Delta’s modernization of its fleet continues to mean good things for those seeking out premium experiences — even domestically. Typically, the carrier’s best cabin interiors are reserved for its long-haul international routes. Those routes, of course, demand big bucks (and significant award miles) to fly. There’s a secret, though: every so often, these cabins find themselves flying domestic routes.
Perhaps Delta just needs to reposition a plane in preparation for an international leg, perhaps it’s flying a special load of cargo, or perhaps it’s running a rescue mission. As is the case with its 757s featuring Delta One lie-flat seats, it’s competing with other major carriers like United, American Airlines, and JetBlue on coast-to-coast routes popular amongst business travelers.
Whatever the reason, these routes (which are often one-time events) enable you to fly in Delta’s fanciest cabins for far less than you’d spend to fly overseas. And, because it’s domestic, the entire experience is easier: flights are shorter, there’s no passport required, and there’s no long immigration line on the other side.
While its Delta One Suites are currently installed only on the Airbus A350-900 and a few retrofitted Boeing 777s, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that these birds begin to make domestic jumps in addition to their current international jaunts. Meanwhile, you’re left looking for the coveted reverse herringbone seat found on Delta’s A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft (we’ll miss you, 747-400!) and the 180-degree flat-bed Thompson Vantage seat found on select transcontinental routes.
Delta regularly updates its global timetable, shifting aircraft and routes from time to time. So, we here at The Points Guy dig into it regularly to unveil where you can find these excellent seats. Our current list covers through July 15, 2019.
Whether you splurge on a business class award or paid ticket, choose to burn a Regional Upgrade Certificate, or score a complimentary upgrade as a Medallion member, we’re showcasing how to fly on Delta Air Lines’ best business class seats without having to bring your passport.
Airbus A330-200 and A330-300: Delta One Reverse Herringbone
Delta Air Lines flies two variations of the Airbus A330: the A330-200 (332) and the A330-300 (333). While the latter will hold 59 more people, you’ll be thrilled to know that both feature an identical quantity of Delta One seats (34).
Regardless of which A330 you end up on domestically, you’ll wind up in a reverse herringbone 180-degree flat-bed seat while in the front of the cabin. One layout quirk to be aware of – the A330-200 has its exit and galley between rows 6 and 7 in the Delta One cabin, while the A330-300 fits all nine rows of Delta One ahead of the exit/galley area. Here are the routes on which DL is using these aircraft within the 50 US states:
A330-200 Flights: None
Daily A330-300 Routes
- Los Angeles (LAX) – New York Kennedy (JFK)
Boeing 777: Delta One Herringbone
The Delta One cabin on its fleet of not-yet-retrofitted 777 aircraft is arranged in a 1-2-1 herringbone layout and each seat has direct aisle access — in other words, no one is going to have to jump over you if they want to get up and walk around or use the restroom while you’re asleep. While Delta’s 777-200LR business class has started to feel outdated, it’s still a solid product, particularly when viewed against recliner-style domestic competition.
While just the flights below are officially slotted into Delta’s upcoming global timetable, keep an eye out on routes between ATL and LAX, where the 777 tends to surface on occasion. We’ve also spotted the 777 routed between RDU and ATL.
Daily 777 Routes: None
Boeing 767: Delta One Thompson Vantage
Delta has a gaggle of Boeing 767 variants, with effectively all of them featuring the Thompson Vantage flat-bed seats that TPG reviewed on his flight between New York-JFK and Accra. When booking, make sure that the forward cabin shows the lie-flat icon, as well as one of the following aircraft type indicators:
- Boeing 767-400ER (76D or 764)
- Boeing 767-300ER (76W)
We’ve carefully combed through Delta’s upcoming schedule of 767 flights, with the following routes scheduled to have flat beds onboard.
