Delta One is the name of Delta’s premium business class product, available primarily on long haul, international routes. However, it’s also available on select domestic flights, including premium transcontinental services. Delta seems to have plans to expand the domestic markets in which it offers Delta One, which is pretty cool… I think?
Continue reading: Delta One Expands Domestically, Soon Offered Between Atlanta & Los Angeles
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I wonder if it will be possible to book a one-way flight for less than 100,000 SkyPesos?
Delta has tried New York–Seattle and Boston–Seattle as Delta One routes in the past, but those experiments didn’t really work—though, to be fair, they were using 757s and 767s at the time.
I would have expected Los Angeles–Miami to get Delta One before Atlanta. What about Atlanta–San Francisco? Or Atlanta–Seattle?
Four hours is an awfully short flight for Delta One.
I imagine the service will amount to a single plated meal—appetizer, main, and dessert served at once. I also can’t imagine they’ll serve a full meal on the red-eye, either after departure or before landing. And unless something has changed, Delta doesn’t serve champagne in Delta One on domestic flights.
SLC-JFK costs north of $3k one way these days with one wide body frequency so far. Wonder if they are testing the market
I fly in FC to/from LA 6-8x a month. For the last 1-2 years, FC on ATL-LAX has both been priced obscenely and often sold out well in advance. It’s basically not a connecting option for me now. The sell outs are so frequent that I’ve questioned whether DL was blocking some flights because of some contract with a big customer. In other words, the demand sure seems there.
Good. There should be more and more 'premium' (like, actual lie-flat) for transcon, especially red-eye routes. Delta, American, United, jetBlue have the products. Alaska barely does with Hawaiian, but it's 737 recliners are 'brutal' by comparison on a 5-hour redeye from West to East Coast. With more a321neos and a321XLR with new 'suites' coming on-line, DL and others should get this going. FLL-SEA is like 6+ hours (should be lie-flat). Hey, American, are you listening? Bring back lie-flat for MIA-LAX (and include SFO!)
LAX-MIA is a low load factor route on significantly smaller planes than the type of planes that have DL One. Why would DL put that type of plane on that route? AA cant even make a premium product work on LAX-MIA. It is not a route, despite the so-called "glamour," that can support this type of product and the yields this product needs. Glitzy but nobody willing to pay the premium.
ATL-SEA will never get it if NYC-Seattle cant support it. Despite everything you hear, SEA just, in general, does not generate high yields. The fares on NYC-SEA and BOS-SEA are still way lower than on NYC-LAX/SFO. Tech companies, which drive corporate business in Seattle, are stingy and do NOT pay for business class for the majority of their travelers.
Anyway, these fares seem high and there's no way I'd pay that much for a 4 hour flight. I wish DL luck.
I've been on DL's 752 with the 2-2 lie-flat for SLC-EWR a few years back. Wasn't sure if that was a re-routing flight for the airline, or just a premium seasonal offering.
I miss the 752 with 2-2 lie-flat on JFK-SEA; wish they'd bring that back (or use one of the new a321XLR with lie-flat), because it's a 5+ hour flight, often redeyes going east. Currently, no one, not DL, UA, AA, B6 offers lie-flat on transcon SEA that I'm aware of (maybe ATL-SEA sometimes).
Best we can do is 97K, and you have to head to the airport right now. Leaves in 3 hours.
this gives you some idea of how the 763s will be used until DL is ready to put them out to pasture outside of the busy summer season.
DL puts alot of widebodies on domestic routes in the winter, largely from ATL and DTW to the west coast so those will be marketed as Delta One.
when the resolve the Delta One equipped 321NEOs, it opens up more domestic routes that can support D1.
This actually sucks for Plats in ATL as this was one of the better routes to use RUCs and get a lie-flat seat. Now it won't be eligible at booking so will never happen.
DL IS improving its hard product. Domestically, D1 competes against AA's tired 321T aircraft which will be replaced over the next year or two with 321XLRs; B6 which is shrinking seat space for everybody except for Mint; and UA whose domestic system uses high density 777s - which are the capacity of two 738s on the same plane - and 757s, none of which have direct aisle access in business class. In economy, a widebody and esp. the 767 provides a far superior product to any narrowbody with more than half of the seats being aisles.
