After some great skiing in the Bozeman area, it’s time to make the return trip to Minneapolis on yet another A321-200. The return trip, like many short to medium-haul flights in the U.S., has the same flight number as the outgoing one. Been a good vacation, but there’s only so much snow to ski.
Server: Solo
Airline: Delta Air Lines
Aircraft: Airbus A321-200
Origin: Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, Belgrade, Montana (BZN)
Flight Number: DL1226
Route: KBZN-KMSP
Seat: 5D (Domestic First)
Time En Route: 2 Hours 14 Minutes
Ready to board at Gate A2 in Bozeman. Our aircraft today is coincidentally the registration number sequentially after the one we flew here on.
Starting our pushback for a single-engine taxi, as a company 757-200 waits for our gate. We’ve got our row of Domestic First to ourselves for this flight, which is more than welcome.
Taxiing past a busy general aviation ramp on the way to the runway
Takeoff from BZN, once again with the local VORTAC installation in the background. The CFM56s are making their typical high-thrust buzzsaw noise, like miniature RB.211s or PW2000s. It’s fitting, in a way, since the A321-200 directly replaced 757s with a number of airlines and the A321neos are taking over some routes previously the exclusive domain of the 757 with Delta.
Climbing to our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet as we leave the Bridger Mountains behind us. On the IFE system, we’re watching the howlingly funny National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation…for the 4th time this holiday season. It never gets old.
Once again over the middle of South Dakota, in cruise at FL350. While we enjoy the lunch offering from Delta, we’ve reached the part of the movie where Aunt Bethany (Mae Questel, in her final film role) and Uncle Lewis (William Hickey) arrive.
Turning near Flying Cloud Airport over Eden Prairie, Minnesota, in our final descent into the Twin Cities
Arriving on Runway 30L in the evening at MSP, with a UPS 747-8F taxiing for departure to Portland, Oregon
Taxiing across Runway 04/22 on oir way to the G Gates
Looking at our aircraft at Gate G20 from the main terminal. It was a lovely flight from Bozeman and we’ll definitely be back, both to BZN and MSP.
