Yesterday I shared my experience flying Delta’s Airbus A350 business class from Santiago to Atlanta. It’s probably the best business class offered by a US airline. Well, from Atlanta I connected to Mexico City on a Delta Boeing 737-800, and this flight was basically the opposite extreme.
In this post:
Delta’s 737-800 cabins make me dream of American
Historically, Delta has been known for flying older aircraft, but maintaining the cabins well, and making them feel new (just see my recent review of the carrier’s Airbus A319 first class). Some of the carrier’s Boeing 737-800s are an exception, and just as I give the airline credit where it’s deserved, I think it’s only fair to call out the airline where it falls short.
I flew on a 23-year-old Delta Boeing 737-800 with the registration code N3754A, and the cabin was far from modern or luxurious.
The seats were fine (I’m always grateful just to be in first class), but the lack of any sort of head rest makes this one of the less comfortable first class seats out there, in my opinion.
There was seat back entertainment (or in my case, entertainment on the bulkhead), but my gosh, this screen must be an original from when the plane was delivered in 2001. It was tiny and so low resolution, and fit into the category of “why bother?”
But even beyond that, the cabin was just a mess. For example, take a look at the chargers underneath the seats. I’m not sure whether to be more shocked by the presence of ethernet ports, or how damn filthy it is. Is no one even pretending to be cleaning these planes?
Then there were the volume controls between seats, which… well, I’ll let the picture speak for itself.
While I didn’t take a picture of it, my seat mate’s tray table wouldn’t even stay up correctly, and kept collapsing.
For a moment I wondered if Delta had some sort of a wet lease agreement with Cubana (okay, that would be a dream), but nope, this is just Delta. It’s not often I say this, but I’d take an American 737 any day over this. At least the cabins are modern and relatively clean (in the sense that there’s no grime on the ethernet ports).
To Delta’s credit, the airline is in the process of updating the interiors of these jets. But at the end of the day, I booked a ticket on the plane Delta is flying now, not the plane that Delta is flying in the future.
The Delta “premium” juxtaposition
Delta is such a fascinating airline. There are so many things the airline does well, like positioning itself as a premium brand, having (on average) the best staff of the “big three,” and selectively investing in the passenger experience.
But Delta is also inconsistent. Take my experience yesterday, for example. In addition to flying the above Delta 737, I also spent quite a bit of time in Atlanta:
- Delta has no Delta One Lounge in Atlanta, and has no plans to build one (and also doesn’t have official plans to build one in Detroit or Minneapolis); these are the carrier’s three biggest hubs, and American and United have a much more impressive setup in most of their hubs, especially with United Polaris Lounges
- When you look at the variety of aircraft at Atlanta Airport, you really appreciate just how many not-modern planes Delta has (to put it politely), from Boeing 757s, to Boeing 717s
- Delta’s Boeing 767-300ERs have the worst long haul, wide body business class product of any US airline, Delta has no plans to update them, and they’ll fly for several more years; compare that to United’s gorgeous 767-300ERs
Can I also just say that even Delta’s (reportedly) best Sky Club in Atlanta, in Concourse F, is… kind of just okay. Yes, the terrace is cool, but it’s not all that modern at this point, cleanliness could use some help, and am I the only one who doesn’t love eating off disposable plates, with single-use cutlery that you have to remove from plastic packaging?
I’ve also never seen anything quite like when they’re transitioning from the breakfast to lunch service. They closed the buffet for around 30 minutes, and the staff seemed to get a genuine thrill out of yelling at the customers that would walk up and try to get something. “SIR, THE BUFFET IS CLOSED!”
Many passengers in the lounge were Korean (ahead of the Korean Air flight) and clearly didn’t speak English, since they didn’t respond to these commands. So that just caused the staff to yell louder.
Bottom line
While I had a great flight on a Delta A350-900, it was a different story on the carrier’s 737-800. It’s not just how outdated the cabin was, but how poorly maintained and dirty it was as well. It was like stepping back in time, with some dirt added for good measure. It even made me miss American’s interiors, which is saying something.
There are lots of things Delta deserves credit for, including how it manages to position itself as being so much better than the competition, despite some major gaps when it comes to customer experience.
Has anyone else had the pleasure of experiencing these Delta interiors?
Cuantos aviones 738 de delta se han reconfigurados ya?
I can't wait for Delta to complete refurbishing all 737-800s. The worst part is that you can't tell which seats you are going to get when you book flights on the -800s. It's complete gamble at this point.
I hate how everyone talks about how Delta is so premium compared to its counterparts, when in reality you could be stuck on an ancient 737 like this one. While I absolutely hate American, at least they have mostly new planes with a modern first class cabin. Also, on some DL planes first class only has 36 inches of pitch which is quite tight. AA and UA both have 37 inches fleetwide.
Delta sky...
I hate how everyone talks about how Delta is so premium compared to its counterparts, when in reality you could be stuck on an ancient 737 like this one. While I absolutely hate American, at least they have mostly new planes with a modern first class cabin. Also, on some DL planes first class only has 36 inches of pitch which is quite tight. AA and UA both have 37 inches fleetwide.
