At Delta, we’re always thinking of ways to make your travels with us more consistent and enjoyable. We recently announced an exciting $1 billion investment through mid-2013 that will improve the customer experience in the air and on the ground.
Here’s what you can expect:
- 90 trans-oceanic aircraft will be updated with full flat-bed seats, adding the ability to stretch out and relax in our BusinessElite cabin on all Boeing 767-400ERs, 767-300ERs, 747-400s and 777-200ERs.
- 16 Boeing 747-400s and 52 767-300ERs will receive in-seat audio and video on demand in Economy Class, offering personal entertainment on all wide-body aircraft.
- 66 CRJ-700s will be outfitted with First Class comfort for Delta Connection customers.
- 269 pre-merger Northwest aircraft will be revamped to feature our signature blue leather seats as well as updated lighting and cabin amenities.
- 170 Boeing 767-300ERs, 757-200s and 737-800s will fly with extended range and fuel efficiency thanks to the winglet installations.
- Four additional Delta Sky ClubsÔ will be available to customers with the renovation and expansion of our L.A. lounge and new locations in Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Seattle.
So, what does it all mean for you? A more consistent, comfortable and convenient (not to mention sustainable) travel experience, whether you’re onboard, enjoying top-of-the-line amenities and our premium on-demand entertainment (now available on more planes than any other U.S. carrier), or relaxing in our extended global Delta Sky Club network.
And, this is all in addition to our continued initiative to outfit our domestic fleet (530+ aircraft) with in-flight Wi-Fi. We’re making major progress with Wi-Fi installed on 340+ aircraft and plans to hit our goal this summer. So, you may now sit back and surf, stay in touch or even respond to this blog on more flights than ever before.
We’re thrilled about these investments and hope you are too. Let us know what you think. What improvements would you like to see on the Delta docket over the next few years? You can post here or tweet us @deltablog.
Ranjan Goswami
Director – Customer Experience Planning & Development
February 19th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Good to hear about the upgrades! Would love to know what happened to adding AVOD and/or power to the pre-merger NW equipment.
Tough doing transcons without both (not that some pre-merger DL 737′s are any better but at least they have power).
February 19th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
110V power in the domestic fleet would be really nice. In-flight Wi-Fi is useless when the battery on your laptop runs out!
February 19th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
When you mention, “cabin amenities” on the pre-merger NW aircraft, can you specifically address AVOD and power?
Thanks.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
I’ve heard over and over that DL is planning on installing nose-to-tail AVOD on all aircraft except the DC-9′s and the MD-88′s. Is this still true? I also heard that the AVOD plan for the MD-90 was scrapped? Again is this true?
Thanks! Love the blog!
February 20th, 2010 at 4:22 am
Hat’s off. Well done, as we know that “hard work always pays off”, after a long struggle with sincere effort it’s done.
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albert pinto
swingers
February 20th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Can you provide more of a detailed timeline for the improvements? (For example, when should we begin seeing AVOD/ Flat beds on your 747-400/ 767-300ER aircraft? This year?)
February 20th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
I am an old Delta customer but I have been amazed at how easy , pain free , and carefree the Memphis hub is for Delta passenger – I always get my upgrade – I just traveled from SFO to AMS and the flight staff in Memphis was amazing – I sometimes want to avoid to hustle and crowds of ATL but still love Delta but Memphis is large enough to get me to every destination I want to go to but its a lovely airport to connect in – I love the new Delta
February 21st, 2010 at 3:29 am
I fly the PDX to NRT on 767-300ER if I am not mistaken. Will those be upgraded to Lie flat beds in Business Elite?
February 21st, 2010 at 4:07 am
Can someone please advise what onboard entertainment is offered on the JFK – Budapest direct Delta flight in the summer of 2010? Are there personal screens and is the On Demand service offered? If yes, is it free of charge? Thanks/
February 21st, 2010 at 10:09 pm
I recently had the pleasure of experiencing the new JFK-SFO business class – it is a very nice product. The food and service (and especially the seat) were fantastic. Thanks for provisioning lots of Omelets! There were plenty of this popular entree for all. Nice to see menu’s back in business class. Great bagels in the Sky Club before boarding… all in all, a great flying experience. Thanks, Delta. Looking forward to the Sky Club at IND!
February 22nd, 2010 at 11:45 am
I echo the above questions about adding nose-to-tail AVOD in all mainline aircraft (DL and pre-merger NW), except for the DC-9s and MD-80s. It makes connecting through DTW far more appealing for a domestic trip.
What is the time frame for AVOD installations on the 767-300ERs? Have these conversions begun? Are there plans to complete conversions on these aircraft coterminously or one equipment type at a time? I seem to recall reading that AVOD installations can take up to two weeks per airframe. Is that about right?
