Delta Airlines 767-400 Business Class Review

 

How would you like to pay just $25 for a COVID test when you travel? Stay tuned and I'll show you how. Also coming up in this episode, an app that'll help you quickly find the nearest coffee shop, restaurant, or bank in any city, mMy review of Delta airlines retrofitted 767-400 plane, and a clever way to save money every time you fly. I'm Andrew Lock, and this is the show that shares the secrets of smarter travel.

Hello, and welcome to the show! As you might remember, last week, we talked about the crazy situation of COVID tests for travel. Well, you won't believe what happened to me since then. I was due to travel from England to the States, so I booked a rapid style antigen test at Heathrow airport the day before my flight. The official testing provider there is called Collinson group - it's the same company that owns Priority Pass. Well, the test itself went very smooth. By now, I'm quite used to having an extra long Q-tip inserted half way up into my brain! I was told the result would be uploaded into my online account within 30 minutes, and so I went back on my merry way to the hotel. Over the last year or so, I've had so many COVID tests, it's now kind of a non-event for me. Well, this time it was different!

After about an hour, I checked for the result, but nothing. So I emailed Collinson support and eventually received this response: "Hi Andrew. Thank you for your email. I can certainly help with that. I have checked. Please continue checking as it is not yet loaded."

Yeah, no kidding, Sherlock! That's why I wrote you my email in the first place! And then they concluded their email with a laughably unhelpful sentence, "I hope this information is useful, but if you need anything else, please visit blah-blah-blah..." - you get the idea. Not helpful at all. By now, it was starting to get late, and I was getting worried because my flight was the next morning. So I emailed again, and this time someone else replied saying, "Hi Andrew, thank you for getting in touch. I can confirm I have received your email."

Really?! When you respond to an email, you don't need to write, "I've received your email," because the fact that you're responding to it shows you received it. Anyway, the email continues, "I am sorry you haven't received your result. Please conform your test kit number, kind regards ridiculously long unpronounceable name."

Well, Mr unpronounceable, you seem to be asking if I can confirm the same test kit number I gave you in my first email. Okay. Here it is again. And so I wait. At 9:00 PM I received the next unhelpful email, which said "Our advisor has indicated that your inquiry reference number 123163 has been resolved." Yeah, no.

So I responded again to say I STILL hadn't received the result and you're going to love this part... Eventually at 1:56 AM the next morning I received this email, "Hi, Rajpal, thank you for getting in touch. Please see your test results in the below attachment."

It just keeps getting better, doesn't it?! I opened the PDF, and sure enough, it was someone else's test result! The mind boggles, doesn't it?! How do you get from "Andrew Lock" to "Rajpal?" Not only that, but Rajpal's date of birth, passport number, and other personal information is all on there. I'm pretty sure some privacy laws have been broken by this time. I was so frustrated and exhausted, I had to go to sleep. So I woke up early the next morning, and I went back to the testing center.

14 hours had now passed, and I still hadn't gotten my test result that was guaranteed within 30 minutes. I asked to speak to the manager. I explained the whole sordid situation, and to their credit, they agreed with me than the name Rajpal doesn't sound anything remotely like Andrew. A lot of tapping on computer keyboards ensued, and 20 minutes later, I walked out with a printout of my test result.

Now it would be bad enough if the story ended there, right? Unfortunately it didn't. I went upstairs to check-in, and the girl at the Delta counter looked at my test result, looked again like a double-take, and said, "Sorry, this isn't valid!" Sure enough, she pointed out that the date of birth printed on the test result didn't match the date of birth on my passport. It was someone's date of birth, but it certainly wasn't mine.

So off I go back down to the test center, again, asked to speak to the manager again and waited again for them to correct that mistake. I rushed back to the check-in, rushed through security, and barely made it on my flight. I was literally the last one to board, very out of breath. I was just thankful to make my flight. But in hindsight, that was a pretty colossal catalog of errors for a company that has one job to do a COVID test and give me the result within 30 minutes.

So let me ask you, how do YOU think I should follow up with them? What would you do in this circumstance? I'd love to know your thoughts and opinions about this craziness in the comments below. The good news is that the whole stressful experience caused me to look at other testing alternatives. I was thrilled to find two companies that offer inexpensive, rapid antigen tests that you can carry with you for travel. First of all, there's the US-based company, emed.com, where you can get a pack of 6 antigen tests for $150 - that works out a just 25 bucks a piece. And it looks like this. Now that is an incredible deal.

In the UK, there's a similar provider called Qured.com. They offer an antigen test, which you can do from anywhere, for 39 British pounds. And if you use the coupon BATRAVEL15, it's further reduced to just 33 pounds.