Delta sky clubs are nice but always crowded, and with Delta not planning to open a Delta One lounge in Atlanta, Minneapolis, or Detroit, its not like the situation is going to improve. I'm a frequent flyer with AA and while Admirals Clubs are less glamorous, I have never experienced a crowded one. UA has Polaris lounges in all their hubs except one, and AA plans to have Flagship lounges in all their major international hubs.
I do commend Delta for their Delta One suite investments, but the reality is that few planes have it. The only plane you're guaranteed to have it on is the A330neo. If you're booked on an A350 you have a risk of getting swapped to an ex-LATAM A350 where not all seats have direct aisle access.
Furthermore, Delta's 767 fleet is outdated and uncompetitive. Even the retrofitted 767-400 seats are tight and lack privacy. If the only option on Delta was the 767 I'd much rather go with UA which has Polaris seats across all of its widebody fleet including 767s, or AA which has modern enough seats with direct aisle access on all aircraft.
I somehow feel that Ben just wrote this to feed the troll. And the troll did bite, so now Ben watches the world burn... :D
A bit of moderation here would be highly appreciated though.
I live in Atlanta so I'm pretty much stuck with Delta. Honestly, the airline has been going down hill since Ed Bastian took over, several years ago. Frequent flyers have been getting less for more, and the airplanes have been consistently dirty. I still vividly remember a flight to Madrid in first class, where I found a healthy amount of leftover garbage from a previous flight next to my seat.
DL is a declining airline for sure
Atlanta still has all plastic-bamboo disposables...Not sure why since other larger airports have real silverware and ceramic dishes?
WE flew AA 787 both configs one 900 PHL-LHR and MAD-PHL 800 and the Delta 350-900 is only a small step up.
The step to AF 350-900 needs a small ladder
Delta is a dichotomous airline at a premium price these days, AA more likely to be quality interior space
I was appalled at lack of legroom on their B717. I was literally wedged into place. And it was not behind exit row or anything g like that. DL is overrated .
Well all Delta 737-800 are currently going into a full cabin refresh with new interior design.
I hope that will get done quickly! I have no idea what is the progress. I have only flown in the new cabin once this year...
"So that just caused the staff to yell louder."
This has, sadly, become my day experience of american customer service
It's Detla, so it was "premium" dirt.
On other airlines, dirt is of the regular type, hence it's "un-premium" dirt.
No need to thank me, @DimSum.
i have been flying a lot more DL lately and I agree the fleet is hit-or-miss. Friends of mine have flown the new neos on long haul domestic in FC and hated it... seats were extremely uncomfortable
i am from NY so the ease of getting through LGA with their facial rec program paired with a good lounge (if you can get in) is more important than the plane on shorter trips
Unfortunately last week,...
i have been flying a lot more DL lately and I agree the fleet is hit-or-miss. Friends of mine have flown the new neos on long haul domestic in FC and hated it... seats were extremely uncomfortable
i am from NY so the ease of getting through LGA with their facial rec program paired with a good lounge (if you can get in) is more important than the plane on shorter trips
Unfortunately last week, i flew a DL 763 from Lisbon and it was beyond horrible in every aspect except the flight attendants who were quite good.
i understand why they are not putting money into these ancient flying machines but as a result, they won't get another dollar from me on these planes - like they really care about my business!!
Delta has invested in the 767 fleet; they just didn't do a full cabin refurbishment of Delta One on the 763 fleet - which is not where most people fly.
The 767 in economy on Delta still offers more space and no less amenities than AA and UA offer on their 787 or 777 fleets - the majority of both airline's fleets.
But then the same is also true of the DL A330...
Delta has invested in the 767 fleet; they just didn't do a full cabin refurbishment of Delta One on the 763 fleet - which is not where most people fly.
The 767 in economy on Delta still offers more space and no less amenities than AA and UA offer on their 787 or 777 fleets - the majority of both airline's fleets.
But then the same is also true of the DL A330 fleet.
and Delta is approaching 5 dozen aircraft with Delta One Suites with doors; AA and UA have precisely ZERO widebody aircraft with doors.
All of the incessant harping about the Delta 767-300 Delta One cabin is merely an attempt by a few to eliminate the genuine fact that Delta's international fleet offers a far better experience for all passengers even if a
The 763 fleet is used as a "starter" aircraft for new routes, for heavily leisure routes, and for Latin America including Hawaii.
In contrast, UA put Polaris on their 767s but manages to have a higher cancellation rate than DL does on their 767s.
All the best onboard amenities don't matter if a flight cancels.
Even the refurbished Delta one on 763/764 are subpar. 767 is a narrower airplane than A330 or 787, however, Delta one on 767 is in 1-2-1 configuration when UA Polaris is 1-1-1 config in the same aircraft.
Have you ever flown 1-2-1 business class seat on 767? It's unbearably narrow. Of course it's better than EC or PE, but it's not wide enough to have a good sleep. Don't compare it to 1-2-1 on...
Even the refurbished Delta one on 763/764 are subpar. 767 is a narrower airplane than A330 or 787, however, Delta one on 767 is in 1-2-1 configuration when UA Polaris is 1-1-1 config in the same aircraft.