Thank you so much for the blog! I follow it daily.
Skycubbie
February 22nd, 2010 at 12:11 pm
When will this be started and how many do you expect to be finished by the end of 2010?
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Get AVOD on all the domestic aircraft. Keep on working it. Very satisfied that both my DC9 and A320 flights had leather seats! No full flatbeds for the A330s?
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:34 am
I don’t see any mention of the 777-200LR such as used on DL 53/54. Can you confirm if this A/C is scheduled for the BF Upgrade as well?
February 23rd, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Why aren’t the former NWA 330′s listed as getting lie flat beds for transoceanic flights, ie Atlanta/Rome? Hopefully it means Delta will phase them out for an all Boeing fleet soon.
February 23rd, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Will the A330-200 fleet still have the current NWA WBC seats or will those be changing anytime soon? Also does anyone have any recommended preferred seats for Biz Elite in the A330-200? More legroom in Row 1?
February 24th, 2010 at 11:26 am
The 777-200LR’s were the prototype a/c for this type of seat; they all came pre-installed with all the newest features from the factory. All the other a/c are being modified to model the LR’s.
February 24th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
WBC on the A330′s is fine for the length of trips they are going on. They lie almost completely flat, and are pretty comfortable. I heard from a Delta Employee that these improvements were supposed to start this summer, and should be done late next year. (though that is just gossip) and George, I have to say that while I am not a huge fan of Airbus aircraft, Delta’s A330′s are quiet, big on the inside, and very roomy in the seats in Y and Biz E. I really enjoy the A330, and think one addition they should think about adding to the long haul, and Ultra long haul fleet, is mood lighting, or at least a progression on the lights. and Gonepetetong, They have specifically addressed that too, they have said that anything bigger than an MD-88 will get AVOD including the 737/ and possibly the A320. They are also adding larger overhead bins to old NW aircraft to accommodate roller luggage.
February 25th, 2010 at 12:03 am
When will the 767-300s be upgraded with flatbed seats to Paris (CDG). would love to see it soon. Current seats just don’t do it!
February 25th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
NWA’s former A330s will not get the upgrades because their product is already comparable to the flatbed seats. No sense in upgrading something that is already a great product(better than the current 767-300/777-200ER BF seats). They will stay for a long time as well as the A319s and A320s which are pretty new as well.
The JFK-BUD non-stop is on a 767-300ER so no AVOD sorry! It would be free AFAIK if it was on there.
February 26th, 2010 at 10:31 am
I live in Indy (home of the 500 and the COLTS) and commute frequently to Hollywood, CA exclusively First Class. I am most excited about the upcoming Sky Club; although, I am disappointed about not having daily NON-STOP services.
February 28th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Keep the AVOD coming! Great stuff!
I agree with msj558 about connecting in Memphis. I’ve gone through there twice recently, once on a codeshare with Northwest from Columbus to San Antonio the day before the merger was announced & the other on the way to Gulfport, MS last year & enjoy how easy an airport it is to work with and connect through.
The same sentiment goes for Cincinnati. That’s always been an easy airport to navigate and a pleasure to fly through. It’s a shame to see it slowly shrink.
March 1st, 2010 at 11:47 pm
I am a new Diamond Medallion member who has been “acquired” from NWA. Although I have concerns about my new airline, I must say that I love the communication between the company and customers. Delta Blogs are a prime example of willingness to discuss with customers not just “inform.”
It would be very useful to have a better idea of when specific aircraft/routes are expected to have the flatbeds installed. I have another trip coming up in a few weeks for which I booked with Korean Airlines instead of Delta because Korean is using flat bed seats on their routing. I earn the same MQMs, etc. for flying Korean but I would guess that Delta would rather have me flying Delta. The same goes for me–I would prefer to be using Delta, able to use my system-wide upgrades, etc. Help me figure out when I can use Delta for trips with flat bed seats and I am definitely in!
March 8th, 2010 at 10:04 am
When does Delta plan to upgrade the NW A-319/320s and 757s with video? I just got rescheduled on a flight from PHL to SLC on an A-320. Long flight with no in flight entertainment. I hope SOON now that you’re intermingling the aircraft.
Also, are DL flight attendants now working the Airbusses ?
