The Seat: This Delta Airlines A319 shows us the silver standard of exit row seats. Plenty of legroom and all the seat width of a typical economy seat. That the tray table is in the seatback means there’s no pesky arm-rest tray eating up valuable seat width. So chow down on that mini-can of Pringles, there’s room for growth.

It’s Delta’s typical blue-leather covering the old NWA (Northwest Airlines) seats with plenty of cushion for extra comfort unlike the newer “slimline” seats that skimp on material but give the marketing department another centimeter of legroom to brag about. Until they’re able to switch these older style seats for something more economical, you should be pretty comfortable here.

Service: Frankly, I don’t remember and didn’t write anything down about the service. The most likely cause for the my customer relations amnesia is that it was anything but special. I normally give Delta decent marks for on board service, so I’ll assume that I was happy here.

Food: I grabbed the fruit and cheese tray from the “EATS” menu. It’s a decent snack with a few different types of cheeses, fruits and a caramel dipping sauce. The price is airplane-expensive but it’s a decent alternative to chips or tiny pretzels.

Summary: . It’s great to have an exit row seat that gives you the normal width of an economy and pretty great legroom. In flight wi-fi and a few extra food options on longer flights help to fill up and kill time. It would be a dream to one day see personal TV’s on these planes, but it’s the fattest of fat chances.

Rating: 3 hops (of 5).

Strategy: If you carry any level of medallion (elite) status, you can reserve exit row seats at the time of booking. Otherwise, show up early and ask nicely if there are exit row seats available. Row 9 is the only exit row aboard this one. Good luck!

Cheesy snack and juice. Not my best call that day.

The Seat: Okay, this one threw me for a loop. When I chose the seat online, I thought I was getting a bulkhead seat aboard this KLM 737-900 and I was. KLM’s Europe Business Class looks just like a normal economy cabin but with slightly more legroom than in back. What’s interesting is the moveable divider that allows the airline to adjust how far back this section can go. I’m not entirely sure when they do this or if it’s something they do by length of flight (…or whatever). What I DO know is that if you booked regular economy and are given the option of sitting in rows 10 or below, then you absolutely should take it as you’ll benefit from the added legroom and power outlets these rows provide.

Legroom in these up-front rows is just slightly better than what you’ll find in a typical economy configuration (33″ of seat pitch). With the exception of the exit row (KLM charges extra for these), you’ll be jammed into a pretty tight space …a whopping 30″ of seatpitch. Roughly 2″ less than what’s offered aboard a mainline US carrier in economy.

Service: New levels of nothing special. Everyone said hello, everyone said goodbye. This was a well practiced routine full of scripts and half-smiles.

Food: The cheese buscuit style snack was bland and barely cheesy. Maybe my near-dairlyland upbringing makes me a little picky but it was truly nothing special. Buy some Doritos before you board.

Notes:

Summary: When it comes to reviewing economy seats, I’d like to spend more time on ones that are considered “premium” or provide some sort of advantage (exit rows, bulkheads, extra legroom seats). This one was technially a normal economy seat, but had the legroom of the premium cabin and a standard power port for charging my gadgets. Anything rows 1-10 offer these features. Nice seats if you can get them at economy prices.

Rating: 4 hops (of 5).

Strategy: Book a typical economy ticket aboard KLM at their website (or if you’d like to help us out). If seats in the premium section are blocked, have another look when you check in. If there’s a charge for these seats, it will depend on your financial judgement whether the deal they offer is a good one but the couple extra inches of legroom might help

How I got it: Off peak fare offered by Delta. I obsessively check the “mileage run” board at flyertalk.com to see what insane routings people can fly to build status with airlines. Ocassionally, a deal will pop up that isn’t neccearily a great mileage run, but is a great fare. In this case it was just over $300 (taxes included) to London (via Amsterdam).

Firm or squishy. There's a seat for you at this MSP Delta Sky Club

Notes: I personally prefer this room to the alternate (remodeled) Sky Club adjacent the G/F concourses. While still large, it feels cozier and more exclusive. This was a morning visit so I was greeted with the standard Delta Sky Club bagel and mini-muffin buffet. Food isn’t a typical perk of US domestic lounges, so it’s no surprise I walked out hungry. The unattended self-serve bar means the lounge is 21+. A bar reasonably well stocked with some mid-and-top shelf booze for self mixing. There’s a good mix of seating here with deep lounge chairs arranged with a few more upright chairs mixed in, all comfortable.

