and kids. I always book Premium Comfort on both AF or Delta and there is a world of difference there, with Delta winning by a mile. We often travel r/t from CDG to Saigon (booked through AF) always with AF premium, or r/t to MSP, booked through Delta. The seating in this class is basically the same. The food and presentation is much better with Delta. The food with AF looks exactly what they serve in the main cabin where I feel Delta does a much better job with their food, selection, presentation, basically trying to make you feel special in premium. Delta always sends a pre-order email or text for your dining choice but I've never received this with AF. I also feel the service is much better with Delta. After the food service with AF and everything is cleared, the flight attendants seem to disappear. For example, with AF on our flight, from Bogota to CDG in September we were not offered anything for 5 hours in premium, including water. I was told I could go to the back of the plane and help my self to the buffet, which was sad. AF seems to make sure that you know you are not in business class and that is their priority. On the other hand, Delta has someone that is always going through the premium cabin checking to see if customers need anything and offering water and snacks. Overall, I feel the service on board is much better with Delta and when flying back and forth to the U. S. I try to avoid AF as much as possible, but living in France sometime they are my only option. I do have a lot of miles stockpiled with Delta and I've never tried to use them with AF for upgrades.
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Thank you for this informative video. I live in Lyon and have family in Minneapolis and Orlando and always book through Delta for the U. S. Now, I have to say that I have flown business class
with Delta from MSP, Orlando or Atlanta a number of times to CDG or AMS, but only on Delta, and I have enjoyed all flights with Delta. The Delta One lounge in Minneapolis is wonderful and the other lounges were also quite nice, maybe with exception of Orlando which was a bit run down and crazy busy with families and kids. I always book Premium Comfort on both AF or Delta and there is a world of difference there, with Delta winning by a mile. We often travel r/t from CDG to Saigon (booked through AF) always with AF premium, or r/t to MSP, booked through Delta. The seating in this class is basically the same. The food and presentation is much better with Delta. The food with AF looks exactly what they serve in the main cabin where I feel Delta does a much better job with their food, selection, presentation, basically trying to make you feel special in premium. Delta always sends a pre-order email or text for your dining choice but I've never received this with AF. I also feel the service is much better with Delta. After the food service with AF and everything is cleared, the flight attendants seem to disappear. For example, with AF on our flight, from Bogota to CDG in September we were not offered anything for 5 hours in premium, including water. I was told I could go to the back of the plane and help my self to the buffet, which was sad. AF seems to make sure that you know you are not in business class and that is their priority. On the other hand, Delta has someone that is always going through the premium cabin checking to see if customers need anything and offering water and snacks. Overall, I feel the service on board is much better with Delta and when flying back and forth to the U. S. I try to avoid AF as much as possible, but living in France sometime they are my only option. I do have a lot of miles stockpiled with Delta and I've never tried to use them with AF for upgrades.
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CarlNewYorkParis
Great review as always, thank you! And I'm now intrigued by your conclusion. I fly often between JFK and CDG and I usually pick the AF-operated flights over Delta. I find the food and service on AF a notch above Delta, which can sometimes be a a hit or miss. Offering actual espressos (served with a madeleine, a pre-starter mise-en-bouche and incredible French pastries are also nice touches, which Delta definitely doesn't offer. I've also had many issues in the past with Delta's cabins inconsistencies, including a few sleepless nights on their old A330s or B767. That said I agree the ground experience is better on Delta if you leave from JFK T4 (with their new Delta One Lounge) and while AF invested a lot on their La Premiere lounge at CDG but they now need to upgrade their business class lounge there. Most importantly, I have not tried Delta's new A330 Neo cabin so I might give Delta another chance (though AF latest A350 seat is pretty amazing.
Lastly being Franco-American, I think (for good or bad) the French in me is also more receptive to a proper French service and cuisine that I realize may not be as crucial to American passengers. So there is definitely a cultural aspect to my preference.
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Great review as always, thank you! And I'm now intrigued by your conclusion. I fly often between JFK and CDG and I usually pick the AF-operated flights over Delta. I find the food and service on AF a notch above Delta, which can sometimes be a a hit or miss. Offering actual espressos (served with a madeleine, a pre-starter mise-en-bouche and incredible French pastries are also nice touches, which Delta definitely doesn't offer. I've also had many issues in the past with Delta's cabins inconsistencies, including a few sleepless nights on their old A330s or B767. That said I agree the ground experience is better on Delta if you leave from JFK T4 (with their new Delta One Lounge) and while AF invested a lot on their La Premiere lounge at CDG but they now need to upgrade their business class lounge there. Most importantly, I have not tried Delta's new A330 Neo cabin so I might give Delta another chance (though AF latest A350 seat is pretty amazing.
