February 29: TRI-ATL-HPN

DL 4550 TRI-ATL, ATR-72, seat 16B
This large prop plane’s entrance is in the back and the aircraft requires a tail stand!

Huge announcement–TRI has a bar and food service again, both upstairs and through security!

We boarded and departed on time and landed early, 55 mins. in flight, 42 pax of 50 possible. No service in flight. Due to weather, the ascent was BUMPY!

Crown Room Club
I had about an hour and a half in ATL and I spent it in the CRC in Terminal E. Nice snack selection–carrots and celery, white cheddar cheese, pretzel mix, Biscoffs, Nutella, and pre-packaged hummus! I enjoyed two (free) Atlanta Sweetwater Pale Ales.

DL 6492, ATL-HPN, EMB 170 op. by Shuttle America, seat 16B, no seatmate, so I moved over and took A and B!
This bird is incredible! It has powerful engines, a clean, two-tone leather interior, and was spacious (floor to ceiling is 6 feet 7 inches and the seats are wider according to the seat back card.) It has a small F section that I will get to try Sunday, with 1×2 seating, two rows (6 seats total.) The pilot and I chatted on the jetway and he said it was only a year old.

We departed on time, took off from ATL at 9:00 pm. The flight time was 1 hour 30 mins., but upon arrival to the HPN area, the runway closed due to the weather (visibility) and we took a 30 min. hold in the air. We finally landed at 11:10 pm, but they closed the runway again and we had to sit on the tarmac for another 30 mins. until another plane could move out and we could park. I think this was the first time that I had ever been on a completely snow-covered plane. You could not see out the windows.

As the pilot said, “the safest part of our journey was over.” And was he ever right! It took about an hour to get to Yonkers. The roads were absolutely horrible (we saw the plows heading out on our way home!) Closer to Yonkers, the weather was more of a mix, so we were able to get up the hill to where John lives (Yonkers is a hilly city if you have never been.) Whew!