Have you ever flown 1-2-1 business class seat on 767? It's unbearably narrow. Of course it's better than EC or PE, but it's not wide enough to have a good sleep. Don't compare it to 1-2-1 on A330 or 787 which are a lot wider than 767. UA's 1-1-1 config seat on 767 has a similar width as on 787. UA made it 1-1-1 on 767 to offer a similar experience across all the fleet, however, Delta did not. You should admit it, 1-2-1 BC on Delta 767 is SUBPAR whether it's refurbished or not.
I have been in business class on Delta's 767s and on other carriers with wider cabins.
There is no debate that the 767 is a narrow fuselage for the business class seats being offered today.
I hate to go there but have to... Delta made twice as much money flying the Atlantic in 2023 that United made.
Yes, Delta made the decision not to put a wider business class seat on the 767...
I have been in business class on Delta's 767s and on other carriers with wider cabins.
There is no debate that the 767 is a narrow fuselage for the business class seats being offered today.
I hate to go there but have to... Delta made twice as much money flying the Atlantic in 2023 that United made.
Yes, Delta made the decision not to put a wider business class seat on the 767 as United did.
United is the only major global carrier that chose to offer a consistent business class product across its fleet.
But United has an incredibly inconsistent product strategy in other cabins and across its fleet.
I STRONGLY push back on the hypocritical focus on business class and the metric being the 767 when it is clear there are other metrics that matter a whole lot more to a whole lot more people.
UA is years behind DL on AVOD on its domestic fleet and even WiFi on its domestic and TATL fleet.
And UA significantly degraded the economics of the 767 by choosing to put the business class cabin it did in its 767s.
There are genuine reasons why UA made so much less than DL and AA doesn't make money flying the Atlantic - they just break even.
When people get serious and start talking about the real drivers of why UA makes so much less despite flying so much more capacity, then I'll give it a rest about the 767 cabin.
DL has made a whole lot of very good decisions that contribute to its bottom line.
The 767 is simply not the issue in reality that a whole lot of people here make it out to be.
If it was, DL would simply be in a far worse financial situation.
and yet it is UA that significantly trails DL in international profitability.
An inch or two of legroom in the DL 767 simply doesn't matter. There are clearly a whole lot of other factors that do matter for United and American that people don't want to talk about - so they drone on endlessly about the DL 767.
16 paragraphs all to just try to obfuscate Delta’s subpar product and because you can’t admit a crappy hard product when it’s delta
Get a life
I don't care if DL makes more money by giving me an inferior product. Why would the consumer cheer this?
lol @Tim - not sure why you have such a hard time offering any sort of criticism of Detla.
For example, you could admit that "yes, Delta has an inferior product on their 767-300's and isn't consistently offering the premium experience they advertise in all routes, however, this is the right business decision at the end of the day and likely contributes to the fact that they outperform AA and UA in stock performance"....
lol @Tim - not sure why you have such a hard time offering any sort of criticism of Detla.
For example, you could admit that "yes, Delta has an inferior product on their 767-300's and isn't consistently offering the premium experience they advertise in all routes, however, this is the right business decision at the end of the day and likely contributes to the fact that they outperform AA and UA in stock performance". That would be a fair statement.
What you can't do is pretend that consumers care about the stock price or business performance. Ben isn't even saying this is the wrong decision for Delta to make - there are tradeoffs to all of these things and if an airline purely focused on having the newest seats and retrofitting the entire fleet immediately with new products, they likely wouldn't make money. But it's fair to criticize an airline for a bad product when they say they're the most premium airline in the US. Doesn't mean they aren't absolutely doing a good job with marketing and financial management.
To Summarize
Ben took a flight on a crappy old delta 738 that wasn’t a premium hard product experience and that delta hasn’t bothered to update in two decades though they seem to be slowly getting around to a quick seat swap (same small bins though)
At least this delta 737 has WiFi
Some don’t just like some delta a350s have WiFi and some don’t but none have working WiFi in the pacific,...
To Summarize
Ben took a flight on a crappy old delta 738 that wasn’t a premium hard product experience and that delta hasn’t bothered to update in two decades though they seem to be slowly getting around to a quick seat swap (same small bins though)
At least this delta 737 has WiFi
Some don’t just like some delta a350s have WiFi and some don’t but none have working WiFi in the pacific, Africa, or large portions of South America. A big competitive disadvantage for delta vs United and AA (working global WiFi)
Ben has great flights on great planes with delta and he has bad ones.
Delta is a good company but it’s an entity, certainly not something worth spending your life constantly defending.
You got a few parts right - there are hit and miss experiences with every company. What you and others don't seem to want to admit is that Delta consistently gets half of the complaints with the DOT as American and far less than United.
For all of the fault finding that some people manage to do about Delta, some people like you are completely incapable of seeing any big picture regardless of the subject.
...You got a few parts right - there are hit and miss experiences with every company. What you and others don't seem to want to admit is that Delta consistently gets half of the complaints with the DOT as American and far less than United.