Lastly being Franco-American, I think (for good or bad) the French in me is also more receptive to a proper French service and cuisine that I realize may not be as crucial to American passengers. So there is definitely a cultural aspect to my preference.
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davidhaydock7699
So I flew to Paris from California a about 10 years ago on Air France. The service, seating and food were amazing. The return trip on Delta, not so much. I felt like I was on a clapped out old plane. The food was below average in taste. Meager portions, no appetizers or in between meal snacks like services on Air France. The accommodations were nowhere near the quality of the ones on Air France. Other than a slightly larger seat and maybe an extra blanket, it was difficult to distinguish it from coach, which was super disappointing considering the cost of the flight for what we were supposed to be getting. As a matter of fact, it was so bad I complained to the travel agent and ever since, I've always tried to find any airline besides Delta! And that's coming from someone who had 3 family members who were pilots for Delta for years. The margin between the two airlines was night and day. But that's just me. Hopefully other people have had better experiences. Looks like Delta has stepped up their game.
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So I flew to Paris from California a about 10 years ago on Air France. The service, seating and food were amazing. The return trip on Delta, not so much. I felt like I was on a clapped out old plane. The food was below average in taste. Meager portions, no appetizers or in between meal snacks like services on Air France. The accommodations were nowhere near the quality of the ones on Air France. Other than a slightly larger seat and maybe an extra blanket, it was difficult to distinguish it from coach, which was super disappointing considering the cost of the flight for what we were supposed to be getting. As a matter of fact, it was so bad I complained to the travel agent and ever since, I've always tried to find any airline besides Delta! And that's coming from someone who had 3 family members who were pilots for Delta for years. The margin between the two airlines was night and day. But that's just me. Hopefully other people have had better experiences. Looks like Delta has stepped up their game.
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toddmac2020
I've never flown Delta business class overseas. I have flown Air France business from CDG to LAX. Our experience was top-notch. We used the business lounge at the M gates. It looks like you were at the L gates. I found the lounge to be outstanding as far as comfort and view from the seating. No, there's no restaurant, but the buffet was massive with many choices.
I found the Air France business class seats to be very comfortable, and I'm 6' 2 and 275 pounds. On our 11 1/2 hour flight, I didn't sleep at all (by choice, but I still felt rested when the flight ended. I even remarked to my wife that I could fly another 5-6 hours and I'd still be fine. Conversely, I could not wait to get off the plane on our other LA to Europe flights on Iberia, American, and British Airways. Iberia was the best of those three though.
I guess we should fly Delta on a future trip to Europe after this year. We are going back in June, but we're flying SAS.
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I've never flown Delta business class overseas. I have flown Air France business from CDG to LAX. Our experience was top-notch. We used the business lounge at the M gates. It looks like you were at the L gates. I found the lounge to be outstanding as far as comfort and view from the seating. No, there's no restaurant, but the buffet was massive with many choices.
I found the Air France business class seats to be very comfortable, and I'm 6' 2 and 275 pounds. On our 11 1/2 hour flight, I didn't sleep at all (by choice, but I still felt rested when the flight ended. I even remarked to my wife that I could fly another 5-6 hours and I'd still be fine. Conversely, I could not wait to get off the plane on our other LA to Europe flights on Iberia, American, and British Airways. Iberia was the best of those three though.
I guess we should fly Delta on a future trip to Europe after this year. We are going back in June, but we're flying SAS.
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nhr2008
What wasn't said is that not all airplanes are the same not all lounges. Depending on the route and time of day there can be big differences when it comes to the seats.
Smaller planes will never have the comfort of the large one. Just flew in the Airbus A330-800 (Qatar, and space simply allows for more comfort. On the other hand, I didn't find the QSuite that much better than the Delta cabin on my last trip, same location (Atlanta-Thailand. Need to say that I couldn't care less about luxury, something that apparently is very important for some.
Some airports have great lounges, others not so much, and some location don't even have one. Unless all lounges compared in the same airport we have comparing apples with oranges. Personally, I do not use a lounge because of the food.
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What wasn't said is that not all airplanes are the same not all lounges. Depending on the route and time of day there can be big differences when it comes to the seats.
Smaller planes will never have the comfort of the large one. Just flew in the Airbus A330-800 (Qatar, and space simply allows for more comfort. On the other hand, I didn't find the QSuite that much better than the Delta cabin on my last trip, same location (Atlanta-Thailand. Need to say that I couldn't care less about luxury, something that apparently is very important for some.
