Standby Travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina - First Class! - Saturday, October 5, 2013

On Saturday, October 5th Beth and I took our first attempt to travel using my Delta Air Lines employee benefits.  A few years earlier we had planned a trip to Buenos Aires but we had to cancel it, so we figured what the heck let's give it a try.

In the one year I've worked for MLT Vacations I only used my flight benefits once, to go round trip to Phoenix, AZ for Spring Training 2013.  This however would be my first ever attempt to travel Internationally and with Beth.  So I booked our flights and each day we watched the load factor and standby list.   The day before our departure it was not looking good, so we decided that if we got to Atlanta, our transfer point and Delta's home base, if we couldn't get on the flight to Buenos Aires we would get on a flight to some other International destination.

So what happens, we get to the SFO airport and who do we see but Nancy Rielle.  She is on the Delta flight to Atlanta we hope to get on.  Nancy is heading to Florida to see her Mom and then to NY to visit friends. It was a nice surprise to see her!

Anyone who's flown lately knows almost every seat on every plane is full.  So traveling Standby can be a challenge.  We thought that out SFO-ATL flight looked pretty good, but you just never know.  BUT we got on the flight and I felt good about that.  I even got an aisle seat while Beth had a middle seat in the row behind me.

So we get to the gate for the flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Buenos Aires (EZE) we are the first two people on the Standby list AND there are some FIRST CLASS seats that are open.  I was told by others in my company that if there are open Business/First class seats employees can get upgraded. MAKE MY DAY....we got upgraded.  Delta's Business Elite service was outstanding...real plates and silverware, outstanding wines and food.  Plus Heavenly Pillows & down blankets.  This plane did not have the new Heavenly beds, but with the size and space, along with a little help from my sleeping pills our 9 1/2 flight was fantastic.

We arrived into Buenos Aires on Sunday morning October 6th.  Beth used some of her Hyatt point to book the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires http://buenosaires.park.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html
 (amazing). After checking in we head to La Boca an old district with colorful building, the story is that fisherman used to live here and whatever left over paint they had they used it and thus all the different colors.  We walked down Caminito a walkway in La Boca.

More to come later.....I'm to tired to finish what we did on our first day!