March 8th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Hi: Boy- lots of great questions and feedback based on Ranjan’s post. It seems there are many questions about “when”, and I’ll try to address that here. The dates below are still in flux given how much DL and vendor coordination all of this requires. But, here’s what we’re currently thinking:
* Timeline for flat bed modifications: I wish I could say these are all happening tomorrow, but unfor they are not. As a marketing guy and not an engineer, I still don’t totally understand why airline modifications take as long as they do. But given the amazing complexity, relatively small numbers (i.e., most of the parts you see are handmade vs. assembly line) and strict safety standards we must follow, it takes a while. Rest assured that the entire company is pushing to get this done as quickly as possible. With that said, here are our tentative timeline targets:
+ 767-400ER flat bed (recall that 7 of these already have the flat bed; this modification will finish the project on the rest of the 764 fleet): by mid 2011 (14 aircraft)
+ 777-200ER flat bed: by mid 2011 (8 aircraft)
+ 767-300ER flat bed (76T models): by mid 2011 (7 aircraft). These aircraft are getting AVOD (seat-back IFE) in Coach RIGHT NOW, and this will be done within the next couple months!
+ 747-400 flat bed and Economy seat-back IFE: by mid 2012 (16 aircraft)
+ 767-300ER (76L models) flat bed and Economy seat-back IFE: by mid 2013 (45 aircraft here)
One reader asked about PDXNRT. That route is currently operated with a 767-300ER (76L model), which means flat bed no later than mid 2013. We are trying to get these 76Ls modified as quickly as possible, and to get them all done in about a year we’ll be working on at least 4 aircraft at any one time (in addition to all the other simultaneous mod’s).
Hope that helps!
March 10th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Why touch the 747′s excellent WBC cabin? It’s just a matter of personal preference does one prefer the NW/KL WBC lie-flat seats, or the Delta-style lie-flat seats (very hard, rather uncomfortable, and with the difficult tray-table design). Personally I prefer the NW WBC 747/A330 lie-flat seats to Delta’s. From this being discussed online, it seems to be more or less 50-50 in terms of passengers’ preference for DL lie-flat seats or NW WBC lie-flat seats. So why change an already excellent product here? It’s more $$ put in for no real gain, IMO.
Now the 747s coach cabin does need to be updated and have AVOD put in, no doubt about that, but IMHO there is really no reason to touch the 747s WBC (sorry, “BusinessElite”) cabin. It’s just a longer delay in getting the 747s refurbished for no real tangible gain.
March 10th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Thanks for the time line, Mike. Do you know which types of seats (Contour, Thompson) will be installed in the remaining aircraft? Please post a progress meter like UA and CO on the main web site! I’m looking forward to my trip to JNB on 77L this May!
Ranjan, as for future improvements, I’d like to see wi-fi on all aircraft. Obviously, it’s an issue right now as Connexion by Boeing got scrapped. It would increase the productivity of business travelers and prevent leisure travelers feeling disconnected from the world while in flight. Also, I’d like to have more showers in the ATL SkyClubs, for the benefit of the passengers traveling internationally.
I think asking for a hub in IAD would be asking for too much.
March 24th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
I will be traveling JFK-CAI in mid May, will the AVOD be available by than?
Thanks!
March 26th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Can anyone tell me when the JFK to Tokyo 777 flight will get the new Business elite seats??
March 28th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Just read that there will be BDL to LAX non-stop starting in June. Any idea what plane will be on that run, and will it have the same service as the JFK/LAX run.
March 30th, 2010 at 5:29 am
Hey thanks mike for the timeline! Wow, looks like you guys have a HUGE amount of work on your hands!
I was just curious- what is the difference between a 76T and a 76L? Are they visible from the outside? I was just curious… Also, is there any way to have a website, twitter, or other way to “announce” when conversions are complete? The average traveler joe might not care, but us Delta fanboys would love to hear about them =D
April 7th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Is there a site or a place on Delta.com where we can find out which flights are currently operating with flat bed seats other than to London? It sure would be nice to know that and also to have an idea when each of the over the water flights will have them. I was told the JFK / NCE flights were scheduled to have the flat bed seats as of 5/1/10, but it doesn’t look like it on the seat maps.- Tks Tom
April 27th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
wow those seats look better than the 777-200LR seats with more reach. I’m 195cm tall and I get uncomfortable on the seats on those ships. The Herringbone alignment is a bit weird as well.
I’d much prefer the setup.
May 11th, 2010 at 11:08 am
I’m scheduled on DL2477 LAX-OGG at the end of August. From what I have been able to find out, DL operates the twice daily LAX-OGG service using ex-NWA 757 model 5600. This aircraft appears to have no IFE or in-seat power in either cabin. It is disappointing to have this on a flight of over 5 hours. Does anybody know if this is correct and if DL plans to either upgrade these cabins very soon or if they might change the equipment on this route?
June 2nd, 2010 at 4:41 am
Dear Delta, it was great to hear of the upcoming upgrades to the fleet. I am a long-time Delta flier currently living in Zurich, Switzerland. I fly flights 66 and 67 3-4 times annually for business and once for vacation. Can you give any indication when I could expect the upgrades for this particular aircraft? Thanks for the info and hard work.