Daily 767 Routes
- Atlanta (ATL) – Los Angeles (LAX)
- Atlanta (ATL) – Honolulu (HNL)
- Boston (BOS) – Salt Lake City (SLC)
- Detroit (DTW) – Honolulu (HNL): Starts June 29, service on Monday and Thursday – Sunday
- Honolulu (HNL) – Atlanta (ATL)
- Honolulu (HNL) – Detroit (DTW): Starts June 29, service on Monday and Thursday – Sunday
- Honolulu (HNL) – Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP): Daily, except Tuesdays.
- Honolulu (HNL) – Los Angeles (LAX)
- New York (JFK) – Los Angles (LAX)
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Atlanta (ATL)
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL)
- Los Angeles (LAX) – New York (JFK)
- Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP) – Honolulu(HNL): Daily, except Tuesdays
- Salt Lake City (SCL) – Boston (BOS):
Single Flights:
- Atlanta (ATL) – Seattle (SEA): DL1115 on July 9 departing at 5:45pm
- Atlanta (ATL) – Seattle (SEA): DL0967 on July 10 departing at 9:45am
- Detroit (DTW) – Atlanta (ATL): DL0094 and DL0362 July 1 – 5 departing at 5:50pm
- Orlando (MCO) – Atlanta (ATL): DL1516 July 2 – 4 departing at 10:25am
- Seattle (SEA) – Atlanta (ATL): DL0732 and DL0436 on July 10 departing at 12:45am and 1:45pm
Transcontinental 757-200
The Delta transcontinental 757 seat — which TPG Reviews Editor Nick Ellis flew between Seattle and New York — falls in line with the rest of the legacy airlines. Set up in a 2-2 configuration, the seat goes fully flat, and sports an in-flight entertainment screen, USB ports and power outlets. While the seats are not private in any way and there is limited storage, they are perfectly acceptable — and even deservedly coveted — on transcontinental routes.
Be aware that while Delta has many 757 variants in its fleet, only one iteration is equipped with flat bed seating in a Delta One cabin. The rest have First Class recliner-style seats. Delta’s own booking engine doesn’t always reflect the proper seating at first glance, but SeatGuru provides a clearer picture of which is which. I recommend double (triple?) checking the seat selection map on Delta.com during the booking process to make sure you’re booking a route with lie-flats in the forward cabin.
While Delta could retrofit any 757 in order to expand Delta One service within the United States, the following are the only regularly scheduled domestic 757 routes currently served with flat bed seats:
- New York (JFK) to/from Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), San Diego (SAN), Seattle (SEA), Salt Lake City (SLC) and Las Vegas (LAS)
- Washington D.C. (DCA) to/from Los Angeles (LAX)
- Boston (BOS) to/from Los Angeles (LAX)
Single Flights
- Atlanta (ATL) – Boston (BOS): DL2100 on July 8 departing at 7:30pm
- Boston (BOS) – ATL (ATL): DL0123 on July 8 departing at 3:05pm
It’s worth reiterating that these routes are also served by non-Delta One 757s, so check the seating chart before you finalize a booking. The routes shown below are scheduled to fly with flat bed seats, but equipment swaps do happen from time to time.
How To Book
If you’re looking to book an award ticket on any of these routes, you’ve got options. While SkyMiles aren’t highly valued per TPG’s own valuations, you can boost your SkyMiles balance by adding a co-branded Delta Amex to your wallet.
What we’d recommend instead, however, is booking through a partner in order to score seats for less. Delta seats can be found and booked via the Flying Blue search calendar, as well as the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club calendar. Both of these portals, while they have their quirks, generally price Delta award tickets out cheaper than Delta’s own booking engine.
Remember, you don’t need to have ever flown Virgin Atlantic to book Delta award tickets through its Flying Club program, and the same is true for Flying Blue. Once you find the flight that works for you, you can transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards (instant transfer), Citi ThankYou Points (instant transfer), American Express Membership Rewards (instant transfer) and Starwood Preferred Guest (1-day transfer). Here’s a sampling of credit cards you can use to earn points in these programs:
- for Membership Rewards
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for Ultimate Rewards
- Citi Premier Card for ThankYou Rewards
If you’re on the fence about which card will serve you best as a Delta flyer, we’ve assembled a guide to help out.
(via The Points Guy)