For all of the fault finding that some people manage to do about Delta, some people like you are completely incapable of seeing any big picture regardless of the subject.
Oh, and Delta has over 600 aircraft in its fleet that have free high speed WiFi including growing parts of its international fleet.
American and United have precisely ZERO aircraft that offer high speed free WiFi. Endlessly harping on the small and shrinking minority of DL's fleet that doesn't have high speed FREE WiFi simply provides an opportunity for me to highlight how large of a fleet of aircraft that Delta has including presumably this one that have free high speed WiFI. Don't try that on American or United.
And it is beyond hypocritical that you comment about me spending time on a Saturday evening posting only for YOU to make TWO posts in response to the very same thing I wrote.
You are consumed with jealously that I dare say anything so are hellbent that you will get the last word
and in the process all you succeed at doing is proving how incapable you are of getting the facts straight but of even coming close to understanding the bigger picture.
Delta's 738 fleet will be refurbished long before United gets anywhere close to the level of refurbishing on its fleet.
And AA isn't even bothering to refurbish its aircraft; all they want to do is rip out whatever technology exists and cram more seats on the plane. But you, incapable of seeing the big picture, are more focused on how big the lavs are than on the fact that the actual passenger space on AA's aircraft is less than DL's even with the same number of seats in the cabin,.
9 paragraph response with your usual bad attempt at insults
Cute but get a life
And yes… I’m just so incapable of seeing your big picture lol
How you come up with this drivel is fascinating.
and you are incapable of admitting that you are consumed with getting the last word and, like a whole lot of other people, doing all you can to negate whatever I say.
How you say the things you say and then look yourself in a mirror is beyond fascinating.
None of which changes that companies that serve hundreds of millions of customers per year are going to result in bad interactions.
I have...
and you are incapable of admitting that you are consumed with getting the last word and, like a whole lot of other people, doing all you can to negate whatever I say.
How you say the things you say and then look yourself in a mirror is beyond fascinating.
None of which changes that companies that serve hundreds of millions of customers per year are going to result in bad interactions.
I have said before and will say again here that anecdotal accounts mean nothing.
Delta is addressing the 737-800 fleet and will complete it long before UA fixes the same or worse deficiencies in its domestic fleet.
AA simply won't fix and isn't fixing the same or worse deficiencies.
Go to bed you idiot
Have you not noticed you’re a laughing stock?
I will write the facts that I will write regardless of what anyone thinks.
I've been doing this for a quarter century and will call it quits when I am ready.
so to summarize the article:
Ben took a trip on a US airline which is great since most of his readership is in the US and he has received strong feedback that people don't care about what happens in the premium airlines on flights on the other side of the world.
Getting an accurate assessment of airlines that are far more likely to be used by his readership makes good sense.
Every US...
so to summarize the article:
Ben took a trip on a US airline which is great since most of his readership is in the US and he has received strong feedback that people don't care about what happens in the premium airlines on flights on the other side of the world.
Getting an accurate assessment of airlines that are far more likely to be used by his readership makes good sense.
Every US airline has portions of its fleet that are subpar. Other bloggers have noted AA's A320 fleet and, as other commenters have noted, portions of UA's fleet.
Ben ended up on one of Delta's unmodded 737-800s which clearly need to be refurbished.
Delta recognizes that need so is refurbishing the 738 fleet as Ben notes. IN his linked article which was from only a few months ago, he said mods were starting and the fleet of about 75 is to be finished by next year which is by far faster than what other US airlines have done with large fleet mods.
As much as some want to argue otherwise, the supply chain and MRO capacity is very much a factor in how quickly modernizing older aircraft can be done.
UA has repeatedly made oversized promises about its fleet activity including mods which have been shattered when reality hits.
Going off on sidebars about the location of Delta One lounges and employee activity in the SkyClub hardly seems to fit in an article about a specific aircraft type but rather as part of an entire trip report in which those lounges are used.
And, once again, DL is receiving scores of new aircraft and retiring about half as many aircraft as it receives. AA and UA continue to struggle with getting the aircraft they want out of Boeing.
The need to refurb aircraft is only going to grow throughout the industry.
UA's fleet age will not fall near as fast as they expected; their growth plan has already been trashed by Boeing. UA's choice is to either keep planes in service and mod them or have them fall much further behind UA's standards.
AA, DL and UA are all pushing towards having fleets of 1000 mainline aircraft. UA didn't expect to make it even before the Boeing strike. DL is not expecting to make it. AA wasn't planning to reach 1000 mainline aircraft in 2024.
2025 will be very important for fleet purposes for US carriers.
Timmothy: Can I get 1500 words in Chat GPT that don’t admit to having a shitty subfleet but also mention DL’s MRO.
Chat GPT: Here it is…..
Actually I'm pretty sure people care way more about airlines on the other side of the world rather than US airlines.
I'm very interested when I read things like Thai Airways First class reviews. As are most others avgeeks on this site.
I can just fly Delta myself if I want to in the US.
and Ben will still write about foreign airlines.
But he neglected to a fault flying US airlines when he had the opportunity. And his readers made clear they want to see more coverage of western airlines.
