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Here’s a genuine, not-sarcastic shocker: more legroom is coming to coach seats. Plus, it will soon be easier than ever to watch movies and shows on other passengers’ screens. (Don’t tell me you keep your eyes on your own?!)
Delta One Suite Upgrades
Delta Air Lines announced that 24-inch, 4K “cinema-quality screens” will be part of the upgraded Delta One Suites on new A350-1000 aircraft.
We’ve come a long way from those pull-down projector screens at the front of airline cabins that showed in-flight movies visible to only, like, the first three rows of passengers. (Not that I’m old enough to remember any of that. Nope. Definitely not me.)
The new suites will also feature:
- wireless charging
- Bluetooth audio
- pillow-top cushion layered over memory foam
- flat-bed that stretches over six-and-a-half feet
- mood lighting
- USB-C charging
The A330-200/300 fleet are getting a touch-up, too. Those planes are getting sliding privacy doors in Delta One for the first time, along with many of the same suite features coming to the A350-1000 (wireless charging, tactile seat controls, mood lighting, and USB-C). The idea is to make the Delta One experience feel consistent across widebodies.
There will also be a dedicated self-serve snack station for Delta One customers, available at any time during the flight. No “do-I-ring-the-call-button-at-2AM-for-another-snack?” anxiety. You can get up and get it yourself.
Coach Gets Some Love, Too
Those of us who usually sit in the cheap seats won’t suffer from (too much) FOMO. Delta Comfort and Main Cabin seats on both fleets are getting:
- an extra inch of legroom
- a seatback shelf
- memory foam cushions
- USB-C
- AC power at every seat.
- 4K QLED screens with Bluetooth
Quick Take
Bravo to Delta! This definitely gets a #KeepClimbing. Seat upgrades and more legroom(!) are always a good thing.
Naturally, I have to complain about something. I don’t like the black seats.
I much prefer the classic blue in Delta One seats, such as these:
The blue and black seat combination is the better of the two and I like the red widget accent. But there’s nothing special about the new color palette.
I’ve heard lots of complaints about people feeling closed-in and that Delta One Suites are too narrow (what a wonderful First World Problem!). The extra long mattress might alleviate some of that feeling, even if the suite itself isn’t widened.
What’s the Timeline?
The A350-1000 arrives in early 2027, so the new Delta One suite experience is still a ways out. The A330-200/300 refresh is a nearer-term upgrade for an existing workhorse fleet. Delta says 90% of Delta One seats will be suites with sliding privacy doors by 2030, and more than 800 aircraft across the entire fleet will have the new interior design within five years. If you’ve been on the fence about booking a Delta One award redemption, the product is heading in the right direction.
Final Approach
Delta’s cabin upgrade announcement is genuinely impressive in scope — bigger screens, better beds, more legroom in coach, and a snack station that lets you raid the pantry on your own schedule. And more legroom in back! Considering that my only gripe is color, you know they must be doing something right. 🙂
What do you think of the upgrades?
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It seems that other than a few much-appreciated extra inches of bed length and upgraded video monitor, the new D1 suite looks (and will feel) a lot like the old one. The layouts are almost identical. I’m glad Delta kept the straight-ahead seating arrangement because frankly herringbone arrangements are awkward.
But Delta could have done better. For example, Japan Airlines has been flying A350-1000s with a superior business class suite for a couple of years. Its suites are roomier and have personal closets. Even Korean Air 787-10s, which are slightly narrower than the A350s, have suites that feel roomier than the Delta One suites. Still, this is progress for Delta.
What about their aging 767-300’s? Delta won’t invest in improving them, and there’s lots of them. They sell “Delta One” seats on them, but there’s a vastly inferior product there that they don’t tell anyone about.
Delta is phasing them out and they should be gone in about four years (I think). I believe they’re being replaced by more Airbuses and even the 787s. Expect to see some A321neos with Delta One and Premium Select seats flying transcons.
It’s ironic that the touted IFE systems reduce legroom depending on where you are sitting, such as Premium on international flights and first class on domestic flights. I think American has the right idea, making entertainment available in a non intrusive way. More flashy IFE isn’t going to make me more likely to fly Delta One. Wider and longer seats are, if I can afford it (usually with points deals or global upgrades).
YOU’RE BACK?!
LOL!