The confluence of a pleasure trip out to Boston to see my girlfriend, an engineering conference in Pittsburgh and a meeting at (The) Ohio State University this past week brought me the opportunity of flying on three different carriers throughout the East and Midwest. Since my native carrier, Northwest was offering some truly hideous fares on my desired routes, I decided to give each alliance, Star Alliance, Skyteam and Oneworld a try on my three legs to see how the industry was faring while I was away on NW. Along my journey I kept the following diary:

Leg 1: DTW-NYC-BOS – Delta Airlines

Detroit - New York – CRJ900 Operated by Comair
Boarding and Gate Area

I don't get over to the B/C concourse at Detroit's McNamara often enough. While they do have a killer A&W Rootbeer stand, most Northwest flights depart out of the A terminal so I have little reason to visit the other half of the building. It's nice being on this side once in a while.

Due to what seemed to be some last minute booking and jockeying by the gate agent, we started boarding ten minutes late, but since the aircraft was so small, the twenty minutes was plenty of time to board the entire aircraft.

As usual, the typical gate lice nested around the boarding area, but they quickly cleared out once first and "elite" passengers boarded.

Hopefully you're an avid Gadling reader. With popular features like The Cockpit Chronicles and Galley Gossip and helpful tips on new travel gadgets and which destinations to avoid, how could you not be?

Ok, enough with the shameless self-promotion; we're obviously not the only travel website out there. The Times Online just published an article on the 10 travel websites to watch for October. The list is a good combination of sites that give you everything from dirty pilot rumors to tips on staying slim while on the road. Keep in mind that since it's from the Times Online, the list has an English twist - many of the sites are Britain related.

Check them out yourself:

1. Professional Pilots' Rumour Network - check out the topic "nicest celebs" for the inside scoop
2. Seatplans.com - aircraft seating plans and flight reviews
3. Thetrainline.com - find cheap tickets in the UK and on Eurostar
4. Hotels.com Visualiser - custom select your ideal hotel and the site finds on that matches
5. Mr. & Mrs. Smith route planner - plan your itinerary with the site's tips on local pubs, etc.
6. Virgin Holidays + Hip Hotels - uber stylish hotels for the glitterati
7. Slimtree - fitness workouts you can download and use on the road
8. Trivago a new travel search engine
9. RogerandRandy.com - business travel experts give their two cents
10. Great Hotels of the World -the name says it all
    

Emirates is the second customer of the A380, following nearly two years of manufacturing delays and an initial round of deliveries to Singapore Airlines.

In a series of test flights out on the West Coast, the airline will be trumpeting their new expanded service over the next few days, so if you're in California keep your eyes peeled for the behemoth overhead. While Gadling wont be able to make it out for the test flights, check in with The Cranky Flier at some point next week for the full scoop on in flight performance.

Meantime, check out Gadling's photos of the aircraft and of the inaugural event and start saving your change for a ticket!

I feel small in these seats, a feeling that I am unaccustomed to when flying overseas. Christopher stops by to see if I'm okay because I'm shifting around awkwardly. I send him off with a cheerful wave and adjust my duvet for the tenth time.

How did I get here?

Open Skies is a new airline spawned from British Airways and the open skies agreement. Their service, kicked off on June 19th between New York's JFK and Orly in Paris, is the most recent in a line of airlines catering to a new demographic – one who appreciates an enhanced business-class environment, treatment and experience overseas. For the extra one or two hundred dollars over the competition to fly in Economy, passengers can enjoy a smaller cabin, comfortable seats and superior In Flight Entertainment, food and service

Their only 757 aircraft features less than 100 seats, with three classes of service, Economy, Prem + and Biz. I'm told that in the future (and with their acquisition of L'avion), new cabins may only have Prem + and Biz.

With only about sixteen pilots and four times as many flight attendants, the community is small and tightly knit. On my outbound flight, I got to know a few of the flight attendants who filled me in on some of the details about the airline and gave me some tips for my stay in Paris. Each employee, hailing from a colorful past, brings a broad spectrum of experience to the table, the result of which is a multi-faceted group of individuals ready for any situation. As Antony Crucilla, the captain of the return flight told me, the airline has strict requirements in bringing experienced staff on board -- and it shows in their service.

Today, I'm on one of the first flights between New York City and Paris, test driving the service and reporting on the experience. Follow along and indulge in the newest airline on the planet: Open Skies.

Continue onward to Planning, booking and the concierge service, or skip ahead to

Online check in
Arrival and check in
In flight: Economy
In flight: Prem +
In flight: Biz
Transfer in from Orly
Return trip logistics
The final word