Some airports have great lounges, others not so much, and some location don't even have one. Unless all lounges compared in the same airport we have comparing apples with oranges. Personally, I do not use a lounge because of the food.
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helloimclaudio
As a spanish speaker, saying 'Que vas hacer' does not translate correctly as the common english saying 'what are you gonna do', to describe your own situation at least. It translates directly as 'what are you gonna do' but it doesn't sound correct in spanish when using it as a 'saying'.
For it to sound correct it would have to be something like 'ni modo, que se puede hacer' or simply 'que se puede hacer' which translates to 'oh well, what can you do' or 'what can you do'
Saying 'que vas hacer' as a saying, in the way you meant to use it, would be more appropriate if you're saying it to someone ELSE in regards to a situation they are in or one you are sharing together.
Your spanish sounds great though, I'm sure it'll only get better!
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As a spanish speaker, saying 'Que vas hacer' does not translate correctly as the common english saying 'what are you gonna do', to describe your own situation at least. It translates directly as 'what are you gonna do' but it doesn't sound correct in spanish when using it as a 'saying'.
For it to sound correct it would have to be something like 'ni modo, que se puede hacer' or simply 'que se puede hacer' which translates to 'oh well, what can you do' or 'what can you do'
Saying 'que vas hacer' as a saying, in the way you meant to use it, would be more appropriate if you're saying it to someone ELSE in regards to a situation they are in or one you are sharing together.
Your spanish sounds great though, I'm sure it'll only get better!
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dpmu1977
Great vid as usual - I've done both out of Boston. The new Delta One lounge in Boston is just great. Full menu on food and drinks and it feels super exclusive - only Delta passengers in the lounge the code shares use the new older lounge which is still great. The AF lounge is nice but it's less posh if you will. I love that they came around with a Champagne cart! I had the same jet as you on Delta and you do need an additional bit of padding IMO as the seats are harder. My wife and I sit split and we both had window seats. My AF flight was on an A350 first row - massive seat loads of space and storage everywhere. The food was meh on AF which was a bit of a surprise because people usually rave about it.
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Great vid as usual - I've done both out of Boston. The new Delta One lounge in Boston is just great. Full menu on food and drinks and it feels super exclusive - only Delta passengers in the lounge the code shares use the new older lounge which is still great. The AF lounge is nice but it's less posh if you will. I love that they came around with a Champagne cart! I had the same jet as you on Delta and you do need an additional bit of padding IMO as the seats are harder. My wife and I sit split and we both had window seats. My AF flight was on an A350 first row - massive seat loads of space and storage everywhere. The food was meh on AF which was a bit of a surprise because people usually rave about it.
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toh2002
I totally agree with your review. My wife and I flew Air France on their A380 to Paris from Los Angeles (before that flu thing, LOL) and we thought the service was OK, in fact some of the staff were kind of rude. We Have flown Delta One several times and have had amazing service and great food (short ribs are amazing. Last year we flew Virgin Atlantic (partner airline) to London and got to experience the Delta One Lounge at LAX 2 weeks after the opened and had an amazing experience. On our return flight from Rome, we had a layover at JFK and once again, got to experience their Delta One Lounge. Delta for the win!
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I totally agree with your review. My wife and I flew Air France on their A380 to Paris from Los Angeles (before that flu thing, LOL) and we thought the service was OK, in fact some of the staff were kind of rude. We Have flown Delta One several times and have had amazing service and great food (short ribs are amazing. Last year we flew Virgin Atlantic (partner airline) to London and got to experience the Delta One Lounge at LAX 2 weeks after the opened and had an amazing experience. On our return flight from Rome, we had a layover at JFK and once again, got to experience their Delta One Lounge. Delta for the win!
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earlhamil731
2004 ATL - CDG - Dubai. Booked Delta, flew on Air France 777 because the Arabs won’t shoot down an Air France jet. Delta not so much. Business class on the Air France was a trash dumpster. Hinge bar in seat hurt my back while I was sleeping. Out of work 8 weeks. Leaving Dubai to go home two days later the gate next to us was a local and had a goat line, the four legged kind of goat. Air France service was rude, terse, unimpressive. Last time on Air France. Best overseas airlines. Two are tied for 1st. Virgin 747-400-Newark to Gatwick, JAL 747-400 upper deck ATL-NRT.
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2004 ATL - CDG - Dubai. Booked Delta, flew on Air France 777 because the Arabs won’t shoot down an Air France jet. Delta not so much. Business class on the Air France was a trash dumpster. Hinge bar in seat hurt my back while I was sleeping. Out of work 8 weeks. Leaving Dubai to go home two days later the gate next to us was a local and had a goat line, the four legged kind of goat. Air France service was rude, terse, unimpressive. Last time on Air France. Best overseas airlines. Two are tied for 1st. Virgin 747-400-Newark to Gatwick, JAL 747-400 upper deck ATL-NRT.
