Even for an elite frequent flier, it's a power trip to tell the pilot exactly what time to have your plane at the door, ready to go. But the most surreal thing about ditching your seat on a commercial flight for an impromptu private jet is the cabin noise: There isn’t any.

“It's so quiet–I thought it’d be more like a commuter regional jet,” says a clearly surprised Jeanette Rogovin, who with her husband Bruce became the first customers to upgrade from a Delta Air Lines flight to a jet operated by Delta Private Jets, a wholly owned subsidiary. The Cincinnati couple paid $300 each for the one-hour trip from Cincinnati to Atlanta, a weekend visit to see their son. The July 31 flight marked the first time Delta migrated a commercial passenger to the private jet unit, and I came along for the exceptionally quiet ride.

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