Since his readership is primarily western in nature, it makes sense to meet his reader's requests.
Don't worry. In time he will hopefully get to AA, UA B6 and maybe if the earth moves, Southwest.
some of us are capable of actually thinking and writing on our own.
How do you think chat GPT is trained but by reading what others write?
Let's feed it some good, wholesome content and not the usual sandbagging which you and others try to push.
btw,
do you notice the green light on the power plug? Ben didn't tell us whether he tried to use it but it seems like, despite being...
some of us are capable of actually thinking and writing on our own.
How do you think chat GPT is trained but by reading what others write?
Let's feed it some good, wholesome content and not the usual sandbagging which you and others try to push.
btw,
do you notice the green light on the power plug? Ben didn't tell us whether he tried to use it but it seems like, despite being ancient tech, it might actually still be working. Other parts of that jack might not be the case.
Worn but working is very different from worn and non-functioning. Gary has posted multiple pictures of AA aircraft with entire parts of seats missing- such as the seatback.
He also didn't say if the monitor worked but I'm not sure how else he knew it was low resolution without turning it on.
A dirty working jack and worn components is more than you get on large portions of other airline fleets.
AA and UA don't have AVOD on the majority of their domestic fleet - regardless of whether it works or not.
19 paragraphs of delta nonsense on a Saturday night late
How are you actually this much of a loser? It boggles my mind.
Did delta firing you really mess up your brain this badly? Is this all a big coping mechanism?
Tim's meltdowns while defending Delta are always hilarious.
It was still FILTHY, that is old food and other people's skin
There's NO excusing that
Next time, bring your old toothbrush and baking soda. Or maybe you could convince Delta to start handing these out to all their First Class passengers!
Head rest are great if you're average height or tall. If you're short, they just push your head forward. They used to extend enough that I could push the ones in F up above my head. That was fine until the person behind me decided to get up using my seat and pushed it down on my head... can't people stand up without pulling on the seat in front? But I digress. Now it's rare...
Head rest are great if you're average height or tall. If you're short, they just push your head forward. They used to extend enough that I could push the ones in F up above my head. That was fine until the person behind me decided to get up using my seat and pushed it down on my head... can't people stand up without pulling on the seat in front? But I digress. Now it's rare that I find a headrest that I can push up over my head. So, I frequently end up with my head uncomfortably pushed forward or slide way down the seat. It's one of the reasons that reclining is so important if you're short.
This is the typical plane used on the PBI-LGA-PBI run in spring, summer and fall. Filthy and outdated. I once had the extreme displeasure of sitting next to Ed Bastian on that run, albeit on a 320. Could not even stand the smell of him.
Has anyone ever used one of those onboard Ethernet ports?
Yes, in August flew from SEA-LAS FC on an old bird like this! Wasn’t comfortable at all! On a return trip from LAS-SEA in FC eight days later, flew on refurbished bird with hi-def tvs and much more comfortable seats. It was like day and night on Delta!
Same here! The only time I've flown the new cabin is from LAS-SEA but I have not seen any of that since then! What a coincidence!
Similar experience when I first visited the F concourse lounge ahead of KE flight to ICN. Probably somewhere around 11:25 I went to grab some food ahead of the long flight. It's around lunch timing and nothing to suggest the food area was closed. As I went to open a tray which has food in it, "EXCUSE ME, THE BUFFET IS CLOSED!" by an attendant standing off to the side. Damn, just ask if I...
Similar experience when I first visited the F concourse lounge ahead of KE flight to ICN. Probably somewhere around 11:25 I went to grab some food ahead of the long flight. It's around lunch timing and nothing to suggest the food area was closed. As I went to open a tray which has food in it, "EXCUSE ME, THE BUFFET IS CLOSED!" by an attendant standing off to the side. Damn, just ask if I may wait a minute as they're switching over to lunch. That was like 5 years ago, so nice to see nothing has changed.
To DLs credit, when F concourse was first opened domestic lounges were way weaker. Cheese cubes and dated decor, so outdoor terrace, decent food, and plenty of showers for the size of the lounge, this lounge was a step.
Several times a year I pass through IAH on UA during the switchover time (from breakfast to lunch) and the workers there are quite professional and calm when advising people that they need to wait a few minutes while they stock the lunch items.
Yeah most lounge attendants are pretty professional and even outright super friendly and nice, so I was super taken a back.
as is true with just about anything discussed on this forum, an industry in which each of the big 4 serve well over 100 million customers per year - with multiple interactions per passenger per flight - means that there will be some interactions that are bad from the actual service delivered and some that are bad from the perception of the passenger.
Either way, anecdotes - regardless of the subject or airline -mean very little.
Thank you for your anacdote, Tim
The seat back entertainment monitor design looks like it was inspired by a 1984 Apple Macintosh. Fly different. ;-)
Yeah, we get a lot of those planes up here in SEA. A few have the new interiors, but most look like this. On one recent trip to PHX, on the flight down, they said the first class bathroom was broken, though I saw the pilots use it. A few days later on the way home, I realized I was on the same 737-800. They let people use the first class bathroom, but the sink...
