rrz518

Ditto on the compliment. That said, it has taken many years for Delta to have realized that direct communication with this audience is mutually beneficial. I seem to recall Starwood being active in a similar fashion since the late 1990's.

Better late than never though, but it's really long overdue. That said, keep it up.

Chris_DeltaCustExp

We will have additional product updates to share in the near future.

Chris_DeltaCustExp

If your bags are heavy and you think you'll have difficulty carrying them up the flight of stairs you may want to choose seats on the main deck. The two seats in the center next to each other are perfect for couples traveling together.

xolinlevh

Thanks yea im not an expert on the mechanical side of things all i know is i usually use my ipad on longer haul flights and would be nice to be able to charge it off the on-board USB ports.


Again, im no expert, but i believe the iPad one is USB 3 compliant? Mine charges off my computer's USB 3 ports but not the USB 2 ports. Either way, curious to know what spec the new ports will be onboard!

ftct12

*** So I read the board yesterday morning and didn't check it until now right before I hit send - Of course now I see you just answered some questions about the 757-200- screw it I just spent an hour typing this out so I'm sending it anyway - you said that you don't have any updates on the 757-200 but what does the current version look like? please read below and this comment will make sense ***


Chris or anyone that can shed some light on this for me

I have already purchased the tickets for a Delta flight from Newark EWR to Aruba ARU changing planes in Atlanta ATL so this is an after the fact question not which airline I should have picked.

This December I am taking my girlfriend on a trip for her birthday to Aruba - she has never flown in anything besides economy class. I thought I would use my Platinum Amex MR points to help with the cost of first class trip. I waited what seems like forever for another great Delta transfer bonus but couldn't wait any longer so I transferred what I had and did the pay with points plus Amex card (wasn't looking for upgrades or award flights). I tried to find first class flights but it appeared that out of Newark there aren't any pure 1st class flights. The best they had was Business class for 3 out of the four legs and one leg in first class (that was quite odd to me) but I used seatguru and seatexpert to figure out the best seats and booked it.

This is my first post but I have been reading flyertalk and similar sites over the past couple years learning so much about the loyalty programs, points & mileage strategies and CC signups.

I have seen all to often when someone new writes for the first time and asks "how do I fly 1st class for free" and gets blasted by someone(s) for not bothering to do the work by spending the time researching before asking for the easy answer to be handed to them.

With that said.... I have spent hours searching and reading flyertalk in the general forums, delta forums, trip report forums looking to see if I can find a match without luck.
I also searched YouTube for boarding videos, searched multiple other sites i.e. thepointsguy, viewfromthewing etc.... but cannot seem to nail down what were in for. Add to that time on Delta's site (no offense Chris) but its mostly pretty pictures, fluff & propaganda not the real details I was looking for.

My questions is what kind of upper class/front of the plane experience can I expect on these "particular planes and routes"?

I have flown first class a handful of times over the years on different carriers so I know the basic difference but nowadays its so confusing with most people complaining that current first class is yesterdays coach and so on....

What is amusing to me is that the first leg is on a 737-700 (73W) Newark to Atlanta which is called Business Elite on the Delta seating diagram but when we return we take the SAME plane model 73W in the SAME seats from Atlanta to Newark and now they call it a first class on the itinerary & Delta seating chart but its the same plane and route as before??? What's funny is that the flight is later in the evening so we only get a snack on the one truly classified first class flight

On the Delta site while booking my tickets the pop up seating chart calls the flight to Aruba on a 757-200 (front cabin) Business Elite while seatguru & seatexpert still call it first class. I figured they are just using the old charts so no big deal but based on the diagrams it looks like we will be on the version 1 plane not the fancier updated/upgraded Business Elite 200ER (75A or 75E) or any of the other newer models.

I understand that Delta has been pushing the Business Elite brand on US coast to coast flights and long haul international flights with certain model planes incorporating the much upgraded entertainment package, meal service and lie flat beds but these only seem to be available on the specific planes.

Has the version 1 been updated lately or is it the same old business class seat now called Business Elite? Clearly a flight to Aruba is not considered a domestic US flight but it doesn't seem to fall into the long haul international trip rather the short haul classification which seems to relegate it to the regular old domestic plane.

The Delta site never mentions regular business class in the older planes - it only shows Business Elite with the fancy seats, cheese plate & smiling good looking model next is the page on first class seating showing the same cheese plate and other fine amenities then finally we have the economy class page (no cheese plate to be found).

Here is our itinerary

12/3 Newark EWR to Atlanta ATL Flight DL575
Business Class 12 Seats 73W (737-700 Winglets)
Depart 6:10am 2:25 flight time to ATL

ATL to Aruba ARU Flight DL655
Business Class 24 Seats 757-200 (Version 1 ??)
Depart 9:55am 4:04 flight time ARU


12/8 ARU to ATL Flight DL654
Business Class 24 Seats 757-200 (Version 1 ??)
Depart 4:05pm 4:22 flight time to ATL

ATL to EWR Flight DL1682
First Class 12 Seats 73W (737-700)
Depart 9:45pm 2:14 flight time to EWR


I don't want to be seen as whining or complaining about the cost vs. the level of service as my girlfriend will be thrilled to be up front with whatever perks we get I'm just trying to figure out ahead of time what to expect. I am of course hoping that we get to be on the more updated planes with the cooler features but I won't even tell her that we won't be flying in coach until we board or as long as I can keep it a secret at the airport.

