Review: Delta First Class Boeing 737-800 (ATL-MEX)

For the next segment of my two times to Latin America review trip, I flew Delta’s Boeing 737-800 first class on the 2hr40min flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Mexico City (MEX). Let me acknowledge that technically this is marketed as business class on short haul international flights, but it’s identical to domestic first class in that regard.

Ultimately there’s only so much variability on short haul international flights from the United States, so the experience was more or less what I expected. However, what caught me off guard was the completely beat up and filthy cabin. I don’t know for how long this cabin has been neglected, but it made me yearn for an American 737 cabin, which is saying something…

How I booked my Delta first class ticket

As any points collector knows, it can be hard to get good value when trying to redeem Delta SkyMiles for premium cabin flights. At least that’s the case if you’re originating or terminating your trip in the United States. However, it’s a different story if you’re simply connecting in the United States, which leads to much better pricing.

For this trip, I booked the following in business class for 65,800 Delta SkyMiles plus $87.32 in taxes & fees:

9/19 DL146 Santiago to Atlanta departing 8:40PM arriving 5:15AM (+1 day)
9/20 DL602 Atlanta to Mexico City departing 12:21PM arriving 1:55PM

In the previous installment, I reviewed Delta’s A350-900 business class, and then in this installment I’ll be reviewing the connection. One of the main reasons I even connected to Mexico City was to get such a good price, since simply terminating in Atlanta would have cost around 5x as much. Personally I’m also not going to risk it with throwaway ticketing.

Delta first class boarding

I spent my layover at the Amex Centurion Lounge Atlanta, which is solid, and has beautiful decor. My flight was departing from gate F12, and boarding was scheduled to start at 11:26AM, a full 55 minutes before departure. Sheesh, I know airlines board international flights earlier than domestic ones, but that’s a really long boarding process for a 737.

We didn’t end up starting boarding on schedule. That’s because the inbound aircraft only arrived at the gate at 11:15AM, and it then takes time to deplane everyone, clean the plane, cater it, etc. Boarding ended up starting at 11:55AM, around 30 minutes behind schedule, but still over 25 minutes before departure.

Delta 737-800 first class cabin & seats

I recently reviewed Delta’s Boeing 737-900ER first class, so it was interesting to step onto the carrier’s 737-800, and have a vastly different experience. Delta’s 737-800s feature 16 first class seats, spread across four rows, in a 2-2 configuration.

Delta’s 737-800 first class seats have 38″ of pitch and 20.9″ of width, so they’re quite spacious. Despite the seats being thick, they’re not actually terribly comfortable. I didn’t find the padding to be great, and there’s also not an adjustable head rest, as you’ll find in many first class (and even economy) seats, which can make a big difference in terms of comfort.

I had assigned myself seat 1A, since it was the last window seat available at the time of booking (and I’m a window seat guy). While the seat’s actual upholstery looked fresh enough, everything else about the cabin felt outdated and neglected.

For example, there were AC power outlets underneath the seats, as well as… ethernet ports? Talk about a throwback! We all know that US airlines sometimes don’t do a great job with cleaning cabins. However, I couldn’t believe how absolutely filthy this area was, with a level of dirt that had clearly been accumulated over a long time.

Did no one at any point notice this and/or report for it to be cleaned? How many people have to ignore this level of mess for it to get this bad? Sheesh.

Even look at the little entertainment volume and channel controls on the center armrest, and how they’re peeling. You’d think you’re flying with an airline in a developing country that picks up planes from the desert that were supposed to be retired, rather than the United States’ most premium and profitable airline. 😉

The tray table folded out from the armrest, and while mine worked okay, my seat mate’s tray table kept collapsing, and wouldn’t stay up.

While I appreciate Delta’s commitment to offering seat back entertainment, this plane had the smallest and lowest resolution premium cabin entertainment monitor I’ve seen on a flight in a long time.

The overhead console also wasn’t very modern, but at least had individual air nozzles, which I appreciate.

This is honestly the least impressive cabin I’ve seen on a US airline in years. The good news, at least, is that Delta has plans to retrofit these jets, and introduce updated interiors. So that’s long overdue, but in the meantime, expect to be disappointed.