Yeah, we get a lot of those planes up here in SEA. A few have the new interiors, but most look like this. On one recent trip to PHX, on the flight down, they said the first class bathroom was broken, though I saw the pilots use it. A few days later on the way home, I realized I was on the same 737-800. They let people use the first class bathroom, but the sink was still broken, so they just filled it with those Purell wipes that they were handing out early in the pandemic.
Well, the sad truth is, if you're in Atlanta, the typical person working as a server at the airline lounge is not going to know how to act of with a certain class of behavior. They get hired off the street to do food service, and without any training revert to the behavior they see in rap videos and talking to customers as if they themselves are the ones to give the orders.
Lol. What a thinly veiled racist statement. Tool
Wow this is INCREDIBLY racist!
Is it racist if it’s true?
It isn't true but it is still racist.
Racist yes…true, no. As a Delta FF who connects through Atlanta at least twelve times a year, I find the Skyclub attendants very helpful and accommodating regardless of their race or sex.
Delta has always been the worst of the US3 in my book. United has consistency across its widebodies, and I have always found AA to have the best in-flight service.
Delta constantly has old cabins that they get away with, high skymiles redemptions, and seem to be very "by the book". I've noticed crews on AA and UA you can actually have a conversation about life, but on DL... no. It's peculiar. Don't even...
Delta has always been the worst of the US3 in my book. United has consistency across its widebodies, and I have always found AA to have the best in-flight service.
Delta constantly has old cabins that they get away with, high skymiles redemptions, and seem to be very "by the book". I've noticed crews on AA and UA you can actually have a conversation about life, but on DL... no. It's peculiar. Don't even begin on Atlanta (which you touched on), the sole reason I avoid Delta.
I recently flew a Delta 737-800 cross country and an American 737-800 cross country. While I agree American was more comfortable with head rests actually my American plane was filthier. I think Mainline Delta still cleans planes at hubs between flights while American only does end of day (or at least that’s what it seems like based on how fast American turn times are but I always see Delta cleaning crew get on at hubs...
I recently flew a Delta 737-800 cross country and an American 737-800 cross country. While I agree American was more comfortable with head rests actually my American plane was filthier. I think Mainline Delta still cleans planes at hubs between flights while American only does end of day (or at least that’s what it seems like based on how fast American turn times are but I always see Delta cleaning crew get on at hubs even after a 1 hour flight in the morning and their turn times are longer)
Also service in economy on a 4+ hour flight. American did one round of drink+biscoff service and then didn’t even come around with water. I felt bad asking for water bc they closes the curtain to the galley so it would be intruding. Delta on the same flight 2 full drink+snack services, one coffee water tea service in between and coming around with water every once in a while. Plus their galley remains open so...
Also service in economy on a 4+ hour flight. American did one round of drink+biscoff service and then didn’t even come around with water. I felt bad asking for water bc they closes the curtain to the galley so it would be intruding. Delta on the same flight 2 full drink+snack services, one coffee water tea service in between and coming around with water every once in a while. Plus their galley remains open so you don’t feel bad abt asking for more water if needed. I think Delta is overhyped and then I fly United/American on these long flights and miss Delta (doesn’t matter for <2 hr flights)
“The maintenance capacity is simply not present to do significant mods - which is exactly why UA has converted less than 10% of its existing fleet to United Next.”
-False. As of today, UA has 38.5% of its narrow bodies without lie flat seats converted to NEXT and 20% if you exclude the Maxs and Neos.
“DL's fleet is younger than UA's. DL has multiple domestic fleet types that are younger than 20 years;...
“The maintenance capacity is simply not present to do significant mods - which is exactly why UA has converted less than 10% of its existing fleet to United Next.”
-False. As of today, UA has 38.5% of its narrow bodies without lie flat seats converted to NEXT and 20% if you exclude the Maxs and Neos.
“DL's fleet is younger than UA's. DL has multiple domestic fleet types that are younger than 20 years; UA has only the 737.”
-By fleet type, United’s 757s are younger than Deltas. By subfleet, United’s A320-200, A321neo, and 767-400ERs are younger than Deltas.
Tim’s a one trick pony. Deflects with whatsboutism riddled with factually incorrect claims with no data to support.
On some things like facts, Tim simply does a poor job - which is probably why he gets so much less page views than Ben or Gary.
Yeah today's Tim bingo card is missing a lot of words. Even with all the fluff.
You can't even cross off "premium" on the card today.
And this is an official bait to cross off "rent free".
TBH this was his funniest attempt at putting lipstick on a pig.
TBH this was his funniest attempt at putting lipstick on a pig.
as usual, you take it upon yourself to be the fact checker of anything facts that you don't like - and you once again FAIL because you can't read and respond to what is said.
When other people fact check YOU because you get the facts wrong, YOU are bad at what you do.
My comment was about the percentage of United's older fleet that has been converted to Next and the percentage of...
as usual, you take it upon yourself to be the fact checker of anything facts that you don't like - and you once again FAIL because you can't read and respond to what is said.
When other people fact check YOU because you get the facts wrong, YOU are bad at what you do.
