Review: Delta Air Lines 767-300 “Delta One” Business Class

My journey from New York to Los Angeles on a Delta Air Lines 767-300 in “Delta One” business class was a mixed bag, though the Delta One Lounge in JFK and LAX truly make up for what is now an uncompetitive onboard product.

Delta Air Lines 767-300 “Delta One” Business Class Review

In recent years I’ve flown Delta’s A350-900 and A330-900neo in “Delta One” business class, but it has been several years since I’ve flown on Delta’s 767-300. These workhorses are still the mainstays for Delta’s premium transcontinental flights and many flights to Europe.

My flight from New York to LA was 122,500 SkyMiles or $1839. Which would you have chosen? SkyMiles remain very valuable on many routes that do not start or end in the USA, but for US customers…don’t expect any great deals, particularly for premium cabin redemptions. Delta SkyMiles American Express cardholders can get a 15% discount on award travel when using miles on Delta flights, which dropped the effective rate to 104,125. I was on a work trip so my ticket was paid for…

Yesterday I reviewed the Delta One Lounge at JFK and I must emphasize what an important part of the package this is. While you’ll soon read about how the onboard product really was no better overall than what you can expect on United Airlines or JetBlue, the lounge is really something to make time for…I was very impressed.

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My flight departed from gate B28 in Terminal 4 and boarding began 45 minutes prior to departure.

Delta Air Lines 773
New York (JFK) – Los Angeles (LAX)
December 2024
Depart: 9:55 AM
Arrive: 1:16 PM
Duration: 06hr, 21min
Distance: 2,475 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER (76K)
Seat: 05C (“Delta One” Business Class)

A flight attendant greeted me as I stepped onboard.

Seat

Delta’s 767-300 includes 26 Thompson Vantage seats arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration. Seats are 20 inches wide 77 inches long in lie-flat mode. These are very common seats you can find on carriers including Austrian, Aer Lingus, SWISS, and JetBlue.

To Delta’s credit, it has recently reupholstered these seats and the cabin looks fresh, especially when the mood lighting is turned on. However, I don’t find these seats comfortable…the padding was too hard for me and the seat was not stable: it rocked slightly if you leaned back. Furthermore, there is very little storage and the footwell is very narrow.

Quite candidly, you feel like you are in a coffin…or an MRI machine…when in lie-flat mode.

Hey, I’ll take any lie-flat I can get, but I do not find this seat very comfortable compared to most of the other seats on the market, including even the B/E Diamond 2-2 seats American Airlines uses on its A321T aircraft and United and Delta use on their 757-200 aircraft.

There are individual air vents (always appreciated) and each seat has universal 110-volt A/C outlet and two USB-A sockets.

Bedding is excellent, including a soft duvet and pillow. I did try to take a nap on this flight, but failed…while the seat may have contributed, it also was the middle of the day and I don’t generally take naps.

Food + Drink

After takeoff, a hot towel followed by beverages and warm mixed nuts were offered. The nut mix included pistachios and pecans.

Delta managed to both delight and disappoint when it came to lunch onboard. There were no printed menus (though I had pre-ordered on the Delta app). There were no ice cream sundaes. The deviled egg appetizer (no choice) was revolting (I just don’t like deviled eggs or anything with mayonnaise or curry powder).

But the cocoa-braised short ribs were delicious… beautifully presented, tender, and full of flavor. It was an excellent lunch and the sort of thing I would make at home or order in a restaurant…a delicious meal.

A choice of pineapple upside cake or cheese (or both) were offered for dessert.

Amenity Kit + Slippers

Delta has partnered with Missoni to offer new “premium” amenity kits, presented in a very attractive (faux) leather case. Contents included:

• Toothbrush (with Marvis toothpaste) – I love Marvis, but I immediately throw away any wooden toothbrush…it reminds me of having my tonsils checked as a kid…worse than paper straws!
• Earplugs
• Pen
• Socks
• Eyeshdae
• Grown Alchemist lip balm + skin creme

It’s an excellent kit and far better than what American, Delta, or JetBlue offer on their transcontinental flights.

Slippers and a water bottle were also placed at each seat:

IFE + Wi-Fi

The screen is only 10.1 inches…very small.

But Delta does offer an impressive library of movies, TV shows, films, and games…

Even better, wi-fi was complimentary for SkyMiles members (simply log in with your SkyMiles number and passwords and enjoy fast, free internet for the entire flight without data caps).

Noise-canceling headphones are not nearly as nice as the Bang & Olufsen headphones American Airlines offers on the same route, but were functional.

Lavatories

Two lavatories are located in the front of the cabin. They were and refurbished (far more modern looking than on United’s 767-300). Soap was from Grown Alchemist. There was even a drop-down seat like you sometimes find on Japanese carriers…

Service

The service was not outstanding…it was rather abrupt and casual, and I did not sense friendliness or attentiveness…just going through the motions. Pre-departure beverages were offered (kudos) but without a smile or “welcome onboard.”

One flight attendant seemed almost annoyed that I asked for a drink refill midway through the flight…I think I never should have had to ask in the first place. Glasses sat empty for many passengers in the cabin. The lights were turned out after lunch and FAs largely disappeared until the hot cookie came out.

This wasn’t the “premium” service I was expecting on Delta, though it was by no means hostile or even bad.

CONCLUSION

I was thankful to fly in Delta One and enjoyed a very productive journey to Los Angeles with fast free Wi-Fi and a delicious meal. I don’t find the seat competitive, but it was quite workable for a daytime flight.

Delta plans to keep this aircraft in service until 2030 and is unlikely to retrofit it further. With added touches like fast free wi-fi, a nice amenity kit, and most importantly an outstanding ground product, Delta is very competitive on this transcontinental route, though I would not necessarily label it the best.