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Flight Review: Delta Transatlantic To New York In Business Class

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Delta Air Lines
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Delta is the oldest airline in the USA and is the world’s second-largest airline in terms of scheduled passengers carried, revenue per passenger per mile flown, and fleet size (after American Airlines).

Delta’s fleet includes almost 900 aircraft and is known for its policy of generally buying older generation or used aircraft and for continuing to fly aircraft for 20-30 years, much longer than most other major airlines. As such, it has one of the oldest fleets of any American airline, with an average fleet age of 16.3 years. Delta’s Boeing aircraft make up about 57% of its fleet, while its Airbus aircraft make up about 27%, and McDonnell Douglas aircraft make up about 16%. Delta is the world’s largest Boeing 767 operator.

More importantly, did you know that Delta is also the largest transatlantic carrier, with more transatlantic flights per day than any other carrier? Yes, it’s true; they fly more flights from their home in America to various airports across Europe, emphasizing capital cities like London, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, and Brussels.

The B767 is the backbone of Delta’s transatlantic fleet. While a journey onboard Delta’s B767 Business Class (called Delta One) still offers a comfortable ride, the seat feels dated compared to modern Business Class cabins. Including Delta’s own brand new Delta One Suite which is only found on its brand new A350 aircraft.

This means that when you fly transatlantic on Delta, you should always choose to fly on their A350 planes and not any of their other aircraft. If you only have the option of flying Delta’s B767 Business Class, it is worth considering booking with another airline such as American Airlines, which offers a better Business Class overall and certainly a better Business than Delta’s B767 Business Class. Usually, American’s seats are larger and more comfortable, plus the seats don’t make annoying mechanical noises; what was Delta thinking!?

Ticket Price

A return ticket cost was €1250 EUR in a flash sale with a 50% discount, which is a great price for a Business Class flight from Europe to the USA return.

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Business Class Cabin Review

Although they all share a similar Business Class layout and seat, Delta’s B767s come in 5 configurations that differ from each other regarding the number of seats in all cabins:

The flight from Brussels to New York was operated by a high-density Boeing 767-300ER that featured 26 lie-flat Business Class seats spread over seven rows in just one cabin, which was located in front of the Economy Plus Class cabin.

Business Class Cabin Layout

All of Delta’s B767s feature a Business Class cabin with a staggered seat layout, whereby the foot compartment for each seat is located between or under the seat(s) ahead. This means that all seats face forward and enjoy direct aisle access.

Since none of the rows line up, nobody is directly looking into the seat across the aisle.

The middle seats all come in pairs (separated by a large armrest), while the window seats are all single seats. These window seats alternate between ‘real window seats’ (with a large armrest between the seat and aisle) and ‘aisle seats’ (with only a narrow armrest between the seat and aisle). Those aisle seats are not as enjoyable as the real window seats and will occasionally be disturbed by passengers and crew in the aisle during the flight.

The design of Delta’s B767 Business Class cabin is not great. The carrier has introduced the walled cocoons with sliding doors of the Delta One Suite on its newly delivered A350 aircraft, some of the best Business Class seats in the industry. But much of the fleet delivers a much worse product with dated seats, very few real window seats, and generally a poor effort at Business Class.

This staggered seat layout is not unique for Delta as it can also be found on American’s B767s, Brussels Airlines’ A330s, Austrian Airlines’ B777s, SWISS’ Airbus A330s/A340s & B777s, and Finnair’s A330s, to name a few.

Which Seat Did I Select?

I had selected seat 3D, a window seat, for the 7 hours 45 minutes flight to New York. This Delta B767 Business Class seat is 21 inches (53 cm) wide and has a pitch of between 76 and 81 inches (193 to 205 cm).

The seat has a large armrest on the side, which holds the foot cubby of the seat behind it and can be used as a working surface. There is also an in-seat massage function if you like this kind of thing!

A foldable tray table is stored in the armrest, and there’s a panel with a universal power port, USB ports, and a small personal reading lamp.

The seat is comfortable when you are sitting upright but not in the lie-flat position because your lower legs descend into a box carved out for it in the armrest of the seat(s) ahead, below the entertainment screen. This footwell is small, so your feet will hit the walls of this space as you try to switch positions during your sleep.

It is worth noting that single seats on the side have considerably more space for the feet than the paired center seats.

The seats’ lowness is also a pain in the bum as they sit just 45 cm (17 inches) above the floor when in a sleeping position, making it uncomfortable to get up and down from.

