To finish off the trip it was time to fly back home via Seattle on Delta’s A330-900neo, which the airline started service with in July 2019.
Continue reading: Review: Delta One Business Class A330-900neo
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Their finishes always seem cheap to me. Why don't they invest in some Premium materials. The aesthetics otherwise are pretty good with their colors.
If American had served that exact same dinner, you would have complained about how bad it was.
@lucky - Just wondering (and you are probably a terrible person to ask this), Do you think American, United, or Delta has the best long haul economy cabin. I doubt you have flown in any of them but do you have any thoughts on that (or anyone else).
The Malin-Goetz is a very nice touch. Seats look tight but love the door option. What I dislike the most about Delta aesthetics is that horrible shade of blue they use...it looks cheap on that upholstery. It looks even worse on their livery. They need an artist with a great eye for color to start over with that scheme. I agree that the larger engines look great on that plane.
The breakfast is hot pot, not hot pie. (Not clear if you misread it it’s a typo.). Which is pretty much what you got. 🙂
What proportion of Delta’s longhaul flights now operate with this seat?
I don’t particularly like playing “seat roulette” when an airline has one good product operating alongside a horrible one. But if the odds are good enough...
There is no such thing as "Delta business class" as the experience differs wildly depending on the plane you´re on. Try squeezing yourself into the business class of one of the 767´s if you can even call that a business class and repeat with me "Delta business class will never be the best in the world, but it will consistently be above average, and that’s worth something."
Damn that’s quite a drink selection! They’ve got The Macallan and Woodford’s, as well as many other things? That’s impressive!
Hey Lucky, since you booked with virgin miles, presumably your virgin awards # would be tied to your res. How did you get your delta # tied to it instead so that they knew you were silver?
The tacky-looking blue upholstery on those seats has me humming Grace Jones' 'Warm Leatherette'...
I really haven't yet caught on to the fascination with doors. Perhaps I'm just too old and have flown for too long to worry whether someone looks at what I'm watching, reading or, maybe, sleeping.
If it constricted my nap time, it would definitely be open.
@James I dunno that Salmon looks good. My recent experience on Delta was much better than American.
Luckys fixation with American only started when he moved to Miami.
Ben, this has been an excellent series of reports on your trip. I particularly enjoyed the ones on the new ANA products and I'll definitely give both a try in the course of this year.
For interest and because I might have to make a choice between them in the not too distant future, which would you rate more highly, Delta One or United Polaris?
Seems Delta One hard and soft product is several notches above Polaris. UA can learn a thing or two, while still making it profitable for them!
@LM Delta gets the nod from me. They're the only ones who kept their 777s 3-3-3 in coach
Like you said, Delta is by far the most consistent of the big three US carriers. They will get you to where you’re going safely, on-time, and with your luggage. That said, this appears to have been a very routine DL One flight. Great service, average food, and a tight seat. DL likes to cram all of their business class seats between doors one and two; regardless of the aircraft type. Other carriers, like Qatar, are much more roomy. But for a US carrier, DL is pretty much on top of their game.
Can you do internet speed tests in your reviews please? Fast.com is super easy for a test. Thanks!
@Lucky there is no SkyClub at Haneda. Delta use the TIAT Lounge along with China and Garuda
Air France and Korean use Japan Airlines’ Sakura Lounge
The food looks rather beige.
"Delta business class will never be the best in the world, but.. it will always beat AA and UA by miles." Seriously, if you have no option but to fly international business class on a US airline it has to be on Delta. UA and AA are just way below average. As far as "they will never be the best in the world" I think there are lots of reasons why they won't. First, the US airline industry is not about quality. Most European and ME airlines have quality in their DNA and that is brought into their service. Delta is efficient. The other reason is they run their company on an efficient and frugal way that still deliver an above average service but allows them to pay the type of bonuses they pay their employees. If they tried to bring quality a bit higher that would not be possible. For example, their wine list is very poor when compared to top airlines. And they don't care.
Looks nice but awfully tight. I have flown a lot on SK’s A330s with (doorless) Vantage XL and with the exception of the bulkhead seats, I find them too tight. Adding a huge privacy screen w/ door must make the seats very snug in the a330s.