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MrA. L-u7x
Terrible. Rude. In my experience Air France has the worst customer service when things go wrong! I was booked on a flight during the 2005 cyber attack. AF was rude, not supportive, and unresponsive during the event. AF lost my luggage. My wife and I traveled on vacation 4 days with none of our belongings. We purchased clothing to wear everyday cutting into our vacation money and time. AF reimbursed us a fraction of the cost and i had to fight with them to get anything. I am a 2 million Miller on Delta and I will never fly on AF again under any circumstance!
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Terrible. Rude. In my experience Air France has the worst customer service when things go wrong! I was booked on a flight during the 2005 cyber attack. AF was rude, not supportive, and unresponsive during the event. AF lost my luggage. My wife and I traveled on vacation 4 days with none of our belongings. We purchased clothing to wear everyday cutting into our vacation money and time. AF reimbursed us a fraction of the cost and i had to fight with them to get anything. I am a 2 million Miller on Delta and I will never fly on AF again under any circumstance!
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jeb_brooks
Maybe compare delta standard delta sky lounge instead of delta 1 lounge which is only available for registered delta premium frequent flyers otherwise it’s not a like for like comparison.
Sorry. The food in the air looks incomparable. Delta might be tasty, but Air France’s food presentation and quality looked superior.
And, where were the bonus marks for communication This is a key factor.
Why not try both airlines customer service near the gate for quality
Ask the same question of both airlines
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Maybe compare delta standard delta sky lounge instead of delta 1 lounge which is only available for registered delta premium frequent flyers otherwise it’s not a like for like comparison.
Sorry. The food in the air looks incomparable. Delta might be tasty, but Air France’s food presentation and quality looked superior.
And, where were the bonus marks for communication This is a key factor.
Why not try both airlines customer service near the gate for quality
Ask the same question of both airlines
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Bernard-g1v
Tipping a waiter in an executive lounge is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Why oh why do Americans keep expanding the crazy tipping culture Being asked to tip on credit card machines now at counter service establishments is the most ludicrous thing to happen in recent years.
Servers in normal restaurants rely on tips, in executive lounges you can be sure they are getting a proper salary Do you tip the desk agent who checks your boarding pass to admit you to the lounge Where does it stop
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Tipping a waiter in an executive lounge is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Why oh why do Americans keep expanding the crazy tipping culture Being asked to tip on credit card machines now at counter service establishments is the most ludicrous thing to happen in recent years.
Servers in normal restaurants rely on tips, in executive lounges you can be sure they are getting a proper salary Do you tip the desk agent who checks your boarding pass to admit you to the lounge Where does it stop
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HH_brick
AIR FRANCE! DELTA does not understand or get the exclusive luxury experience. You can't compare the presentation of meals as AF wins across the board. Also, the flight attendants on Delta may be friendly but they lack the polished, professionalism and look that AF excels at! Delta has picked up their game when it comes to food, but they lack the presentation and sophistication of AF. Basically, on Delta your meal was good, the seat was a bit better, but AF does not lack when it comes to luxury!
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AIR FRANCE! DELTA does not understand or get the exclusive luxury experience. You can't compare the presentation of meals as AF wins across the board. Also, the flight attendants on Delta may be friendly but they lack the polished, professionalism and look that AF excels at! Delta has picked up their game when it comes to food, but they lack the presentation and sophistication of AF. Basically, on Delta your meal was good, the seat was a bit better, but AF does not lack when it comes to luxury!
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WheelsUpTraveling
Funny thing. I am flying on Delta tomorrow and Air France next month lol honestly. Both on the a350. I thought they were both pretty good. Now my first time in business was actually with Air France back in August and I think before I had booked that trip I had suggested you did AF business. It was phenomenal in my experience. But both provided really good service.
Also, there’s an Air France restaurant downstairs, but I don’t know if that was just one or all of them
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Funny thing. I am flying on Delta tomorrow and Air France next month lol honestly. Both on the a350. I thought they were both pretty good. Now my first time in business was actually with Air France back in August and I think before I had booked that trip I had suggested you did AF business. It was phenomenal in my experience. But both provided really good service.