Delta 737-800 first class entertainment & Wi-Fi

On the plus side, Delta’s seat back entertainment selection is extensive, with a huge variety of movies, TV shows, music, etc. However, the screen is so small and low definition, and also has a lot of glare, so I can’t say that I really used it much. Furthermore, the flight tracker feature wasn’t working, for whatever reason.

Delta also offers free Wi-Fi to SkyMiles members. On this flight the Wi-Fi only worked intermittently, and I found the speeds to be quite poor when it was working.

Delta 737-800 departure from Atlanta

The boarding process was a bit rushed, given the late start. As a result, no pre-departure drinks were offered, though there were mini bottles of water at each seat upon boarding.

Boarding was efficient, and wrapped up by around 12:20PM — the flight wasn’t anywhere close to full, so I imagine that helped. At this point the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 2hr40min, and our cruising altitude of 36,000 feet.

The main cabin door closed at 12:25PM, and a moment later, we began our pushback. We then started our taxi at 12:30PM, and only had to cover a short distance to the runway, where we were cleared for takeoff at 12:40PM.

We had a smooth climb out, as it was a beautiful day, with scattered clouds.

The seatbelt sign ended up staying on for around 30 minutes, until we reached our cruising altitude, as is pretty typical on US airlines.

Delta first class lunch service

Once at cruising altitude, the inflight service began. The flight attendant took meal orders at this point, with the three choices being described as a beef open faced sandwich, mushroom ravioli, or a smoked chicken salad. I ended up choosing that last option.

Around 45 minutes after takeoff, tablecloths were distributed, along with drinks. I ordered a Diet Coke to drink. I always find it a bit surprising how Delta doesn’t serve anything with the initial round of drinks — for example, American serves mixed nuts before lunch and dinner.

About an hour after takeoff, the smoked chicken salad was served. I’ve gotta say, the salad was tasty, and came with a packaged focaccia bread type thing, a potato salad on the side, and a dessert tart.

It was a pretty good meal, so I have no complaints there. After the meal I decided to order a coffee, since I was getting pretty tired at this point.

Delta 737-800 first class lavatory

Closer to landing, I decided to check out the lavatory, located at the front of the cabin. It was on the tight side, but at least had mood lighting, and the sink wasn’t as tiny as what you’ll find on some new and retrofitted 737s.

Delta first class service

The flight attendant working first class on this sector was average. She went through the motions and was happy to accommodate any requests, but in no way went above and beyond, wasn’t overly friendly, etc.

It’s interesting that on this Delta trip, I didn’t have particularly great service on either sector, despite Delta generally having superior service.

Delta 737-800 arrival in Mexico City

Around 30 minutes before landing, we had some great views as we made landfall over Mexico, after crossing the Gulf of Mexico. Around this time the captain gave us an update on our arrival time, and stated we’d be descending shortly.

During our approach, we had some great views of Mexico City’s other (new) airport, Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU).

We also had some nice views of Mexico City. The size of the city never ceases to amaze me, and approaching by air really puts that into perspective.

We landed at Mexico City Airport at 1:25PM, on runway 5R. Due to the altitude of Mexico City, landings there are always a bit more exciting, given the higher speeds.

From the arrival runway, we had a roughly 10-minute taxi to our arrival gate. I always enjoy the traffic at Mexico City Airport, as parts of the apron almost look like an airplane graveyard.

We ended up arriving at our gate at 1:35PM, well ahead of schedule, and parked next to a Delta Airbus A319.

I quickly cleared immigration, and then headed to the Hilton Mexico City Airport, where I’d be spending the night.

Bottom line

I’ve gotta say, Delta’s Boeing 737-800 first class leaves a bit to be desired. The cabins are not only outdated, but this jet was filthy and poorly maintained. While it’s nice that Delta has seat back entertainment, the screens are so small and low resolution that they might as well not bother. I’m happy that Delta has plans to update the cabins of these aircraft.

As far as the rest of the flight goes, it was okay. The meal was reasonably good, while the service was average, and the (free) Wi-Fi was slow and intermittent. On balance, this definitely wasn’t Delta’s strongest showing.

What’s your take on Delta’s 737-800 first class?