After my crowded Sky Club lounge experience, I was unusually more than happy to sit at the gate ahead of our onward flight to Chicago, DL1306, on a Delta A220-100 in First.

Boarding was punctual, and once again, following those needing extra time and active military, Delta First Class were quickly invited to board, and I was on in no time with barely any passengers ahead of me.

This was my first time on-board an A220 and I was very pleasantly surprised; I’ve often heard that the regional jet is closer to an A320 or 737 in terms of interior comfort, and I would tend to echo that; bins felt large enough to accommodate even the kitchen sink-like loads of my fellow passengers, while the cabin for a regional jet was unusual in affording me the opportunity to easily, fully stand up. There was also, in First Class, ample legroom.

Delta First Class seating consists of three rows of plush, 2-2, comfy recliner armchairs, upholstered in their signature blue, with a red stripe. There were no complaints I could make about the seat, considering how short of a journey it is from Minneapolis to Chicago. Underneath our shared centre armrest was a bottle of water each.

There was of course fully functioning wifi available throughout the flight, and Delta has seen fit to install a proper IFE monitor on each seatback – again, a nice touch for a regional jet flying relatively short sectors.

We were quickly offered pre-departure beverages, with most of my fellow First Class passengers minding their health with a simple water, or nothing at all. As always, I decided to test the limits of the pre-departure bar service with a white wine, which was promptly delivered in a paper cup for keeps throughout taxi and take-off.

Unfortunately, we had a ground delay of about 20 minutes despite pushing back about 10 minutes ahead of time. Suddenly, drinking a cup of white wine on the ground seemed like perhaps not a great idea. As a result, I can also testify that the facilities on-board, visited very shortly after take-off, while compact, were actually nowhere near as claustrophobia-inducing as the A321 rear toilets I’ve seen lately.

Probably the one aspect of this brief journey that felt a little bit of a let-down was the food service, which consisted of a snack basket briefly walked through the cabin, and already back in the galley by the time I returned from the bathroom. I understand it’s a brief flight, but packaged snacks from a basket felt a bit like an afterthought; though I appreciate this seems to be how US domestic regional flights are catered, even in premium cabins.

Before long, it was time to buckle up, with one more paper cup of white wine to see us down to the ground, as we gradually made our way towards Chicago O’Hare Airport, followed by an extremely long taxi.

Capping off this lengthy journey from Dublin was what had to be one of the shortest waits I’ve ever had for luggage, which made its appearance in no time.

Overall, an easy, pleasant flight and a easy, seamless trip from Dublin via Minneapolis overall.