Gotta agree that the same salmon on American would've come off as very greasy and tasted no better than it looked. No defense of American, but this isn't a very appetizing fish lol
Ben: Delta has a Tokyo base until March. All of Delta's Japanese flight attendants are losing their jobs with the closure of NRT as a Delta hub. They won't be retained for Haneda. Some supposedly were offered jobs as reservation agents but most will be gone, which is horrible because the Tokyo FAs were among the best.
I am shocked by how good your service experience was. I need to open a credit card with Delta and consider flying them sometime soon.
I appreciated your review, however, when I read these reviews I notice that comments regarding the bubbly served. Your remark, "Delta serves Canard-Duchene Brut Cuvee Leonie, which is good enough."
My question to you and perhaps others; could you honestly discern between brands? Is your palate such that you notice the difference between Cava, Champagne, Methode Champanoise, Prosecco, and Sparkling Wine? It's merely out of curiosity since so often comments such as XYZ brand is my favourite. Is it your favourite because you can truly differentiate or because it's an expensive marque?
If so, then yes your remark of "...good enough" is warranted. If not, then I personally feel a mention of the brand is good enough.
When flying Delta One window seats, you will find that on 777 (updated) and A330 neo the even numbered seats (closer to the window) have a few more inches of legroom. On 767's and A350 it is the other way round with odd numbered seats closer to the window having more room. Could be important if you are more than 6 feet tall.
Fly these A330 350 777 Delta 1 all the time, also United. US to Asia.
Trust me Delta is worst on food!!! Everything else is good.
@Hey_It's_That_Guy: You can absolutely tell the difference between champagne or a champagne-style sparkling wine (aka made from the traditional method) and prosecco. There are some up-market Italian sparkling wines made from the champagne method, but the method of prosecco and champagne is completely different. This is quite noticeable in the bubbles and where ther is a bread/yeast/brioche flavor or note to the wine. Cava, as Spanish sparkling wine is called, is more difficult to tell apart from champagne, unless you are quite the wine snob, because it is made from the same method. Of course, Spanish cava uses different grapes than champagne. Delta is quite cheap and serves $7 prosecco on domestic Delta One flights, including the super premium LAX-JFK flights. It is absurd. I'd much rather have the non-champagne French sparkling wine that Delta serves in the Sky Club lounges than the prosecco Delta serves in domestic Delta One. Flying home to the US from Paris you generally get a better champagne than Delta normally carries because that's what catering in Paris stocks. Lately, it's been Perrier-Jouët. From London-Heathrow it has often been Lanson, which is perfectly drinkable, though truth be told I prefer the excellent English sparkling wine in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge.
Another point: You still have to be careful with pre-departure beverages because Delta is still often serving an even cheaper cava or prosecco on the ground, even on Delta One international flights that have real champagne. In the last year or two, most flight attendants have gotten good about being honest as to what's being poured and whether it is in fact champagne. Gary Leff has blogged about Delta even using $4 Andre sparkling wine in Boston. Three or four years ago, Delta poured a $5-7 bottle of Spanish sparkling wine, cava, for pre-departure. Then they switched to Mionetto prosecco. Now Mionetto has been replaced with a Delta-branded prosecco that is still made by Mionetto.
I recently flew with delta and had the exact same meal. I wasn't impressed. I personally don't care for the so called " suite" . It makes me feel like I'm in a coffin. I prefer la premier with the curtain.
The pain of the Vantage seat is that the width is 2-4-2 equivalent, so on an A330 that's the same as Economy (albeit with the long leg space). Fine on a 787 or wider, nightmare on a 767. Add those doors and you can't stick your arms out.
I also see you still haven't taken a liking to chicken thighs yet and keep ordering those dishes ex-Japan because reasons. They're the most flavourful part!
The space between door 1 and 2 on the A330-900 is actually exactly the same as on the A330-300 (as are all the other dimensions of the plane, besides the engine). Likewise the -200 and -800. No change in size at all.
Unless the person sitting near me is a young unmarried attractive women I’m not interested in seeing people’s sometimes disgusting habits especially while I am eating. It’s the same reason why I don’t get seats near the bathroom.