My comment was about the percentage of United's older fleet that has been converted to Next and the percentage of OLDER AIRCRAFT CONVERSIONS is low double digits AT BEST
DL and UA both have multiple fleet types. UA's fleet age is older than DL's. That's not subjective but easily verifiable from multiple sources including from both carriers' annual reports.
The only person that does a poor job is you at veiling your disdain for facts.
You speak for no one except your jilted self.
You hide behind the bushes in anonymity because your boss would fire you for the quality of your responses.
STFU Tim.
I'm sorry but you need to take it up with this person that thinks he speaks for anyone else - and gets the basic facts wrong.
When he replies in another article to a comment about fuel burn about the A330CEO and bases fuel burn solely on the A330-200, he clearly has neither a commitment to facts or even an ability to read or respond to what is stated.
When this "community" person desists from...
I'm sorry but you need to take it up with this person that thinks he speaks for anyone else - and gets the basic facts wrong.
When he replies in another article to a comment about fuel burn about the A330CEO and bases fuel burn solely on the A330-200, he clearly has neither a commitment to facts or even an ability to read or respond to what is stated.
When this "community" person desists from his/her attempts to discredit the facts that others provide, I will refrain from posting.
I am not in any way expecting to have more time to my calendar.
You’re so stupid, tim
How many times do people need to clearly show you lie? lol
You flat out lie and claim “fact”
Bet that -800 was a garage sale find for DL from AI !
What???? No vlogger wiped the surfaces to make a sensational point? Def a missed opportunity…
But they've brainwashed their Diamond members to defend absolutely everything and break their backs to continue spending more money for this type of "premium" product. I'm so glad I found my way out of the cult. I feel bad for so many of the people in here defending this.
Off topic, I'm shocked that I still had to wait 7 mins for the Diamond phone agent. My no status colleague waited 0 with AA.
COVID was over for how many years now?
Delta needs to be sent to the retirement home.
My husband flew one of the ancient DL 767s between PRG-JFK yesterday. His seat kept reclining on its own. Then at JFK, he had to wait 45 minutes for his bag. Once he got it and dropped off his bag and cleared security, he had a 20-minute wait to get into the Skyclub.
People rag on AA all the time, but experiences like his (plus the ridiculous Skymiles redemption rates and an o-fer year on...
My husband flew one of the ancient DL 767s between PRG-JFK yesterday. His seat kept reclining on its own. Then at JFK, he had to wait 45 minutes for his bag. Once he got it and dropped off his bag and cleared security, he had a 20-minute wait to get into the Skyclub.
People rag on AA all the time, but experiences like his (plus the ridiculous Skymiles redemption rates and an o-fer year on upgrades as a platinum medallion) are why I switched to AA in 2022 and have not looked back.
first,
let's be clear that no US airline should be offering a product like that.
but second, anyone with objectivity knows that EVERY US airline has aircraft in its fleet that are like that. Even a handful of the respondents recognize it happens.
Gary makes a hobby out of posting stuff like this from other airlines.
third, DL intended to refurb the 738s long before covid but obviously everything got put...
first,
let's be clear that no US airline should be offering a product like that.
but second, anyone with objectivity knows that EVERY US airline has aircraft in its fleet that are like that. Even a handful of the respondents recognize it happens.
Gary makes a hobby out of posting stuff like this from other airlines.
third, DL intended to refurb the 738s long before covid but obviously everything got put on the back burner. They have pushed hundreds of aircraft through mods including used aircraft they acquired knowing full well that Boeing was not going to deliver what it promised. The maintenance capacity is simply not present to do significant mods - which is exactly why UA has converted less than 10% of its existing fleet to United Next.
fourth, DL's fleet is younger than UA's. DL has multiple domestic fleet types that are younger than 20 years; UA has only the 737. DL spent money on domestic fleet - like American - the 738s just happen to be the ugly ducklings.
finally, there is a place on the internet where you can track mod status on DL's fleet and about 1/3 of the fleet has been converted so far - which is a whole lot higher ratio than for AA's A320 or UA's older domestic fleet types.
That 738 shouldn't look like that; anyone w/ any degree of objectivity knows very similar things happen at other airlines. Doesn't make it any better but objectivity would be to make sure to nope the flaws on other carriers.
On some things like this, Gary simply does a better job - which is probably why he still rakes in more page views than Ben.
Trigger alert for Tim
Late night posting for you
Imagine comparing Ben to Gary lmao. Ben actually posts based on his real life experiences. Gary now relies on constantly scrubbing the internet for click-bait. Half the time those photos/videos he posts of poor hard products are fake or several years old
Gary rakes in more page views because he’s become the TMZ of travel blogs. He simply recycles gossip and social media outrage for clicks. Good for him if it means more revenue, but...
Imagine comparing Ben to Gary lmao. Ben actually posts based on his real life experiences. Gary now relies on constantly scrubbing the internet for click-bait. Half the time those photos/videos he posts of poor hard products are fake or several years old
Gary rakes in more page views because he’s become the TMZ of travel blogs. He simply recycles gossip and social media outrage for clicks. Good for him if it means more revenue, but imagine being proud of posting that garbage. Or being proud of consuming it. Hardly “thought leader” kinda stuff.