Wi-Fi: Yes/Free

Service: Friendly greeting, quick check-in.  Lounge attendants kept snacks (what there were of them) stocked and everything clean.

Convenience to gate:  This club is best suited for A/B/C concourses and maybe even a few of the higher-numbered G Concourse gates. It’s a quick tram ride and about a 5-7 minute average walk to farther gates.

How to get in: Delta has a number of options for entry. One of my favorites is the 30-day membership that allows you and up to 2 guests into Delta Sky Clubs worldwide for $90. This is a great option if you have a glut of Delta flights upcoming and traveling with a spouse or friends. Otherwise the $25 entry fee using your Delta branded American Express option is a good one, but charges are per-person (so it would be $50 for your AND your spouse or buddy).

Rating: 3 hops (of 5)

A few additional food options if seaweed, rice and redbean are your thing.

Notes:  I love design. Thats why upon walking into the Korean Airlines KAL Business Class lounge at Tokyo Narita, I assumed that I’d just love it here. It’s a clean, bright lounge with a heavy dose of mod-luxury aesthetic. Expectations suddenly high, I checked in and began the bunny-hill slow series of disappointments. First, a majority of the seating is (at best) a little less than comfortable. The only exception is the small section of deeper, better cushioned chairs near the windows in the main area. Also, each personal area leaves little room to spread out and stow your carry-on luggage. Food is a disappointment here too. Tiny white bread finger sandwiches failed to do little more than absorb the abundance of caffeine from all the coffee I consumed on the flight in. There are a few other choices that put this on par with a US carrier domestic lounge, but the limited menu puts this KAL lounge at a disadvantage when compared with others nearby.

Wi-Fi: Yes/Complimentary with code obtained at front desk.

Service: Staff was friendly and made sure to point out that the lounge closes earlier than most (16:30). Our flight was to depart awhile after, so it was a nice courtesy to let us know before investing in the visit. Food attendant was very friendly too, but didn’t quite understand my request for decaffeinated coffee.

Convenience to gate: Convenient to Korean Air gates.

How I got in/Strategies: Priority Pass. If you’re not particularly loyal to a specific airline or don’t travel enough to use airport club rooms, I highly recommend joining.

Rating: 2 hops (of 5)

Pre-flight bubbly aboard United PS flight in First.

The Seat: I’m normally a little whiny about “lie flat” seats that don’t actually “lie flat”. But for a 5-ish hour transcon flight this one is just fine. In fact, I prefer this seat and class of service above any currently offered between New York and LA or San Francisco. United offers Premium Service (“PS”) on specially configured Boeing 757-200s in a 3 class service (First, Business and Economy Plus) between these markets only. Despite not reaching a full 180 degree recline, the seat gets pretty close. If you’re just trying to catch a few winks before pitching your awesome cats in space themed sci-fi script in LA, this should work without gravity pulling you into the bulkhead wall while you’re passed out. There’s elbow room enough for even the widest, most muscular gorilla juicehead and legroom for 1 stretched out LeBron James. I’m also a big fan of where the power port is too. It’s easy to plug in the laptop or phone charger right between the seats above the armrests and under the reading light…not hidden deep beneath the seats amongst the dusty life vests and the scent of a million soda spills.

Service: Our flight attendant was phenomenally appropriate for a product called “Premium Service”. The entire first cabin holds only 12 seats so attention is easy to come by if you need constant coffee refills or are on an in-flight booze bender.

Notes: It probably doesn’t matter much, but the C/D bulkhead seats lack the extra cutout in the bulkhead wall (as the A/B seats have).

Summary: With legacy airlines (and Virgin America) working to win over bi-coasters willing to pony up for little luxury, I think United is a big winner here. While PS Business class competes with the top offering of it’s competitors, PS First is the only game in town(s) for a relative top-level flight experience. Sure, it wouldn’t compete nearly as well overseas, but shines as a domestic choice.