And DL is retiring the 767s, is using other aircraft besides the 763 on some widebody transcon flights, and is going to start refurbishing the 330CEO fleet to have a D1 Suite product.
DL already has approx 80 aircraft w/ D1 Suites and those will predominantly be used on int'l routes which older generation powered aircraft with new interiors except on the 767s - will be increasingly used domestically.
DL's hard product is quite competitive w/ what is available esp. in the US domestic market and in the vast majority of international markets where it is used.
undoubtedly... and it likely also means that upgrades will clear from coach into PS, allowing them to monetize the D1 cabin.
THAT is probably the biggest change.
for both LAX-SEA and LAX-MIA, you have to consider that there is little incentive to add a higher CASM aircraft if you are the dominant player.
It is far cheaper to use a 180 or 200 seat standard domestic configured narrowbody than use a widebody - which will increase capacity and depress yields - and we really don't have a new generation narrowbody in significant levels of service yet.
When the premium configured 321NEO/XLRs become more prevalent, we will undoubtedly see competitors push into markets, forcing the dominant carrier to use premium aircraft.
AA added widebodies to LAX-MIA when competitors added service but pulled them when capacity was reduced back to traditional levels.
same thing for domestic SEA; DL has little incentive to put its premium 757s on since AS has not had a premium configured narrowbody. The HA 332s might be used for domestic markets that AS wants to try to break into w/ premium traffic - where AS has done poorly - but I suspect it will be a zero sum game
We'll see if that means that PS price will go up some (e.g. closer to domestic F or not). It was great to have those as C+ and get the upgrade after boarding on a recent ATL-LAX flight. I'm hopeful that fewer upgrades-at-booking will lead to a better shot at getting it later / when booking close to departure.
DL is not competitive BOS-SFO. I flew it in F on Sunday night. Both United and B6 have beds from Boston to SF. I think Delta is more interested in coach pax and low prices on this particular route.
Wait, so, unlike JFK-LAX/SFO, which, sometimes do allow confirmed-at-booking RUC upgrades from Main (752, 763, mostly SFO) and Premium Select (764, 332, etc., mostly LAX) to D1, you're suggesting RUCs are 'officially' ineligible, or are just so-unlikely as to be 'practically' ineligible?
Ethan, DL really should bring a321XLR with the lie-flat (once operational) to BOS, so that transcon, redeye, 5-6 hour flights can be better served (and have D1 lounge access!)
And, perhaps, it's about time DL actually open a D1 lounge at ATL, you know, because it's their headquarters, and also, to better serve all those D1 passengers... I know, good things take time; but, also, gotta prioritize these things, too.
Tim, these new a321XLR's (or whatever variety they can muster) WITH lie-flat on the narrowbody is the solution for a better 'premium' secondary transcon market, like MIA/FLL-LAX/SEA, which are 5+ hours, and a lot of redeyes eastbound. United sometimes puts its 752s with lie-flat 2-2, like Delta's on the FLL-SFO and even FLL-EWR occasionally. American used to fly more premium aircraft for MIA-LAX (like during the pandemic, even 773 with First), but has scaled back to 737 and a321 (not the a321T), which is so lame of them. B6 Mint is out-performing all of those these days (new and older varieties) with actual lie-flat.
DL does use widebodies on the route on a regular basis so it is likely to come.
again, UA uses its HD 777s as its primary domestic widebody so DL's move to use widebodies including the 763s in their latter days is a step up in the competitive environment and a quest for gaining premium passengers.
AA and UA will be trying to do the same thing with the 321XLR and secondary cities in Europe while DL is going to use widebodies which provide more capacity and a better cabin esp. for economy passengers.
yes, there are markets where DL chooses not to chase the premium traffic and SFO is one of those.
UA has not consistently used internationally/premium configured aircraft on BOS-SFO
+1 to calling the pricing obscene. I can normally spring for FC on domestic routes, but this route is just silly.