So how do these tests work? Well, when you're ready to take the test, you connect by a video call to someone who walks you through exactly what to do, and they monitor the process as you do it, to verify it. It's very easy, only takes about 15 minutes, and once they've confirmed your result, they'll upload the test certificate into an app for you. It's a really convenient solution for travel pros, and you'll save both time and money. Now, just as a reminder, your destination of course needs to accept antigen covid tests. So be sure to check that before you place an order, many countries DO - including England and the States - but not all.

So let me ask you, what do you think of this new testing option? Would you use it? I'd love to hear your thoughts again, in the comments below and now let's hear from travel pro presenter, Gabriella Soutine, with a review of a nifty app for travel pros...

When you're exploring a new city, sometimes you need to quickly find the nearest gas station, coffee shop, or car park. Y eah, you could use Google maps or Apple maps or something similar. But personally, I like an app called AroundMe, because it's perfectly designed for that one task to help you find local places fast. It's available for both Apple and Android devices, and it's completely free.

Here's how to get started... When you first opened the app, you'll see this list view with the categories displayed in alphabetical order. Some of the most useful ones include banks, coffee shops, gas stations, hospitals, movie, theaters, pharmacies, restaurants, or maybe for you - bars and pubs - no judgment.

If you click on the little settings wheel in the top left corner, under theme, you can change the view to grid, which displays the categories with little icons. If we go back to the settings page, you can also change the units of distance and temperature if that bothers you. Fun fact, did you know that a Swedish mile is different from everyone else's mile? It's actually 6.2 miles! How weird is that? I know we do like to do things differently apparently. Anyway, back to the app. So let's say we want to find the closest gas station, or petrol station. Just click on the gas station and the results are listed in order of distance.

Personally, I like to change the view to see the results on a map. So to do that, just click on the little icon in the top right corner of the screen. And at the bottom, you can now select the map view. Your location is indicated by the blue dot. You can zoom in and out with a pinch gesture. And if you click on one of the white labels just above the red pins, you'll see a phone number and possibly a website to get directions. Just click the right-hand arrow symbol and you'll see the pop-up asking you to choose a map app.

The app does offer a paid upgrade to get rid of the ads, but they're not too intrusive, so I'm happy to tolerate them. Well, that's AroundMe. Have you used it, or do you prefer another app that I should know about? Feel free to share in the comments below? I would love to hear your feedback. That's all for me, Andrew, take it away.

Thank you, Gabriella! That's a great resource for travel pros. If you're enjoying this episode so far, please consider becoming a subscriber so you continue to benefit every time we release a new episode.

Now then, it's no secret that I'm a big fan of Delta airlines among the U S carriers. I think that they do stand out from the crowd, and they certainly have a great onboard product. Although the newer planes tend to steal the limelight, I recently got to experience one of their Boeing 767-400's that have been retrofitted. Delta has invested heavily in new interiors for those aircraft, and honestly, once you're on board, you wouldn't know that you're on an older plane.

There's four cabins: Delta one, which features the famous life flat seat, premium select - which is a bit like premium economy, comfort plus, which has a bit more leg room than the economy seats, and finally economy. So what's it like? W ell, I traveled in the Delta one cabin from London to New York, and it was an excellent experience, not least because there were only five of us in the entire cabin.

As you can see, there's a single row of seats on the left, two in the middle, and another single row on the right. That means everyone has direct access to an aisle - unlike many carriers where you have to awkwardly climb over your neighbor. So far, so good. Onboard entertainment is obviously high on the list of most passengers priorities, so every seat is dominated by an 18 inch screen, which would be small at home, but on board it feels huge, because you're so close to it. There's almost 400 movies to choose from, plus TV shows or audio channels, and the 3d moving map. So there's something for every taste. A set of noise canceling headphones are provided, but you'll probably get better sound with your own.

I really liked the easy access to a power outlet and USB charging port, which is right next to the seat. And the seat controls are also clearly labeled and easy to adjust with a simple push. The tray table pops out and opens up for meals. I liked how robust it is. It feels really solid and well-made, unlike many of the flimsy tables that appear on other carriers.

There's two types of window seats, odd numbered rows position the seat right next to the window, and the even rows put the seat next to the aisle. Personally, I prefer the seat next to the window because there's an extra buffer of space from the aisle, but the other layout includes an extra storage area down by your feet. That's handy for keeping shoes, snacks, books, or magazines in the middle section. There's a privacy divider between the seats, which you can place up or down, depending on well, whether you like the person you're traveling with!

With the flight underway and the cabin lights dimmed, I really liked the soft ambient LED lighting. It's enough to see what you're doing without being overbearing. And there's no harsh glare. There's also a dimmable light mounted in the corner of the suite, which is handy as a reading light. The main attraction is of course the life flat bed. It's slightly narrower than average at 20 inches, but plenty comfortable.

