As part of a reward miles redemption booking flying from Vancouver to London Heathrow, the first leg of my journey included a short hop from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to Seattle-Tacoma (SeaTac) International Airport. This flight was with Delta Air Lines - or Delta Connection to be more accurate - and was actually operated by SkyWest Airlines using an Embraer E175. Let's examine the economy class experience for this short, 30-minute journey.
Before getting into this experience, please note that the first part of this review includes a complication related to checking-in for the flight. Do scroll down further to see a review of the actual flight.
The check-in process
Checking-in for my flights was perhaps the most stressful and annoying part of the trip, although this may have partially been 'self-inflicted'. Heading to the Delta site, I proceeded to make my way through the various steps in order to get my boarding pass. After completing all the necessary steps, I was issued a boarding pass for my first flight to Seattle in seat 10D. Going back to the main page of my booking, I was still seeing an offer to upgrade my seat to Delta+, which promised extra legroom and a seat further forward in the cabin. At a cost of $9, I thought it was worth checking out, and so I clicked through and entered my credit card information to purchase this tiny upgrade.
I entered my credit card information once and received an error message. Supposing I may have typed one wrong digit, I entered my credit card information again and submitted it. Again, I was presented with an error message. At the same time, my phone had notified me that two separate $9 transactions had been completed with Delta Air Lines, which definitely raised some concern.
Going back to the main booking page, my original seat assignment of 10D had been removed, but it wasn't possible to re-select a seat, as error messages popped up telling me to contact customer service. My primary worry was that I would have complications at the airport or at the gate. In my mind, the worst-case scenario was missing my connecting flight to Heathrow, as there was only a connection time of one hour in Seattle. The potential loss of $18 was only a small secondary concern.
I proceeded to spend a total of 45 minutes on hold across two different Delta representatives, trying to get some clarity on my situation. The second airline representative told me that no credit card charges appeared on their system and that I was apparently all checked-in with the seat assignment of 10D. This eased my anxiety a little bit, but not completely. And so I was eager to get to the airport early to confirm that things were all sorted out.
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Getting to and through the airport
Arriving at the airport about five hours before my flight (partly to beat morning rush-hour traffic), I first tried to print out my boarding pass using the automated kiosks. When this failed, I spoke to a check-in agent. Staring at her computer screen, the puzzled and confused facial expression was confirmation enough that something was indeed wrong with my booking.
The agent, whose name was Sandy, hopped on the phone with Delta, and explained that she had seen this situation before and that an issue was likely to arise at the gate. I assumed that gate agents had a special telephone number that they could call, but from the sounds of it, the person assisting me had to endure the same repetitive hold-music that I endured the day prior. After 10 minutes and a growing line of other passengers, Sandy instructed me to wait off to the side so that others could be checked in. Then, after being on hold for 20-25 minutes, I was told that if I had my initial boarding pass, I could head airside to meet this same agent as she checked-in passengers for an earlier flight to Seattle. As a bonus, Sandy said she would try to get me on this earlier flight since I was already at the airport.
I did as I was instructed and eventually met Sandy at gate E92. Telling me about how something needed to be re-issued by Delta, Sandy was eventually able to print out a new boarding pass for the flight departing three hours earlier than what I had originally been booked on - simply amazing! This would be the most interesting part of the journey, and I'm incredibly grateful to have encountered such an experienced and professional check-in/gate agent who was able to solve this obscure issue with a great deal of patience. So big kudos to Sandy, the Delta agent at YVR for her great work!
Aircraft space and seating
Moving on to the aircraft and flight itself, there isn't too much to say. Delta flight DL4048 departs Vancouver for Seattle every day at 09:06 using an Embraer E175. Fitted with 76 seats, these SkyWest-operated aircraft have 12 seats in "first class," 12 in "economy plus" (Delta+ in this case), and 52 seats in economy class.
The flight is scheduled to take about one hour and 20 minutes and typically spends between 30 and 40 minutes in the air. Taxi-time on both ends adds a little more to the service duration and this will vary with airport activity in Vancouver and Seattle.
While overhead locker space in the E175 was unsurprisingly tight, the economy class seat was quite spacious, with a pitch of 31 inches. At nearly six feet (182 cm), I still felt like I could stretch out without any hindrance. The padded headrest was big and soft, and made for a fairly comfortable flight. The underseat area is spacious and was suitable for a medium-large backpack. The short nature of this service meant that there was very little interaction with the SkyWest cabin crew - who didn't seem to be too energetic on that Tuesday morning.
Departure from Vancouver and arrival at SeaTac
Our flight departed on time from the USA or "Transborder" section of YVR's Main Terminal. The closest runway to this area was the north runway. However, our aircraft propelled itself around to the south runway, and lined up for takeoff. I was surprised by the amount of activity for a Tuesday morning, estimating that we were about 6th in line to take-off. Once we were in position to begin the take-off roll, I looked out the window to see about five aircraft lined up, waiting to depart as well.
Unsurprisingly, there wasn't any meal or beverage service on this short, cross-border flight. With a straight line distance of 127 miles (204km), we ascended to a cruising altitude of 15,000 feet, cruised for literally five minutes, and then began our descent towards Seattle-Tacoma airport. The only thing worth mentioning about the flight was that the flightpath offered a great close-up view of Boeing Field (King County International Airpor) out of the left-side window. Anyone with a decent camera might want to try snapping a few photos of some new Boeing jets parked across the facility. Of course, if the runway direction is changed and your aircraft lands from the south, then you may not get such a nice view. However, if this happens, then it might be possible to capture a great view of the majestic Mount Rainier out of the aircraft's right-side windows.
Arriving at SeaTac, it was clear that the facility was incredibly busy. After landing, we had to hold for extended periods of time on taxiways while aircraft landed or took off on the runways we needed to cross. For those who enjoy watching aircraft, however, it proved to be a great opportunity to get a close-up view of aircraft soaring overhead. One of the more notable close-up take-offs was a Hawaiian Airlines A330-200, which essentially lifted off over our aircraft (obviously not right over).
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Conclusion
Ultimately, the complications that I encountered introduced an unwelcome level of stress but this was handled very well by the Delta representative at Vancouver airport. The flight and its short duration make for a relatively uneventful experience, but the potential views out the window can present some decent opportunities for photos or video.
The connection experience in Seattle was extremely smooth, and it will need to be something covered in a separate article.
Have you ever made the flight from Vancouver to Seattle? Or have you flown with SkyWest Airlines/Delta Connection before? Share your own experiences by leaving a comment!