This is just going off memory because I've done LAX-ATL a few times over the past 2-3 years, but I think they've always had a mix of 767 and A350s on this route (I think something to do with cargo WRT A350). So I don't know if this is indicative of a larger strategy rather than DL trying to enhance monetization of an existing premium route that has shown it can sustain very high pricing for First Class.
Having flown this route a few times, I always thought it was funny that Delta would have one of their best and newest business class suites on an A350 flying LAX-ATL and not brand it D1... yet fly 2+2 rickety old 767s on routes they do brand D1.
This is highly irritating because Delta has this system error where if one leg is delta one and the other is not, it just doesn’t offer it. It shows as sold out. For example LAX-JFK-PBI. Your only choice is economy or comfort. And I just checked, the same thing is happening LAX-ATL-PBI after March 29, 2026.
This is highly irritating because Delta has this system error where if one leg is delta one and the other is not, it just doesn’t offer it. It shows as sold out. For example LAX-JFK-PBI. Your only choice is economy or comfort. And I just checked, the same thing is happening LAX-ATL-PBI after March 29, 2026.
Connecting itineraries do not appear to have access to booking D1 on the ATL-LAX sectors. I pulled up a random day in June, trying to book RDU-ATL-LAX. I can fly in D1 via JFK (for $3,500 LOL), I can fly in First Class either on the direct options or via other hubs, but if I want to fly through ATL, I can only book Delta Premium Select (with the RDU-ATL flight booked into Delta Comfort+).
I suspect they have to update fares and fare rules for all of the connecting legs.
If it works through JFK, they will undoubtedly make it work through ATL.
I wouldn't be surprised if they fix it this weekend.
Even though they fly widebodies on other ATL-west coast routes, they are probably rolling this out on a market by market basis
I think this is fundamentally about aircraft utilization and revenue optimization. It's not as deep as some people are making it out to be.
The reason they flew in these widebodies between LAX and ATL were for aircraft turns, for example, a lot of the SYD and other TPAC flights out of LAX use the A350s.
They were leaving money on the table by not productizing the domestic FC as D1. If they can effective charge hundreds of more dollars for dozens of dollars in extra cost for the D1 and PS branding, they will gladly do so.
No I'm saying I don't want to pay for Premium Select and right now, I can get those seats for free at booking (sold as C+) and/or use a RUC to upgrade direct into the D1 seat (sold as F).
This is a disappointing development. DCA-ATL-LAX has been pretty easy to get a lie flat bed using a regional upgrade this past year. Now, that's going to be made impossible since they're classifying it as D1. Will be the same problem as DCA-LAX...the cabin is out-of-reach for the RPU. Damn.
Recently flew Delta's 333 "D1" on OGG-ATL. I knew what I was signing up for but still felt like I time travelled.
On EWR - LAX UA has numerous daily frequencies in 777 and 787 Polaris cabins. I've flown that route probably 30x in the last 5 years and never been forced into taking the high-density 777 (and only occasionally the outdated 757s).
That said, I think DL's 763s are fine for a transcon.
No, and it's kinda sad, because it's their literal headquarters, yet they prioritized secondary hubs like SEA and BOS over ATL (of course, JFK and LAX makes sense). They supposedly have plans for ATL, but SLC is ahead of it. Hmm.
If by 2+2, you were referring to seat configuration, I don't think you meant 767. Did you mean 757 (like on JFK-SFO)? Because 767 is 1-2-1, up-front at least. Even DL's LATAM a350 is 2-2-2.
Bossman, oof, UA's 772 with the 2-4-2 rear-facing 'Polaris' is even worse than Delta's aging 763 and 332.
as has been discussed, ATL has very little space to add lounges.
DL has apparently come to an agreement with ATL to take retail space - which means it is pricey - and convert it to a D1 lounge.
The notion that any airline can just add amenities at any airport is not supported by reality.
And I suspect the reason why DTW and SLC haven't gotten them yet is because DL didn't want ATL to be the only hub airport - and THE hub airport to boot - that didn't have a D1 lounge.
Stuff gets fixed but not at the timeline that many expect
Ooh any more details? Hope they offer separate curbside check in and security.
