The other day I had a post about changes to Delta downgrading the snack basket since, to me, there has been a change with the new one that came out a while back compared to the past few weeks of flying. Delta reached out to me to correct the post and told me:
“On shorter meal flights, passengers receive peanut, pretzel and Biscoff and on longer meal flights (over ~1500 miles) passengers receive the big basket as part of the pre-arrival service.”
And further I was told.
“Our snack basket boarding parameters haven’t changed in several years. The Comfort Plus basket will feature complimentary premium snacks on flights over 900 miles along with complimentary wine and spirits on all flights.”
I love PR speak – don’t you? Also, does this sound right to you? Now I fly Delta just a little bit (128 credited segments with Delta alone last year). I have become VERY familiar with the “snack basket” and have never seen a “big” or small basket on flights – it was either snack basket or no snack basket. I mean sure, during breakfast, the snack basket was a little different than the “lunch” and “dinner” time snack basket but the basket was the basket.
I have not, in all my flights, seen that ONLY on 1500+ mile flights there was a snack basket. Have you? I mean seriously – was I flying another airline last year and the years before that?
Lastly we have the comment about C+ seats getting “premium snacks”. I again requested some kind of further guidance about just what that is in English but got nothing further. I am sure Biscoffs can be considered a PREMIUM cookie to Delta.
So you tell me dear readers – I am out in left field and Delta is correct that NOTHING has changed? I trust you readers who are on Delta jets way more than anything coming from the mothership nowadays. – René
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So, I get a snack basket on MBS-DTW, FNT-ATL, DTW-DCA, FNT-ATL and ATL-BWI in first-class but I wouldn’t get the snack basket, which was inferred I’d get, in economy comfort/comfort-plus on the same flight. All these folks buying up to economy comfort/comfort-plus thinking they are getting a “premium” experience — to say nothing of the Average Joes who do first-class thinking they’re getting international business-elite/Delta-one — are in for a rude awakening. When I’m in Europe, I can spend $10 or $15 — whatever it works out to — and pre-order a hot meal on Air Berlin flights. Even short ones! Why can’t Delta do this? I suppose I’ll keep carrying on my McDonald’s grilled chicken breasts (about $2 when order offered the ala carte menu), side salads, and yogurt parfaits.
There’s nothing to agree or disagree with; Delta’s explanation is, quite simply, fact. Perhaps you’ve failed to notice the lighter snack basket on meal flights between 899 and 1,500 miles in length, but as Delta notes, the basket boarding parameters haven’t changed in years. Indeed, the lighter offerings have long been served in a small, round wicker bowl (as opposed to the standard rectangular basket with handles). I haven’t taken a sub-1500-mile meal flight since the adoption of the new dark gray baskets, so I can’t say whether the smaller bowls have similarly been replaced.
You might have credited 128 segments to your SkyMiles account last year, but the only relevant flights were those experienced:
1) from a first/business class seat
2) within the published meal-service windows
3) on routes between 899 and 1,500 miles in length.
There are plenty of legitimate criticisms to level against Delta; snack basket downgrades is not one of them.
My experience is the same as Mark S — there are definitely some weak snack baskets out there and have been for years on the shorter flights. Can’t speak to economy comfort but I’ve seen some snack baskets in first on flights of that length that really had nothing worth eating in them, just junk food. No fruit. The cookies are tasty but they are entertainment not nutrition. I didn’t fly Delta in 2014 but had plenty of flights in first and a few in economy comfort before that so take my experience for what it’s worth if anything.