Formerly known as Business Elite, Delta Airline’s newest business class offering has been rebranded ‘Delta One’. It’s the airline’s highest tier of premium service which you’ll find on all long-haul international flights and on all cross-country flights between New York JFK, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Launched in March 2015, Delta’s latest business class cabin is leading the way for US-based airlines.
There are four different versions of the Delta One depending on the aircraft size and route, so here we will look only at the B767 which usually exclusively flies to London from the States. Here’s a little preview on what you can expect if you’re trying to decide which airline to try on your next transcontinental flight to the US:
The Cabin
Delta’s newly branded cabins are extremely sleek in terms of the finishes, with royal blue highlights, grey tones to balance the scene and red accents throughout. The fresh new seat designs with quilted fabric provides a very Italian sports car-like inspired colour scheme, which creates a sense of prestige and quality.
The Thompson Vantage style forward-facing seats are staggered and are in a 1-2-1 configuration offering direct aisle access at every seat. They are spacious with plenty of storage for your personal effects and ample space to work. There’s no mood lighting like on Virgin Atlantic, or a special entrance like on British Airways, but its large interior gives the cabin an open feel.
The Seat
You can get a decent sleep on the fully-flat beds which are generously sized at 78-inches (200cm) long. As well as sleeping, the cosy seats are ideal for lounging and reclining. For lounging mode, the ramp in front of the seat makes a great intermediate footrest, whilst the padded area for your feet in bed mode is well-positioned.
On the control panel, there are handy pre-sets for sleeping and returning the seat to its original position, along with an adjustable massage feature – a nice touch to help you relax and ease you into your long-haul flight.
If that doesn’t get you unwinding the bedding, sourced from Westin Hotel’s famous ‘Heavenly’ line, which includes a duvet and two pillows, will certainly entice you into a slumber. They are incredibly comfortable and are probably the best business class bedding out there.
If you’d rather work than sleep during the flight, there are AC and USB power outlets beside the seat atop a shelf that’s perfect for resting your laptop or tablet on while it’s charging. Shoes also have their own recess, keeping them out of the small corridor between the seat and the aisle.
If you’re travelling solo, we’d highly recommend a window seat with the desk and tray area exposed to the aisle, offering a greater privacy. An extra tip would be to request an odd-numbered window seat if travelling alone for added privacy as those seats are against the window whereas the even-numbered seats are more open to the aisle. Go one further and try to nab a front row seat, as it has a much larger foot cubby area than found on other rows, for an optimum stretched out position.
The Amenity Kit
The ‘goodie bag’ is always a nice little perk when travelling in business class. It’s become somewhat of a trend for leading airlines to team up with top lifestyle brands to offer high-end amenity kits, and Delta is certainly keeping up with appearances.
The TUMI amenity kits offered in Delta One cabins come in both hard and soft-sided versions (you get one on the outbound trip, and the other on the return trip). The hard-sided option has a great re-use potential for your electronic gear, and the soft-sided one as a loose change bag or similar (just a suggestion).
Inside, you’ll find the usual suspects; toothpaste and toothbrush, ear plugs, comb, tissues, pen and eyeshades. The ‘goodie’ part comes in when you discover the Malin+Goetz cosmetic products which include a lip moisturiser, a body lotion and mouthwash. An added bonus are the socks and slippers – perfect for walking around the cabin in comfort.
Extra Perks
Delta Airlines has priority boarding which is strictly enforced through the Sky Priority Lane at the airport. As part of the Sky Priority service, you also receive expedited security check-in at the airport, premium boarding, and priority baggage handling.
As a Delta Business Class ticket holder, you’re entitled to complimentary access to the Delta Sky Clubs lounges. As Delta do not have their own lounges at Heathrow, you can use the Virgin Atlantic lounge at Terminal 3 and the SkyTeam lounge in Terminal 4.
US-based airlines are not ordinarily known for great extravagance in their premium offerings as the middle-eastern carriers like Emirates and Etihad are, but Delta is certainly setting the bar high for its national counterparts. If would like to know more about Delta One’s business class, contact your dedicated SkyClub consultant who will be happy to give you all the details and more.
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