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Yet Another Time, Delta Braves a Hurricane (And Wins)
JT Genter
Contributor
JT is a location-independent digital nomad traveling 250,000+ miles each year with his wife Katie.
Sept. 21, 2017
•
3 min read
Yet Another Time, Delta Braves a Hurricane (And Wins)
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Stop me if you've heard this before, but Delta is flying into a hurricane. Seemingly emboldened after being the last to fly into San Juan (SJU) Category 5 Hurricane Irma, the Atlanta-based airline repeated the feat on Tuesday by flying into SJU hours later than any other airline ahead of Hurricane Maria's destruction of the airport.
Despite Hurricane Maria's forecast pass just north of Cibao International Airport (STI) in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Delta is continuing to operate in and out of the airport. Over the last 24 hours, Delta has been the only airline to fly into the airport and the only airline to depart since JetBlue's last two flights left Wednesday night ahead of the storm:
Unfazed by Hurricane Maria passing just north of its destination, Delta #452 took off from New York City's JFK airport shortly after 2pm Eastern time. Like its other flights into the single-runway Santiago airport, Delta used a Boeing 737-800. Today's aircraft would be registration N3750D, a 2001 build.
However, unlike Delta's other notable flights around hurricanes, this approach didn't go as smoothly. As the flight approached Santiago — with the center of Hurricane Maria less than 100 miles north-northwest of the airfield — the flight entered a holding pattern. Considering there aren't any other aircraft in the areas and there's an especially strong part of Hurricane Maria just north of the airport, we can probably chalk that up to the weather.
After circling four times, Delta 452 began final approach and stuck the landing on the first try on the 8,595-foot runway.
Delta flight #556 is scheduled to depart STI at 6:59pm. However, considering the slightly-delayed gate arrival at 6:25pm, it's likely that this departure will be delayed.
As of publishing, the aircraft is still on the ground in STI. We will update this post as the story develops.
Update 7:28pm: Delta flight #556 pushed back at 7:19pm, which is 20 minutes after the scheduled departure. This means that the Delta Boeing 737-800 spent 54 minutes at the gate.
Considering Delta's much faster turns in San Juan (SJU), we may be able to chalk up part of this delay to the current air traffic control delays at JFK — which are currently averaging 94 minutes.
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Update 7:43pm: Delta flight #556 took off at 7:36pm and is currently following a narrow band of relatively-light precipitation on its way around the front end of Hurricane Maria and up the US coast:
Update 8:47pm: Delta flight #556 is in the clear. Just another day in the office for those Delta pilots. Well done by the entire Delta team and air traffic control to make this flight operate safely in and out of Santiago, Dominican Republic.
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Apply for American Express® Gold Card
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Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.