I fly these jets between ATL-LAX. Previously 767ER and now 767-400. The lie flat seats are great compared to traditional 1st class recliners.
Glad Delta One will be specifically sold as such after Mar '26 amd not just a late-notice 'good deal' for our passengers.
I agree! Sleeping comfortably for such a long flight IS exactly like "time traveling".
It would be cool if they did this on all flights between LAX and ATL, and not just the widebody rotations. Adding LAX-DTW would also be nice. DTW and ATL are good for connecting.
While the schedule and frequency on LAX-JFK is great, it's often not great with a connection. The layovers can be longer. You're either starting your day at 3am to catch your early departure at LAX or you're arriving at your destination at 1am. Also, JFK is more easily congested and likely to encounter operational issues.
D1 seats are very useful on longer domestic flights - especially between the pacific and eastern timezones. On early flights, you can catch up on a sleep. During the day, the extra space makes a difference. No risk of someone reclining their seat against your laptop. There's room to work/eat at the same time and without interruption. The pitch on the domestic first class product on the narrowbody aircraft leaves much to be desired.
If they want to be premium, they should have business class on all the longer trunk routes.
[Tier 1]
LAX - DTW / ATL / JFK / BOS
SEA - DTW / ATL / JFK / BOS
SFO - DTW / ATL / JFK / BOS
[Tier 2]
MSP - LAX / SFO / SEA
SLC - JFK / BOS / ATL / DTW
When a flight starts pushing four hours, there is a good case to be made for a lie flat. It's an even better case if the flight is early or late in the day and a part of a connecting itinerary.
Yes, you'd get access to the D1 lounge (but not yet in ATL). But, it still gives access to the regular lounges in ATL, which doesn't come with first class domestic tickets.
Tim, I’d’ve thought SLC is easier (and it’s next) because they’re literally rebuilding the whole airport anyway (and the future Olympics will eventually be there, too). Good move, either way.
Tim, don’t be such a lying cuck. Intl config 777s and 787s do most of the domestic UA wide body flying save for a few of the legacy HD 777s that fly to Hawaii.
What a douche you are.
I sadly learned this the hard way. Just last week I booked LAX-ATL on their A359 for travel next summer. As a PM, I thought I'd be getting the Comfort+ upgrade at booking to their Premium Select cabin. Nope. Premium Select is now being sold as a separate cabin and Comfort+ seats are back where Comfort+ seats have already been. So one of the ramifications mentioned in this article should include that there is now a PS cabin and no longer being used for C+ on at least this domestic route.
My one way LAX-ATL-MCO flight was 24,600 skymiles with the 15% Amex discount. LAX-ATL alone was higher.
This simply is meant to prevent ppl from using regional upgrades on wide body domestic flight. Who is flying delta one that doesn’t already have some type of lounge access? No this is not good.
Honest Delta one isn’t anything special if they just want to call it Delta one and not qualify first class but I don’t think their first class is anything special American, United any other airline that has first class is better than Delta in all classes that there’s nothing special that’s my opinion in Delta one I flew from New York City to LA on Delta one nothing compares to other airlines. It’s like a low class first class seats are narrow.
Time traveled as you felt they were in an old cabin that looked like you were time traveling that’s what I thought from this post because I flew round-trip and do you and will never fly Delta again American rewards customer so I couldn’t get a deal to LA during New Year’s surprisingly spent $600 round-trip on D1
I agree -- but that's not what I was referring to. These are proper Polaris Cabins -- I avoid the 772 (2-4-2) like the plague and have never had to fly it LAX -EWR, nor do I ever see it scheduled on that route other than occasional IROPS.
Transcon Delta was disapointing when I discovered that it was all of that money for a seat that did not lie back. The "regular" seats they use now are expensive in comparison.
(I'm gonna just copy + paste my comment from a Reddit post mentioning the same thing)
Should this actually happen for LAX-ATL (which it will for those who can afford the ticket price), the Delta One lounge at LAX is going to get crowded, pretty much defeating the purpose of what it's meant to be like all other D1Ls; part of keeping the most premium lounge premium is allowing fewer people in, only allowing ticketed Delta One passengers access (international and domestic [key word here])