Delta One Suite features all the bells and whistles expected from state-of- the art business class
By Jonny Clark
During the past two years, many airlines scaled back their international flight schedules, and travelers missed the opportunity to experience the world’s flag- ship business class products. For those lucky enough to travel, service had generally been downscaled by pandemic restrictions.
Now that travel is rebounding, however, premium cabins are returning to a level of quality that had been put on hold. I recently flew from Amsterdam to Seattle and was able to try out Delta’s signature Delta One suite on a relatively new aircraft to join the fleet, the A330-900neo.
This aircraft isn’t as wide as the A350 that Delta also uses for intercontinental flights, and because of that, the product is a somewhat downsized version of its flagship, but it still features all the bells and whistles expected from state-of-the- art business class.
Delta Air Lines is a SkyTeam partner, allowing it to utilize its sister airline’s KLM Crown Lounge in Amsterdam. This is an impressive two-story space featuring plenty of areas to relax, dine or work. There are showers and even an outdoor terrace to get some fresh air, but when I flew, the signature Blue restaurant was closed. Still, the lounge was well catered with a range of cold and hot dishes and was the perfect place to enjoy time preflight. Boarding began an hour before departure and was organized and efficient, with business class passengers invited to use the SkyPriority lane at the gate.
The airline has done a decent branding job. The entryway is adorned with the Delta logo—the color palette fairly muted in a traditional red, white and blue scheme—and there was certainly a new-airplane feel, with the craft being just 11 months old. The 29 business class seats all have aisle access, in a staggered forward-facing layout. The even-numbered seats…