The one person who mentioned that european business class seat is better than D1 is dreaming. I flew AF, KLM, LH and BA business class many time. First, their narrow body doesn’t even have biz seats despite still serving mediocre cold food during short haul flights. The long haul, its like a roullete with AF and KLM... their herringbone seats deployment is terrible and don’t talk to me about LH or BA.
For whatever it’s worth, D1 is way better than most of biz class in europe in 2020 including soft products with exception of Virgin.
@FNT Delta Diamond I know and can definitely tell the difference. Personally I prefer, in order, Cava, Prosecco, then all other sparklings.
My curiosity comes from these reviews of not only OMAAT, but, also other b/vloggers. To say that something is "...good enough," or "Dom/Krug is my favourite," leads one to wonder what they drink at home? Do they really have such discriminating palates or is it exciting because of the "wow" factor of being served a glass of bubbly that is expensive? Could they differentiate if it was a blind taste test? If they do drink the Dom at home then the critical remarks are valid. If they keep André dry in the fridge at home then just mention the name no criticism necessary.
Example, I live just outside the Sonoma & Napa Valley wine countries and used to think they were the biz. Now I only keep the French, Spanish, & Portuguese wines, cognacs, gins, Ports, and bubbly in my home.
The cabin design and layout definitely remind me of office cubicles. The color choices Really don’t help the situation.
@LM I'm not Lucky, but confidently say DL has the best economy cabin. Their IFE is solid (as you see in the review), and the planes have favorable seating configurations. 2-3-2 on the 767, 2-4-2 on the A330, and 3-3-3 on the 777. So two planes with pair seating, and one of only a few airlines that didn't cram 10-across into their 777s.
I've flown the new A330neo and I've had similarly great service experiences. The SEA crews are solid.
I've had really inconsistent experiences with MSP and DTW lately. On my last DTW-ICN, the flight attendant had no idea how to serve the Korean meal (bibimbap) and seemed annoyed when asked about missing service items (e.g., sujeo, gochujang, sesame oil, seaweed paper, rice). Not only were the lights on during meal service, they turned them on during the mid-flight snack. On my last ICN-DTW flight, everything was incredible. The crew was great. The cabin was kept dim and quiet for the whole flight. I slept great.
The IFE system on these new A330neos is incredible. It's in every way superior to the A350's. While it's not as massive as the new ANA IFE, the selection is incredible. I've never seen so much foreign content on a Delta flight.
I wonder if Delta could have gotten away going with a reverse herringbone suite on the A330neo (similar to the BA A350). While dated, I still find their seat on the A330ceo comfortable.
Many people criticized the decor of the new cabin. It's definitely not in the league of Qatar, ANA, China Airlines, or Singapore. I kind of think it looks better than the A350 finish. It looks nice when the cabin is dimmed.
If only they could just slightly improve the catering and offer better wine. Wine aside, I quite like the beverage service in Delta One. Perhaps it's because they're American, but they understand how to serve liquor / cocktails in a way many foreign carriers do not.
Delta is becoming a pleasant and reliable option for long-haul.
A group of 4 of us were pleasantly surprised to discover that the A330-900neo came into service earlier tnan scheduled on the Seoul - Seattle route last September. We were given a 'how to' card for the suite, but everything was so new that even the Flight Attendants were unfamilar with some of the suite features and I didn't get my door to close until we had almost arrived. Our only real complaint was that there seemed to be a lot more noise than usual from the galley - which kept some of us awake! (We were center section rows 5 and 6) But all in all it was a great experience and really nice change from the aging 767's that had been on the Asian roures forever!
Despite the fact this being a US airline it ticks more or all the boxes for me:
- wide body instead of narrow body
- Airbus instead of Boeing
- SkyTeam or *A instead of OW
- flat instead of angled
Food, IFE and crew are not terribly important as I prefer to sleep.
I guess i would be willing to fly this one.
@lucky - what is your position on individual air nozzles at each seat? Is that something you value?
Does the A330 have bins in the center section of business? The lack of these on the A350 is my only complaint.
