Domestic #DeltaOne on a Boeing 757-200

Lie-Flat! Score!

For some travel I have coming up, I noticed that my usual plane from JFK to San Diego was replaced with an internationally configured Boeing 757-200. Though this means there are substantially fewer seats in First Class (down to 16 from 20 to 26 depending on configuration), there is an opportunity to fly Delta One domestically without any upgrade certificates!

To be safe I didn’t miss out on this opportunity, I went ahead and called Delta to apply a Regional Upgrade Certificate to my reservation. As soon as I was off the phone, I noticed that my reservation now had a note indicating I was wait-listed for my upgrade (since no upgrade space had cleared yet). I wasn’t worried, though, as using a Regional Upgrade Certificate moves you to the top of the list so you are only competing with others that are using them, or those who are willing to pay to upgrade.

History

Delta first introduced the lie-flat seat configuration for the Boeing 757-200 four years ago. Interestingly enough, my plane had the same BusinessElite branding as from all those years ago. Some things never change, eh? 😉

B757 Delta One Cabin

As you can see from the seat-map above, the DeltaOne/BusinessElite cabin is arranged into four rows of four seats. While that means no aisle-access for everyone, it is still a huge improvement over the standard first class product. Even with the older seats, being able to be completely flat goes a long way to being functional when you land.

My seat: 4D
One of the new Westin blankets!
Outlets and headphones, as well as a drink holder.

My only complaint with this configuration is that it is impossible to rest your left arm without hitting controls!

Seat controls and remote
Huge screens!
Updated IFE, complete with pinch-to-zoom and usable controls for media

Domestic Delta One Meal Service

When it came time for dinner, we were given an option of fish (poached salmon) or beef. I opted for the fish as I had a delicious steak for lunch. 😉 Though this was the same meal as offered on other domestic flights, the flavor of the dish was much nicer. The acidity worked quite well for it and it maintained its flavor at 35,000 feet.

Poached salmon on russet potatoes and mushrooms

Closing Thoughts

From what I can see, there are quite a few more opportunities for domestic lie-flat in my future, so I am quite excited. Since I have to be up early the next morning, being able to stay well rested makes a big difference. Having Ku-based GoGo is icing on the cake!

Ku, baby!

The Return of Free Meals! #KeepClimbing, @Delta

There has been a lot of talk recently about Delta bringing back free meals to the economy cabin for transcontinental (JFK-LAX & JFK-SFO, for now) flights, and it has raised questions about customer loyalty, profitability, and if other airlines (United and American) will take note of this and do the same.

I can’t speak to profitability or making customers (more) loyal, but as someone who flies across the country regularly, it is comforting to know that even if I don’t get my upgrade, I will get a meal… …Not to say that I would turn down an upgrade, by any means! 😉 This is even nicer for tight connections when I can’t swing by the SkyClub to grab a bite before the flight.

Admittedly, I’ll be sad to see the Fruit & Cheese plate go, which leaves me wondering if this means we will be able to make dietary requests in economy the same way we can when booking First/Business class tickets. Overall, I am excited for other transcontinental routes potentially adopting this.