And as always the ability to get a good night's sleep when traveling for work is extremely valuable. The on-board service I received was impacted by COVID. So the entire meal was presented on one tray and I'd describe it as just okay - not the best I've had, but also not the worst. The biggest surprise and disappointment for me was the lack of soft drinks. Beer and wine were offered, but bizarrely, there were absolutely no soft drinks at all. Honestly, I can't think of any justifiable reason why that would be the case. It was very strange. Everyone had to wear a mask for the entire flight of course, unless we were actively eating or drinking. it is uncomfortable, but tolerable, and most frequent flyers are of course used to it by now.

Delta's currently flying the 767-400 retrofitted aircraft across the Atlantic between the States and Europe, as well as to some South American destinations. Let me ask you, have you flown this configuration yet? Would you like to? As always, I would love to hear your comments and opinions below. It's always interesting to compare notes with other travel pros. If you want more travel tips for getting perks, upgrades and VIP status, I encourage you to visit TravelProShow.com where you'll find plenty of helpful information. While you're there, grab the nifty free guide, "7 top travel hacks to save you money on your next flight." It's the ultimate blueprint for getting the best deal every time, even if I do say so myself.

Let me tell you about TheFoundersCard.com, the perfect travel tool for savvy travelers. With a modest annual fee, TheFoundersCard.com members get discounts with airlines like Emirates, American, United, BA, Singapore, and Cathay Pacific, as well as with hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton plus car rental companies like Hertz, Avis, and Sixt. So as an example, with Hilton, not only do you get discounts on every booking, you get instant gold status without having to meet any of the normal stay requirements. That means you can get a free room upgrade, free breakfast, free late checkout, free high-speed wifi access, and an additional 25% bonus points. Not too shabby, right? There's hundreds of discounts and perks to choose from, there's also member networking events. You get a sleek metal membership card flashed in front of your friends. I mean, who wouldn't want that? And as a member myself, I love it! Again, head to: www.TheFoundersCard.com, where you can get a lot more perks and discounts when you travel.

I don't know about you, but one of my preflight rituals is to buy a bottle of water. Well, I should say that's what I USED to do, because after counting the cost of all those water bottles over the years, I was shocked how much I was spending! As you know, water is unashamedly expensive at the airport - you would think it was some kind of rare and precious resource.

Ironically, according to the Hudson group, you may have heard of them - they operate almost a thousand airport stores in the States - water is their number one selling product. It's also their number two, three, four, and five best-selling item, because of all the different brands of water. I always thought water was just water! How did we even get to the point where we're paying for water - crazy isn't it?! Someone recently pointed out to me that the French brand Evian spelled backwards is Naive! Maybe we really are naive. The world has gone crazy for bottled water hasn't it?

Well, fortunately there is an alternative. There's a couple of nifty bottles designed specifically to be lightweight and portable for travelers. This one from Vapor is a foldable water bottle that rolls up when not in use. My personal favorite is a concertina style bottle made from food grade silicon. Both of these options are BPA free if you're concerned about your BPA - I don't know what that is. They're available for under $15 on Amazon.

Thankfully airports now have water fountains where you can fill these bottles, and some even have dispensers designed specifically for water bottles. Now, with a bit of advanced planning, you can get your water for free, which is how it always used to be.

Well, we'd love to hear your opinion and feedback about any aspect of the episode today, including your thoughts about my crazy COVID testing experience. Let me know how you think I should follow up with them.

By the way, we greatly appreciate it when you share this show with your friends and travel buddies. So thank you very much for doing that and hopefully I'm sure they will thank you too. For more travel tips and inspiration, check out our friends at the YouTube channel, Weird Explorer, it's run by Jared Rider, whose goal is to try every type of fruit in the world. It looks like a really fun adventure. Did you know, for example, that there's a fruit called the ice cream bean? Well, you do now! On Instagram checkout at @traveldeeper from creator Gareth Leonard. It's a somewhat eclectic mix of photos, but they always seem to arouse curiosity. And perhaps like me, you'll probably find yourself wanting to learn more about the stories behind the shots. So we'll put links to both of those resources below, be sure to check them out.

Join us again next time when I'll be inviting your opinion about a very controversial news story, where a passenger got kicked off a plane for being concerned about social distancing. I'll also show you some fascinating new technology for travelers passing through LAX. And we'll tell you about an app that solves the problem of luggage storage in any city. And finally, here's a lost in translation sign from my travels. This one's from India where someone thought it would be a good idea to name their hotel, "The PP Hotel" - something's definitely lost in translation. Please continue to check out our other videos and we'll see you on the next step..