@305
How dare you criticize the self anointed "thought leader".
His TMZ method is required to brainwash the public and keep them Dunn, I mean dumb.
I call balls and strikes including of OMAAT and VFTW.
In the case of this article, it is not a surprise that Ben managed to find one of DL's aircraft that desperately needs to be modded.
What is a surprise is that for someone that spends as much time on a.net looking for stories, Ben neither can find evidence of other US airlines with aircraft interiors in just as bad of shape or, most...
I call balls and strikes including of OMAAT and VFTW.
In the case of this article, it is not a surprise that Ben managed to find one of DL's aircraft that desperately needs to be modded.
What is a surprise is that for someone that spends as much time on a.net looking for stories, Ben neither can find evidence of other US airlines with aircraft interiors in just as bad of shape or, most importantly, that DL is pushing the 738s through mods that have been scheduled for 5 years and were cancelled because of covid only to be restarted when MRO capacity is as tight as it is.
Just look at your post likes @Tim Dunn. Nobody wants your BS. It’s time for you to make a change or get lost.
“ to NO ONE's surprise, Ben's honest assessment results in a full scale meltdown by a whole bunch of people.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, you should have saved that comment for yourself. LOSER.
If Tim Dunn <> is the real Tim Dunn, is "Mitt Nutt" Tim's troll account used for slander?
Other airlines may have similar issues, but other airlines don't claim to be "premium".
Words still have meaning...
Any Delta post on OMaaT usually generates its own entertainment in the comments section (which I can view on my 3" Delta 737 bulkhead screen)
Nailed it. I don't read TDs posts anymore.
I just count the sheer number of his posts as a game I call "Tim Times Triggered".
Well…. It is America… a country where personal hygiene and sophistication are considered bougie. This is my experience from generally flying in the US. Also I don’t understand why Americans confuse the toilet with the washroom floor…
Ben, feel free to let us know how much OMaaT spends on cleaning and janitorial service and then how it distributes those costs among each article. Let us know what Winston’s current position for aircraft deliveries. I’ll wait.
Excluding nonheterosexual male parents, then OMaaT doesn’t even crack the top 10 list of miles and points websites. It’s clear Ben is desperate for pages views but more importantly milk for lactose intolerant children.
Are you OK? Perhaps you forgot to take your meds?
Are you OK? Perhaps you forgot to take your meds?
Brunch mimosas started early for auTIsM
You don't do well in society, do you?
Could be worse… at least Delta does not serve rodents on their menu. Apparently Northern Europeans consider vermin a culinary delicacy. Not sure if they are hurting from the poor economy or if this is a tradition.
Check out the United 737's. they are also ancient, utterly filthy, and falling apart... not to mention the vile food in FC. 12 out of 12 trips out of LAX last year on them, all as disgusting if not more than this Delta one you are on now.
I choose American not because they are the best, but they somehow avoid being the worst.
UA's 737s are in good shape. It's their Airpuses that are in bad condition. I'm on one of their 320s right now, so this isn't a memory I'm going off of.
The ports are nastier than a turnpike bathroom. Enough said.
That screen looks smaller than my home's thermostat.
The -800 is the reason I started carrying a European power adapter about 5 years ago. Most outlets are so worn that the US charger won't stay in. Euro charger no problem.
Other than AA's 321T and 77W F (going away soon) and premium lounges there's not much premium about the Big 3.
Alaska is more premium than this garbage.
How dare you insult the world's #1 PREMIUM airline! It's not there to make you comfortable or feel appreciated as a customer, it's there to get from point A to B while maximizing $ for shareholders like my Daddy!
Delta Airlines “The world’s #1 premium airline”, you are pulling our leg TD?
Ranked only #21 according to SkyTrax, even BA can beat it:-)
Thanks for the grin.
Many might benefit from checking out this website ….
https://www.worldairlineawards.com/worlds-top-100-airlines-2024/
Doing so will illustrate the good, the bad and the ugly airlines …. not to mention educating some commenters.
These childish comments are just stupid and not remotely funny..
and yet they come back over and over again.
You truly have to wonder about the mental and emotional state of people that have nothing better to do than jump into comments to mock someone before they have even responded.
Worse yet. You have to ask what planet Ben is on for letting it continue to happen when his real readers - not his thin-skinned airline brats - find it worse than a lav that hasn't been cleaned in 22 years.
You have to wonder about the mental state of someone that spends their day writing paragraphs defending an airline that fired them and seems completely oblivious to everyone else mocking him
One would be interested to know to whom you are aiming your comment Mr Dunn?
Please elaborate ….
Then why do you keep coming back here Tim?
These guys (or guy) are complete a-holes
My only theory is Tim Dunn created fake Tim Dunn because he doesn't have anyone else to talk to but have a lot of free time to spread fluff over the internet.
Flew a DL -800 this week and noticed the same issues. Definitely showing its age. Fortunately we had an amazing FA in first who made the quick flight indeed feel very premium.