Rating: 4.5 hops (of 5).

Strategy: You may find that booking a PS transcon flight using miles of a partner airline can save you a few miles. At the time we booked we found the best mile redemption deal using US Airways Dividend Miles at 50K miles round trip in First. US Airways award chart doesn’t differentiate between domestic first and business class so both classes are offered at the same level. While miles might be better applied toward bigger overseas itineraries, this isn’t the worst domestic mileage deal out there.

How I got it: Used US Airways Dividend Miles via phone (Partner redemption cannot be done online.)

Class: Economy

Book it!:

Just minor leg-angling required on the window in this aisle.

The Seat: I’m not sure where in the scheme of things I started to like leather seating. Luckily for me this aircraft sports Delta’s unnaturally shiny blue leather seats complete with pillowy headrest, personal fold-up video entertainment system and in this row, plenty of legroom for a mid-sized guy like me to stretch way out. While the  aisle seat is the king of legroom here, beware toe-smashing beverage carts and lavatory congregators. While neither posed much of a problem on this flight, it’s not unlikely that you could be hurt or annoyed at any given time. The window seat seems like a good option here despite the exit door slide compartment imposing upon some of that extra legroom. You’ve got the wall for leaning, a window to stare out of and fewer people doing the bathroom dance directly in front of you while you’re trying to watch 30 Rock.

Service: Friendly enough flight attendants, but unmemorable. I had to rely on my notes for this one and even then all I seem to have noted was “prompt beverage service”. From that, all I gather is that I was probably half in the bag not long after take-off.

Notes: Seats 30A & B are similar seats on the opposite window side of the 2-3-2 configured aircraft.

Summary: With Delta collecting cash for their Economy Comfort seats a little further toward the front of this plane, it’s nice to see they left  a few plain-ol’ exit row seats alone. Sure, there’s no extra recline, but the added legroom is a nice option for a few lower-level and non-elites to battle for.

Rating: 3 hops (of 5).

Strategy: These seats are available for Delta SkyMiles Medallion members in advance and released for everyone else at check-in. The best bet for non-elites is to arrive early and ask the gate agent if you weren’t able to choose them online or at the kiosk.

How I got it: Purchased outright at Delta.com.

Be careful. Things could get a little crazy in here. Self-Serve at AMS Servisair Menzies Lounge

Notes: Judging by the hordes of people pouring in and out of busy airline-specific lounges down the hall, I felt pretty good about my chances at this independently run club. Such gut feelings aren’t always right, but this time I was right on. I practically had full run of the place with the exception of a few early business travelers all tucked away in quiet corners. This gave me a chance to move around and really kick the tires on the joint, sitting in just about every type of chair and sampling a good number of snacks with a lesser-than-gluttonous hangover of carb excess.

Most everything seems less than a few years old here. The wear and tear seems light on this lounge giving it a fresh, welcoming feel. The cafe furniture felt a little wobbly but the deep leather chairs were almost too comfortable. (Set an alarm for your flight, just in case!) There were plenty of snacks set out and well stocked. No real “meal” items were to be seen, but then that might be expecting a bit much. Along with a pretty decent selection at the self-serve bar the food and drink here are just above average, I’d say.

Wi-Fi: Yes/Complimentary for 60 minutes throughout Schiphol.

Service: If you’re planning on napping horizontally in the lounge, forget about it. While very sweet checking people in at the desk, I saw the lounge agent scold a customer for using a couch as a bed. Whether this is good or bad service depends on what you define a lounge to be. Clean up and re-stocking of food-stuffs was prompt and the lounge was spotless.

Convenience to gate: This is a centrally located lounge. The airports website has a map feature with maps indicating how long a walk it is to different gates or airport landmarks.

How I got in/Strategies: Priority Pass. If you’re not particularly loyal to a specific airline or don’t travel enough to use airport club rooms, I highly recommend joining. Per-visit passes are also available for this and tons of other lounges at GoSimply.

Rating: 4 hops (of 5)

Departures/Arrivals. Delta Sky Club at LAX.

