TRIP INDEX

GroundLink

Well, the annual birthday trip finally had to come to an end. After dining at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink for lunch, we were scheduled to be picked up by GroundLink for our flight in a few hours. It was a bit early so I decided to try my hand tweeting at their customer service account to see if pickup could come sooner.

Amazingly enough, a customer service rep tweeted me back that she was looking into it. Less than 10 minutes later, she called my cell phone informing me that the driver was about 15 minutes away. Truly great above and beyond service on their part.

Even though I reserved their most basic car, a Cadillac Escalade pulled up to the curb at Michael’s to pick us up. I wouldn’t mind that for the 45 minute ride to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport!

GroundLink’s Cadillac Escalade

Delta Sky Club

After a nice nap in the back seat, we arrived at FLL. Security was not busy in the middle of the afternoon. I got a very thorough pat down and we went to the Delta Sky Club. We gained access with my American Express Platinum card. After grabbing a few beers, we hung out by the window to do some planespotting.

Thirty minutes prior to departure, we went to the gate to see if there was any way Joann’s ticket could be upgraded to First Class along with me; my upgrade as DL Silver had already been confirmed a few days ago (yup upgraded as a Silver!). We were booked on separate tickets since we both used $50 e-certificates. I had completely forgotten about Delta’s elite companion upgrade policy. Technically, the upgrade must be “must be requested at least three hours before the scheduled departure of the flight” so the gate agent didn’t have to do anything.

However, possibly due to a light load and/or the kindness of her heart, she processed the upgrade and printed out a new boarding pass for Joann! 1C and 1D for us. We thanked the gate agent for her generosity and happily boarded the plane.

DL895 FLL-LGA

The flight was comfortable up front and was rather uneventful. I did notice that Delta’s blankets, while not great, are still miles ahead United’s cheesecloth/gauze equivalent. Also, food orders were taken starting from the  back. I assume these is due to the FEBO (Front Even Back Odd) practice where odd numbered flights start from the back.

A Decent Turkey Sandwich

Blue Moon w/Orange Slice

Conclusion

Another successful weekend jaunt to South Beach for Joann’s birthday. It was even better than last year. Miami is a perfect weekend getaway in our opinion and it’s so easy to use points and miles for an affordable trip there. Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for the next Trip Report!

So long South Florida!