I will take the old Delta One on the A330 over this. These Delta One "Suites" aren't wide enough. And on the 350, the aisles are narrow, the wear-and-tear is pretty significant after less than 2 years, and, most importantly, there AREN'T ENOUGH LAVATORIES. And of those reduced lavatories, they are small. I don't understand why Delta couldn't have installed an oversized lavatory to allow Delta One passengers to comfortably change clothes.
The seats look like they're cheap plastic (or leather dipped in plastic) that don't breath. For such a long flight it's a very bad choice. Reminds me of Sri Lankan, where I woke up with your body stuck to the seat (never again). Did you have a problem with them?
Also, why the center bins in business class? Makes it look small with wasted space
“ She was all smiles, and thanked each passenger with status for their loyalty.”
The difference between being given a share of a $1.6 billion bonus and being asked to work extra for free... i mean, “volunteer.” 😉
I have flown all AA, DL and UA as well as a number of European and Asian airlines in multiple classes over just the past 2 years.
The A330NEO suite is solid - but I have been happy with the D1 suite on the A330CEO.
I am not a fan of fan of suites; in a couple million miles of flying over multiple decades, I have never had anyone in business or first class intrude on my space nor did I feel I need to "hide" from anyone else.
The A330 is simply a narrower aircraft than other widebodies so the business class seats are going to be narrower unless they use less than a 4 abreast business class.
I would argue that the vast majority of Delta's business class passengers fly either as a result of loyalty in one of their hubs or because of a corporate contract; the difference in hard product compared to other carriers with wider/larger business class cabins likely doesn't result in higher revenues.
As far as premium economy and economy cabins, Delta is as good as or better than any other airline out there - with the possible exception of economy meals. I have never starved on any flight or any carrier nor have I walked away feeling hungry. YMMV but I choose premium cabins far more for the space and abililty to sleep than for the food. If food is the goal, Air France is a better choice.
Delta's entire international fleet in coach is far more comfortable than the 9 abreast 787s or 10 abreast 777s that AA and UA or many of DL's competitors - and many of its closest alliance partners.
Delta's greatest asset is the consistency of its service which is warmly American; Delta is a US airline so doesn't have the deferential culture of some Asian airlines but is easily as good as its European competitors.
YMMV but as long as AA and UA continue to be a notch or two behind DL in service levels, DL will have more than enough passengers that will view Delta favorably. When you factor in the reach DL has into corporate travel departments, plenty of companies will choose DL over airlines that have snazzier business class seats but little else that is competitively better.
The A330-900neo and the A350-900 in Business Class on both aircraft. Just awesome. The A330-900neo is hands down the sexier of the two.
@Lucky said: I’m still undecided as to whether the cabin looks snazzy from the back, or like an airborne office.
Looks like they used the same Ikea designer used for the BA lounge at JFK
For those who complain about the quality of the bubbles… please keep in mind when the plane is still on the ground, pre-departure sparkling wine is the cheap crap that is the same as domestic beverage carts. Once in the air, they open the good stuff. It all has to do with serving duty-free alcohol.
Looks like a decent flight with Delta in Delta One. My wife and I flew to Paris in November from Minneapolis in Delta One on an old 767-300. While the service and food was great, the hard product was dated, and I wished we had these type of suites available to us. Love the look of the cabin!
Italy- It's a go!! I've had 6 trips cancelled since October 2019 due to covid and was just informed the fall northern Italy 2021 trip has been approved and with years of saving I'll be flying 1st class/business on Delta's airbus 330-990neo! Thank you for providing the pictures as I was anxious to see what I was getting. I cannot wait!!
I am so thankful you posted this detailed trip. My husband and I will be traveling SLC-LHR. I was curious about what to expect and you eased my mind and gave me a bit of anticipation for this trip. I will look into preordering if it’s offered.
I bring a travel pillow and that may alleviate some harder portions of the bed.
We are in the middle section of the suites a row 4 so I think according to your observations it was a wise choice.
I am going to catalog my trip much like you did. I will post on my blog. It’s not a travel blog but as an author I will try to make it interesting for everyone.
Again, thank you for this blog!
Going on a Delta A330-990 neo to Buenos Aires on my next trip. I really appreciated all of the detail and photos that you provided! I'm looking forward to flying in a Delta One Suite for the first time, however I now have enough knowledge that it will feel familiar thanks to your wonderful review.