This is a post for a different forum but I am also struggling on how to spend the $200 reimbursement for my platinum amex card. The amex will get us into the lounges for free and the first/business tickets get us the free baggage and drinks/meals - I cannot get reimbursed for the gogo internet and if the longer flights don't have the personal TV's I cannot even rent movies. To top it off I can't even buy drinks for the passengers around us because they will also be in upper-class seats (sigh...)

I already read through the specific thread on Amex/DL $200 reimbursements and it seems I'm kinda stuck as the year is almost over and Amex has been tightening up the loopholes. Oh well next year I'll beat them for every penny (actually that is what I said about this year)

Thanks in advance to any and all who reply

ps. I promise any future post on FT will be short and to the point - sorry for the book this time

Scott

DL Platinum

I believe the limit is either 70 or 80 watts. If you try to pull more than that, the outlet will trip.

MS02113

Off topic for this thread, but here goes...

Apart from JFK-LAX/SFO, there is no BusinessElite service on domestic or short-haul international routes.

The premium cabin is marketed as business class (not BusinessElite) for short-haul international flights, but the seats and service are identical to domestic first class. Domestic flights that share a flight number with an international route (e.g., DL17 for ATL-LAX-SYD) are also marketed as offering business class. The seat maps on Delta.com mistakenly label the forward cabin "BusinessElite" on such flights, which is a source of endless confusion among new Delta flyers. How difficult can it be for Delta to get this simple detail right?

Note that you might occasionally see an internationally configured aircraft (i.e., one with a true BusinessElite cabin) on a domestic route, but apart from the roomier seat, service remains unchanged. (Excepting, of course, the aforementioned JFK-LAX/SFO routes.)

Regarding your EWR-ATL-AUA trip, you'll fly on domestically configured aircraft for all four legs. That is, the aircraft will feature first/business class—not BusinessElite—cabins. You'll be served a cold meal EWR-ATL (assuming the flight departs during published meal hours) and a hot meal ATL-AUA, but both will be of the domestic, single-tray standard, not the multi-course BusinessElite offering.

Microbiology

Hello Chris, thank you for all your replies on the new updates. You said that all A330 will get the new seats in the 1-2-1. Does this also apply to the ATL to HNL A330?

Chris_DeltaCustExp

Yes. The entire A330 fleet, including the aircraft used on ATL-HNL.

mike_plat

Thanks for the update. Although you added more details in your post, DL's commitment to upgrading the interiors of the 767-300ER's is old and mostly unfulfilled. I stopped taking SFO-NRT years ago now after you dropped the A330-200 from this route and replaced it with a vastly inferior 767-300ER on this very competitive route. Why has it taken DL so long to make good on a years' old commitment?

Chris_DeltaCustExp

Hi Mike...everyone at Delta is just as anxious to get the 76ER fleet upgraded as you are. There are many reasons why the program has faced some delays, from the economic environment to aircraft scheduling requirements to the hundreds of other mods in progress concurrently. However...there is light at the end of the tunnel. The 767-300ER fleet with new interiors will be coming out of mod at an aggressive pace...on average it's one ship per week returning to service with the new interior.

Here's the current schedule:

Oct. 12 -- 3
Nov. 12 -- 4
Dec. 12 -- 5
Jan. 13 -- 4
Feb. 13 -- 4
Mar. 13 -- 4
Apr. 13 -- 4
May 13 -- 5
Jun. 13 -- 2
Oct. 13 -- 5
Nov. 13 -- 4
Dec. 13 -- 2
Jan. 14 -- 4

DL Platinum

Chris,

Again, thanks for the pro-active update on Delta's equipment product offerings, it is refreshing and VERY much appreciated. To that end, can I make a suggestion that applies to every domestic 757 FC seat and often in other equipment: Can you please find a way to control the amount of recline in the First Class Cabin? Way too often I feel that the seat in front of me is in my lap due to excessive recline of the seat in front of me. Almost universally, it makes it impossible for the window seat passenger to exit the row with aisle seat of the row forward in full recline. If you slimmed down the upper portion of the seat back similar to what you've done on the MD88 it might help. Feel free to PM me if you want additional discussion on this topic.

firstmob

Chris with the already modified 767ER's, your count seem to imply the entire 767ER fleet will have flat beds in BE by next spring.^

bowdenj

Thanks for the detailed update!

andymo99

Safest bet is to choose seats downstairs. But if I was boarding alongside you, I'd happily take them up for you. I bet you'll have no problem finding a fellow pax who would be happy to help.



I'm going to send like the parent here, but here goes: bring a book. Bring a crossword puzzle. Give your brain a workout and disconnect from video entertainment for 3-4 hours. You'll survive. You might even like it.