Also, there’s an Air France restaurant downstairs, but I don’t know if that was just one or all of them
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neutrino78x
Jeb, will Air France give you a glass of apple juice instead, if you don't drink Or it just take the wine or decline it: -) On submarines, on holidays, we would drink Martinelli's Sparking Apple Cider, which is just apple juice, some extra spices, and CO2 (to produce bubbles, but no alcohol. The captain has to explain to his superior officer why he allowed alcohol aboard, so generally speaking we can't bring any. Martinelli's looks just like champagne but you can't get drunk. :-)
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Jeb, will Air France give you a glass of apple juice instead, if you don't drink Or it just take the wine or decline it: -) On submarines, on holidays, we would drink Martinelli's Sparking Apple Cider, which is just apple juice, some extra spices, and CO2 (to produce bubbles, but no alcohol. The captain has to explain to his superior officer why he allowed alcohol aboard, so generally speaking we can't bring any. Martinelli's looks just like champagne but you can't get drunk. :-)
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SGTRandleOneOne
What weird timing. I am flying Delta One from JFK to Rome next week and, after a vacation across Italy, am flying HOP! to Paris and then Air France Business Class to JFK.
I intentionally like picking different airlines that operate flights for Delta for one of the legs because its fun to compare.
Now I am regretting the decision to fly Air France and probably should have stuck with Delta for the return trip.
QUICKLY! TO THE FLY DELTA APP TO SEE IF I CAN CHANGE IT!
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What weird timing. I am flying Delta One from JFK to Rome next week and, after a vacation across Italy, am flying HOP! to Paris and then Air France Business Class to JFK.
I intentionally like picking different airlines that operate flights for Delta for one of the legs because its fun to compare.
Now I am regretting the decision to fly Air France and probably should have stuck with Delta for the return trip.
QUICKLY! TO THE FLY DELTA APP TO SEE IF I CAN CHANGE IT!
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QuantumblockVC
I fly delta, Air France and KLM. Air France is a class above delta in food, comfort seats but delta wins crews service. KLM is upping their game with their B787-10 but KLM still has ways to climb. 20 years ago, KLM was like Singapore Airlines. best European Airline. I don’t know why they can’t do basic service which they used to be well known now. It must be a generational change for the Dutch. Today’s Dutch can’t match old Dutch hospitality I guess
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I fly delta, Air France and KLM. Air France is a class above delta in food, comfort seats but delta wins crews service. KLM is upping their game with their B787-10 but KLM still has ways to climb. 20 years ago, KLM was like Singapore Airlines. best European Airline. I don’t know why they can’t do basic service which they used to be well known now. It must be a generational change for the Dutch. Today’s Dutch can’t match old Dutch hospitality I guess
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timec2002
Pleased to see you had a good Delta experience, the last two transatlantic flights I’ve done with them were both very poor. The staff on the last but one flight seemed totally disconnected and disinterested. I overheard several people complaining about the food being quite cold when it got to them. I have flown Air France in quite a while, the last time was ok. Nothing particularly outstanding, but also not bad either.
Keep them coming!
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Pleased to see you had a good Delta experience, the last two transatlantic flights I’ve done with them were both very poor. The staff on the last but one flight seemed totally disconnected and disinterested. I overheard several people complaining about the food being quite cold when it got to them. I have flown Air France in quite a while, the last time was ok. Nothing particularly outstanding, but also not bad either.
Keep them coming!
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HabaneroTi
Heh, I was watching this on my tablet, and just as you said that AF notified you that there would be no WiFi onboard (which of course turned out to not be the case, my WiFi cut out. I didn't realize that you (or AF) were this powerful!
And, I think you need to add a D to your 3 P's, for duct tape, to fix things like cupboard doors that wouldn't close shut during a flight! I'm sure there are other uses for it too on a flight.
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Heh, I was watching this on my tablet, and just as you said that AF notified you that there would be no WiFi onboard (which of course turned out to not be the case, my WiFi cut out. I didn't realize that you (or AF) were this powerful!
And, I think you need to add a D to your 3 P's, for duct tape, to fix things like cupboard doors that wouldn't close shut during a flight! I'm sure there are other uses for it too on a flight.
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eurocougar
Honestly, I found this video to be less than useful for the average flier. The vast majority cannot ever fly in Delta One or any other Business/First Class, ao this video is directed at a tiny minority. Unless we work for a company that pays our way, we'll never spend time in either of these cabins. The title of the video drew me in, but it quickly became clear that this is aimed solely at the elites. What a waste of time.
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Honestly, I found this video to be less than useful for the average flier. The vast majority cannot ever fly in Delta One or any other Business/First Class, ao this video is directed at a tiny minority. Unless we work for a company that pays our way, we'll never spend time in either of these cabins. The title of the video drew me in, but it quickly became clear that this is aimed solely at the elites. What a waste of time.
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