The seat also has two other disadvantages: it lacks adequate storage space, and small motors move it. Hence, you hear a weird noise every time you (or the passengers around you) adjust the seat position or activate the massage function.

What are the best Business Class seats on Delta’s B767?

The best seats for solo travelers are the single seats on the side, especially those separated from the aisle by the wide armrest. Couples should go for the paired seats in the middle.

What are the worst Business Class seats on Delta’s B767?

Some of the solo seats on the side have their wide armrest located next to the window, with only a narrow armrest between the seat and the aisle. These seats are not as private as the real window seats, and it may feel like you are seated in the middle of the aisle as you will be disturbed by passengers and crew passing by.

The middle seats have a smaller foot compartment and slightly shorter flatbed than the aisle seats (76 inches or 193 cm compared to 81 inches or 205 cm).

Window seats in rows 6, 9, and 10 are missing a window. Try to avoid these seats with the help of Delta’s B767 seat maps, as found on SeatGuru.

The Delta Amenity Kit Is great!

You get a silver hard-sided TUMI amenity kit outbound from the USA and a soft-sided black TUMI amenity kit inbound to the USA (so you can add a variety to your amenity kit collection each way). The kits feature travel essentials, including Kiehl’s lip balm and grapefruit-scented deluxe hand and body lotion with Aloe Vera and Oatmeal, a dental kit featuring Crest toothpaste, tissues, mouthwash, and earplugs.

Delta’s bedding is Westin Heavenly branded and includes an oversized duvet, a high-quality blanket, and a down-alternative pillow.

Pajamas are not offered in Business Class, except on Delta’s routes from Los Angeles to Shanghai and Sydney.

Delta’s also supplies noise-canceling headphones from Los Angeles-based sound and philanthropic company LSTN Sound Co., but these can’t be taken home with you.

Food

Shortly after takeoff, a lunch was served. This is what I chose:

I had never heard of Flemish cod (and I live in Flanders), nor did I know that tuna lived in the Black Forest. The food was, however, delicious, although not exceptional. The meals were served on stylish tableware by the globally renowned design company Alessi.

A snack was offered midflight: warm chocolate chip cookie service.

Then, about 90 minutes before landing came the second, light meal service. I chose a hamburger, served on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. It was the first time I had a hamburger on a plane, but it tasted good!

Entertainment

Each Business Class seat features a TV screen mounted in the back of the seat ahead. The screen is quite small (13 inches), which is similar to the entertainment screens in Delta’s Premium Economy Class (where the seats are closer to the screen, making for a more enjoyable entertainment experience).

In comparison, Delta’s new A350 suites feature much larger, 18 inch TV screens, representing a huge improvement.

Delta’s entertainment, Delta Studios, is excellent, with an extensive library of movies (around 300), TV shows (about 800), audiobooks, video games, and even live satellite TV. You can view the shows on the seat’s entertainment screen or stream the entertainment to your mobile phone or tablet.

Internet

Delta is one of the largest providers of in-flight Wi-Fi in the world, and with more than 1,100 enabled aircraft, Wi-Fi access is offered on nearly all flights. Gogo powers Inflight Wi-Fi. Like several other major airlines equipped by Gogo, access to Delta’s Wi-Fi may be purchased before any given flight. A global day pass costs $28 USD and is valid for 24 hours on one or more Gogo-equipped Delta flights regardless of the route.

Delta also offers free mobile messaging (Facebook, Whatsapp, iMessage) so you can stay in touch with friends, family, and colleagues while onboard at no charge. Ensure that you have downloaded these apps before you fly (they all are free).

Delta had also equipped this B767-300ER plane with Ku band Wi-Fi technology, where an antenna on the top of the plane communicates with satellites in orbit. Not only does it deliver a signal strong enough to stream Netflix, but also, Ku band technology is much more effective than ground-to-air when planes fly over bodies of water (or areas of land with no cell towers). It also maintains a signal throughout the entire flight, delivering seamless Wi-Fi connectivity.

Crew

Delta’s flight attendants are considered the friendliest of all USA airlines. The cabin crew on this flight was very outgoing and enthusiastic. I told them about a fear of flying over water, and I was offered a flight map, a gesture which I genuinely appreciated.

There are two toilets for the 26 Business Class passengers, both located behind the cockpit and kept clean if basic for Business.

Review by our friends at The TheLuxuryTravelExpert.

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