Notes: This Delta Sky Club was remodeled in 2010 and is a remarkable improvement over it’s predecessor. The space is open, bright and provides a variety of seating options for any kind of group. There are quiet areas for those who need to get work done (or are just aren’t that social) and there’s the large main room that’s more active (and closer to the food). In regards to comfort, You’ll have a wide choice of seating from bar stools to large odd but cute cube chairs with high backs and sides (that seem more like artwork than furniture). Showers are available if you’d like to wash off the plane smell in between flights. You’ll also have a good view of the lounge from the check-in counter so you can see how crowded it is before bothering (this is particularly helpful if you pay per visit and don’t want to pay extra to be squished into a spot that’s more crowded than the terminal).

Wi-Fi: Yes/Free. Connect to T-Mobile HotSpot within the lounge and connect as member.

Service: The front desk was well staffed even this late at night to check people in (to the lounge) and help with reservations. No real smiles or warm welcome from the front desk, but I’m sure those were spent on the jillion passengers who stopped by at the beginning of their shift.. The crew stocking the snack/drink bar was fantastic. Nothing sat unattended to very long and cleanup was quick throughout.

Convenience to gate: Easy. The terminal is small and the lounge is airside (past security) so you don’t need to allow extra time in getting to your flight.

How I got in/Strategies: I paid $25  with my Delta branded American Express Card, giving me 1-time access (price is per-guest). If you don’t fly Delta more than once in  a calendar month, this is likely the way to go. If you’ll be flying Delta several times within a 30 day period, you have a $90 option that gives full member access to Sky Clubs and partner lounges. This option (as do all full memberships) also grants entry to your spouse or up to 2 guests over 21 years of age. Delta offers a range of options for yearly memberships, most notably the option to pay monthly (although slightly more expensive than paying for the entire year up front). Discounts are given to medallion (premium) frequent fliers.

Rating: 4 hops (of 5)

"Mountain View" room at Ilikai Hotel & Suites. Honolulu.

The Room(s): It’s like visiting your cool grandparent’s Waikiki Beach winter timeshare. If that visualization doesn’t help then you might have gathered from the video that the room’s furnishings are slightly dated and the room is a bit tired. Decor aside, the space is at the very least functional. A good sized living area and full kitchen make it great for longer trips and family travel, particularly if you’re on a budget and choose to eat-in. The washroom is pretty bland but serves it’s purpose…again, underwhelming. There’s wired internet access but it ties you to the small desk area. On a leisure trip this might not be a huge disadvantage but if you’re like me, you’re always wanting to type something so this makes it difficult.

Service: Front desk staff was very friendly…at least I think they were. I had my eye on a nearby TV screen repeating the shot of Jack Lord in the opening to the original Hawaii 5-0 so they didn’t have my full attention. Door staff , Concierge and other hotel staff were perfectly courteous.

Perks: Nothing extra here except the natural benefits of being close to the beach …(Note that I didn’t say “on” the beach). The neighboring Hilton has the prime beach area that you’re more than welcome to use. There’s also a small lagoon-like thing to swim in if you’re afraid of large bodies of water…or  sharks.

Location: This is why you stay here. For the money the location is just about right. A short walk out the back of the hotel and you’re on the beach and not far from the little touristy village attached to the neighboring Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Lobby: The lobby is large, open but  just as dated as the rooms. Not in a cool Hawaiian retro-style, but more of a “we remodeled in the mid-90s” thing.

Overall: This is a hotel that should embrace it’s long past but sticks to it’s more recent past. If they put me in charge (which they shouldn’t), I’d throw some retro furniture in the rooms and lobby and litter the place with cardboard cutouts of hula dancers everywhere (or real ones). It seems that management doesn’t share my passion for kitsch so it retains it’s moderately priced family hotel chic that shares it’s hallways with smelly condo owners. The rooms are certainly habitable though, unless you’re sickened by Bush Administration (the first one) era decor.

Rating: 2.5 Hops (out of 5)

The Deal-How I got it: This was part of a package from Delta Vacations and still seems like our preferred location as other choices seem to be a little further off the beach. However, there are other hotels in this class (3 star) to choose from that might provide a better balance of style and location. This was paired up with a Delta flight aboard an Airbus 330, although it appears the airline has switched up the type of aircraft it uses to Hawaii since my visit.