Economy on DL129 SEA-PEK?
 

I see a cheap fare on Y for SEA-PEK, but it's on a B767. Any comment on the quality of the seats and food? Am I better off flying MU to China or DL when the price is the same? I've never flew DL on a trans-pacific flight before.

I’d much rather fly Delta in YC than MU.

Can you please explain why?

I haven't flown DL TPAC but I've flown them ATL-FCO and JFK-ATH, both slightly shorter than this flight.

I can't imagine this flight would be much different than those two. I would also be surprised if the food differs on the 767 vs a 777/A330. To me, I would expect roughly the same experience in this flight and aircraft as I would a TATL flight on Delta.

Now, the true difference is going to be between DL and MU. I've flown them JFK-PVG. They aren't bad. They're no Delta but they aren't horrid. The FA's, in my experience, struggle with English. The food is edible, but their western food leaves a lot to be desired. The IFE is, Chinese. Most western movies or shows was edited. You won't find as many current/new movies as you would on Delta. However, from JFK, I've found so many killer deals on them I can't say no. Think $450 rt JFK-South East Asia, 18K MQM's, 10K RDM's, $1K+ MQD's. That makes it worth it for me.

If price is equal, are MQM's and MQD's important to you? You might get more on MU than DL.

Final thought, MU doesn't fly into Seattle. They do into LAX, SFO, and YVR on the West Coast. Could the MU flight be a codeshare on DL to China? Or is the MU flight a double connect, through a US gateway and PVG?

The seat on the 767 is 18" wide, a bit wider than on other Boeing aircraft. Also, the 2-3-2 arrangement means you are at most one seat away from the aisle. Typically, I find Y in the 767 to be relatively comfortable.

My most recent experience with the DL 767 was a SEA-HKG flight last year, but I did find the 2-3-2 arrangement in Y to be comfortable and feel spacious compared to other airlines’ denser configurations.

MQM is extremely important to me. I'm aiming for DM so I gotta get as much MQM as possible. Like you, I can't say no to $450 rt to Southeast Asia.

I can also speak and read Chinese so it's not really an issue for me. If I fly MU, it'll be out of the cities that you mentioned.

I created this thread because I flew UA to TPE and PVG in the past month. The seats were ok as it was on a B789, but the Asian food were terrible. Absolutely the worse I've had anywhere this year. I couldn't believe it was worse than AC, but it was. Not sure how DL will fare against UA.

DL flew the 777 last year on SEA-HKG and the 332 before that. The 767 doesn’t have enough range to make the trip.

At least in Delta 1, DL is known for great Chinese/Japanese meals ex-US.

One other thing for DL, in IRROPS, DL will treat you much better/be easier to deal with.

Yes, I'm aware of that and that's good to have in case something goes wrong. What a shàme that DL doesn't fly to HKG anymore.

In Economy TransPac Delta > MU
 

I assume "YC" means coach or economy comfort. Either way, I also recommend DL over MU.

I've flow the Delta 767-300 in EC SEA-PEK on the 767-300 and the A350 in regular coach from LAX to PVG. I've also flown MU LAX-PVG a number of times, but always in biz class. Cattle class on China Eastern did not look so good past the curtain.

For a widebody over-water flight, the 767-300 is Delta's best plane when in coach, and the worst plane when in biz class. In coach, it has 2-4-2 seating. The 4 EC seats on either side of the center bathroom has unlimited legroom in the exit row. OP has Gold status, so he should be to pick a non-middle seat.

DL crews make regular snack and water/drink runs thru the coach cabin. MU crews don't make drink passes even through the biz class except for the initial dinner and arrival breakfast. God help those in coach on China Eastern. In all fairness, the China Eastern flight is a very late red-eye, and the FA's will bring you something if you ask.

The 767 is Delta's best long haul main cabin experience. Two aisles for only 7 across. This isn't debatable.

Thanks for the comment. Sounds like DL is already better than UA. Seriously, I should write an email/letter to Oscar Munoz and tell him to eat the same meals that I had in Y on their trans-pacific flights. It's not comparable to anything that I've had on NH, JL, CX, MU, HX. I'm not even a good cook by any standard and I know I can make a better meal. You got any comments on the quality of the food and what kind of snacks are offered on DL?

Ok, I hear ya. Sounds like I've gotta give this a try!

In coach, it has 2-3-2 seating.