Say Hello to the Reinvented A330!

 If you have experienced our recently upgraded 747 BusinessElite cabin, you may be in for some déjà-vu. We are proud to show off a few of the enhancements of the first flat-bed A330-300 to enter service, ship 3301.  This development means that we now have flat-beds flying on every wide-body fleet type. Our 777s, 747s, and 767-400ERs have been completed and our 767-300ERs are well underway. Our entire A330 fleet will be completed by summer 2014.

While flat-beds often get the spotlight, there are a whole host of improvements and upgrades to look forward to throughout the aircraft:

BusinessElite

• 34 seats in a 1 x 2 x 1configuration
• Seats are angled toward the windows at outboard locations and toward each other in the center
• New seats are wider than those they replace
• 180º fully flat bed (bed length is 78-80”)
• Direct aisle access with no rear-facing or middle seats
• Electronic seat controls with adjustable lumbar support
• 110v AC in-seat power + USB power
• Adjustable personal LED reading light

Economy Comfort

• 32 seats at 35” pitch & 6” recline in a 2 x 4 x 2 layout
• “Slim-line” seat provides more personal space
• 6-way adjustable headrests
• 110v AC in-seat power + USB power

Economy

• 227 seats at 31-32” pitch and 4” recline in 2 x 4 x 2 layout
• “Slim-line” seat provides more personal space
• 6-way adjustable headrests
• USB power

Personal On Demand Entertainment

• 15.4” screens in BusinessElite; 9” screens in Economy Comfort & Economy
• 350 films
• 130 hours of TV
• 95 hours of premium programming from HBO & Showtime
• 5,000 digital songs
• 27 games
• Moving map

Cabin Enhancements

• New BusinessElite lavatories
• Updated carpet color – a darker, richer shade of blue
• New bulkhead “Sky Diamond” laminates reminiscent of the Sky Club backwall
• Redesigned Economy Comfort & Economy seat covers with additional comfort padding
• New placards and signage.

Thanks to all of the amazing folks throughout Delta who made this mod happen. We hope you like our latest improvements and we look forward to bringing you more down the road. We’d also love to hear any feedback you have, so let us know what you think!

Aaron Sohacki

Product Manager – Aircraft Customer Experience

Although they did not meet on an airplane, Delta did bring Alex and Ed together. Both were based in Boston and on March 7, 1980, they met at an airline party. A nighttime stroll around Quincy Market led to their first real date at a Boston harbor-side restaurant and their engagement in Bermuda. This October, they will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.

Their mutual love of travel, meeting new people, and exploring new places never gets old for them. On the job, they have worked flights in the United States, to and from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Africa and many of the major European cities. In 2011, they even celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary on a crew layover in Madrid.

During their off time, they also love to explore new destinations like a photographic safari in East Africa, hiking in New Zealand, touring Sri Lanka, skiing in the Alps, swimming in the South China Sea, white-water rafting in the Andes, walking in Death Valley and cruising the Mediterranean.  Together they have explored over 50 countries. Amazingly, airports and airplanes are still fun for them.

Their two most memorable trips were participating in Delta’s International Habitat for Humanity builds in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and El Monte, Chile.

This Valentine’s Day they will spend apart working flights to separate continents. When they return, they look forward to sharing their new discoveries.

Alex and Ed also have two adult children who also share their love of travel.

Congratulations Alex and Ed!

During the past 12 months, the 80,000 professional men and women at Delta have worked diligently on your behalf to provide a safe, reliable, convenient and friendly travel experience. In 2012, Delta turned out the best performance in the history of the airline, including a 78 percent improvement in completed flights, a 5 percent improvement in on-time arrivals and a 27 percent improvement in baggage handling. Our team’s dedication to running a reliable operation also meant more opportunities to exceed your expectations, which resulted in a 37 percent reduction in customer complaints.

We have your back, and we intend to make 2013 even better for you.

While safety and reliability are what you expect from Delta, we believe you also deserve a comfortable, convenient and friendly travel experience – one that allows you to maximize your time on the ground and in the air.

We continue to invest in technology that allows you to connect with us in the manner you prefer. This $120 million investment includes the first phase of a new delta.com website that will simplify your journey and give you greater control of your travel experience. We continue to improve the speed of our kiosks, allowing you to check in an average of 18 seconds faster, and we’re adding more of our popular recharging stations at top airports to make it easier for you to stay connected.

By summer we will complete our largest project – renovating and expanding Terminal 4 at New York’s JFK International Airport to create a world-class facility fitting for the world’s largest travel market.

No other US airline is investing as much as Delta in facilities and improvements on the ground. We’re not stopping there.

By the end of this year, full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access will be the standard for our BusinessElite cabin onboard all of our widebody international aircraft. New and expanded cuisine, amenities and in-flight entertainment will allow to you relax and feel refreshed upon landing. If your travel requires a greater level of productivity, we hope you will take advantage of onboard Wi-Fi or streaming content. We’re pleased to be the largest provider of in-flight Wi-Fi in the world and look forward to expanding further by offering Wi-Fi access aboard international flights beginning in 2013.

If you love the look and feel of new aircraft and the smell of new leather, you’ll be pleased to experience beginning in the third quarter two aircraft types that are new to Delta’s fleet – the Boeing 737-900 and Boeing 717. These aircraft are part of our strategy to fly larger, more fuel efficient planes while reducing smaller regional jets. These new aircraft offer more first class seats for our premium customers and help us conserve fuel and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

We have a busy but exciting year ahead of us as we continue to improve our products and services to meet your travel needs. The on-board product – seats, aircraft, in-flight entertainment – are an important part of the experience we provide to you. Equally as important is the opportunity to make your journey that much better through the gracious service of Delta people worldwide.

We look forward to continuing to build a better airline for you.

Thanks for flying with us.

Richard Anderson