Delta’s world domination…er…global expansion continues!

So today’s announcement that Delta will begin nonstop service between Los Angeles and Sydney starting in July ‘09 is probably the most exciting new service announcement of the year…for me at least.

There have been whisperings and rumors of the SYD service for more than a year on Airliners.net and FlyerTalk and the ‘land down under’ has long been one of the most requested destinations of Delta customers and Delta employees. As someone who holds U.S. and Australian citizenship, Sydney service has been a long time coming and I couldn’t be more excited!

What’s great is that DL16 and DL17 provide easy, one-stop access to and from the East Coast (Atlanta, New York/JFK) and the Midwest (Cincinnati, Detroit  Memphis and Minneapolis).

And what’s even better than THAT is the aircraft we’ll be using will be a brand new 777-200LR, complete with full lie-flat sleeper suites up front and slim-line seats with a bit of extra leg room in the back. And (here’s where I plug the in-flight entertainment system) everyone on the plane gets Delta on Demand with more than 200 movies, 100 hours of HBO on demand, 100 hours of TV, a suite of games and 4,000 mp3s. That’s sure to make the 15 hour flight to Australia go by a little faster!

So with SYD announced, that means Delta is the only U.S. carrier offering service to six continents (Antarctica doesn’t yet have a landing strip that can easily accomodate a widebody commercial airliner).

Oh…and as an added incentive to check out the Southern Hemisphere, we’re offering some pretty incredible introductory fares between LAX and SYD….$499 each way.

Some cool facts about the trip:

• LAX-SYD is 7,488 statute miles
• 15 hours LAX-SYD
• 13:45 hours SYD-LAX

The 777-200LR:

• Will carry 248,000lbs (112,491 kg) of fuel Westbound
• Will weigh 733,000lbs (332,483 kg) at takeoff
• Offers comfortable leather-appointed accomodations for 278 passengers
• Has a range of 10,840 miles (17,446 km)
• Has a cruising speed of 561 mph (902km/h)
• Has the longest range of any commercial airliner in the world

Check it out:

• Australia homepage
• Wikipedia article on Australia
• Delta 777-200LR website

Chris B.
Product Manager - Customer Experience
In-Flight Entertainment

Trick or treat, Road Warriors!

Take a gander at my travel deals column in this month’s issue of Sky magazine and you’ll notice my recommendation for a “Spooktacular Affair”—that is, a ghost-tour package at the Inn and Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Now just because the inn is—ahem—a boo-tique hotel doesn’t necessarily mean it’s haunted. But there are in fact a myriad of lodgings in the world that boast a ghost.

New York’s Hotel Chelsea, for example, is said to have a number of famous guests who refuse to check out: Punk rocker Sid Vicious is said to occupy the hotel’s elevator (let’s hope he doesn’t provide the music for it), while novelist Thomas Wolfe prefers the eighth floor (has he finally learned to edit himself?).

Speaking of Asheville, North Carolina natives like Wolfe, let’s not forget the old Grove Park Inn’s Pink Lady, so called for the pink nightgown she was wearing when she fell (or was pushed?) from the hotel’s Palm Court in the 1920s. Guests and Grove Park employees have reported chills—quite literally a drop in temperature—and gentle, playful pranks such as moving objects around.

And that leads me to wonder: What Would Wanda Haunt—and how? Well, I’d easily eschew the afterlife for the gorgeous Beaux Arts lobby at Nashville’s Hermitage Hotel, where I’d sink down in the overstuffed chairs under the stained-glass ceiling. Or perhaps I’d order some unsuspecting soul a drink on the terrace overlooking Arizona’s Pinnacle Peak at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, or spin some of my own tunes in the W Montreal’s Wunderbar.

If there’s a particular lodging you’d like to revisit-er-permanently, what is it, and what would you do to make your ghostly presence known? For inspiration, check out more information on Delta’s destinations here.

Re-specter-fully,
Wanda

Note: Delta Sky magazine will contribute to Under the Wing each Wednesday. Tell us you think!

Recently I organized a small employee caravan of about 20 employees to join me on a magical journey to the enchanted land of the pharaohs.

We arrived in Cairo about midday and were welcomed by the locals with delightful smiles and friendly salutations. Our hotel was about an hour away from the airport, but right across the street from the pyramids (Sofitel Le Sphinx, check it out!).

The sight-seeing itinerary included a tour of the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, Egyptian Antiquities Museum and Bazaar, and a Nile dinner cruise (plus some local party spots, oohhh, and let me not forget an unexpected visit to THE Papyrus Musuem, lol).

My favorite site was the Antiquities Museum; talk about awe and wonder! My favorite exhibit was the royal regalia of King Tut. Umm, if you think BLING is a recent trend in fashion, think again, it’s been around for a couple thousand years atleast!

King Tut had some amazing solid gold belts, bracelets, necklaces, head pieces, and even finger and toe sleeves, speckled with semi-precious stones.

If you have an adventurous spirit or an appetite for some fascinating history, definitely mark Egypt as your next, must-see location.

Jacob

P.S. And if you’re a party-goer, check out the Nile Hilton. They have an amazing, open roof-top club that makes for a surreal party scene.