June 2nd, 2010 at 4:59 am
What is the probability that Delta will shed it’s Airbus planes and return to an all Boeing (for the larger planes) fleet?
June 4th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Please continue to post upgrades about conversions to flat bed seats. To me, and perhaps to others, it is very important to know what routes are flying the new seats–posting that information in an accessible place would be great. That is done for LHR but I do not see it for other routes. For the last couple of years, I have been flying most of my Asia business class trips on Korean Air because they are ahead of Delta on equipping aircraft with flat bed seats. I would prefer to fly these trips on Delta but will continue to use Korean or other airline on trips where Delta does not provide flat bed seats. I think Delta is moving on the conversions at a reasonable pace but I am making my choices based on what is available now.
June 11th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Blogger is right. We are all now flying planes that give us the best experience (i.e. flat beds). I have said this before, but if Delta will do the same as United, and post the routes that have flat beds, it will help all of us in our decisions as to who to fly. Having the planes listed is OK, but does not tell us enough details. I love Delta, but am not willing to do a long haul flight on the old seats.
Thanks,
Tom
June 14th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Dunno about Delta long haul seats from the past but I do know the old United ones. One thing I will tell you is that for the taller passenger, the older recliner seats were more comfortable !
I must admit, I find quarters a bit cramped for my long legs on the 777LR as well. even in recline, the new seats aren’t all that great. I would trade for a comfy recliner any day.
One other gripe is the ‘herringbone’ seat configuration in business class…not a fan. every bit as bad as the ‘club style seating on United. I’d prefer not to have to see another face the whole trip.
Having whined about that, I do much Prefer Delta’s service to either Qantas’s or United’s on the trans-pacific ‘schlep’
July 8th, 2010 at 7:14 am
Great that the 767ERs and 747s are finally getting AVOD!!! Now it’s time to focus on ex-NW aircraft, specifically A319s and A320s and the rest of the 757s! It would be amazing if every single Delta mainline aircraft except DC9s and MD88/90s could have DoD! You could even introduce a tool in the AVOD for frequent flyers allowing you to create your own playlist, or pause a movie that is saved to your account, then, on your next flight, log back in and continue that same movie. I don’t think any other airline has anything like it, and that would definitely be groundbreaking!
July 15th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Would you know how many of the 747-400 have AVODs installed. I got a a flight from DTW to NRT
July 22nd, 2010 at 10:15 am
I am going to book JFK-IST in J class and need to know if these aircraft have the lie flat beds. Please advise as I cannot find anywhere. Travelling in mid-September 2010
Thanks
July 30th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
triman: FYI when you look at the seat meap when you’re looking at the flights you can tell. The new flat seats on a 767-400 are in a 1-2-1 configuration. If its still the old seats its 2-2-2. FYI the new flat seat was showing up here and there in July on the JFK/MAD route.
My question is on the 767-300s that get new seats, will they replace the ancient overhead bins on those aircraft? If they’ve decided to keep them forever I hope they will make them look new. When you’re on a 777 and 764 you feel like you’re on a new plane even if they aren’t brand new.
Those bins are crummy on the 300s, the latches don’t work well and they don’t seem to hold as much.
August 16th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Hi,
I am flying to TLV (from JFK)september 2nd in a 747-400. Have my two young kids with me.
Any idea if the personal TV’s were installed already or not on the plane we are taking?
No one anywhere can tell me if the plane we are taking has them or not
Any advice would be great!
Thanks!
August 19th, 2010 at 1:29 am
Detroit and MSP to Asia have long been the bread and butter of NWA/now DL, so why it is it the planes on these routes are always the last to see an upgrade? Where are the lie flat beds for the long haul Asian flights?
August 20th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
lyndenboy, Delta does use the new flat bed seats in business on DL 27 – Detroit to HK – but they appear to only have one plane flying that route, so you have to check the seat layout to find it – look for 1 2 1 seats, not 2 2 2
This is probably happening on other routes also, so check before booking if you have a day or so flexibility in your schedule
January 17th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
I have heard rumors that Delta will start a premium economy cabin on international routes soon. Is this true, and if so, do you have any details on what features will be implemented?
January 19th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Any idea when the 767ER on the PDX-NRT will be upgraded? Last I was told it was soon. Any updates would be appreciated.
April 1st, 2011 at 1:30 am
Are the West Coast BizElite flights to Narita being upgraded as well? lyndenboy’s right, DL is focusing too much on upgrading its TransAtlantic flights and not giving same amount of attention to the TransPacific ones. LHR flights have the nice “cube” BizElite seats. How about the NRT flights?
May 25th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Anyone know if the 767 ER out of PDX to NRT been upgraded with the in seat audio and video on demand yet? Economy comfort starts June 1st.