Delta One A330-200 Business Class Review, Beijing (PEK) to Seattle (SEA)
Delta’s best business class product, hands down.
Hopping between Asia and the US, you’d think I wouldn’t hesitate to throw some points down for a tier 1 airline like Singapore, ANA, JAL, Cathay, or even Korean, but sometimes you just don’t have the luxury or time (or points!) to make an extra stop on your way home, which is what happened to me this trip. But since Delta is my “daily driver” — the Volvo to the Ferrari, the Starbucks to the Kopi Luwak — I’m familiar with the experience, I don’t even need to look at the menu, and though I may not snapchat seat photos to friends, I’m rarely disappointed. And, when seated in this particular reverse herringbone business class product, it’s hard to be disappointed…here’s why.
What’s awesome:
- reverse herringbone configuration – far superior to DL’s 767 product
- totally sleepable lie flat seat
- window seats feel very private, so get one if you can
- food/drink is business class-y, but consistently very that
What’s not:
- cramped footwell/ottoman
- seats in the middle basically stare at your neighbor’s screen/dining experience
- may not be an issue for you, but seats towards the rear of the forward cabin get some galley noise
- I used the term “product” 6 times in this post
How it Happened
When flying home from an amazing Great Wall hike I had the option of either going directly back to Seattle in Delta One (business class), or pushing my tolerance for airtime and hopping down to HKG and flying Cathay business via SFO, which would require a night in HKG and a night in SFO…so I opted for the Delta A330 straight back to Seattle. This flight was 80k Membership Rewards points, which landed me in Delta One via an instant 1:1 transfer rate to my SkyMiles account. That’s a lot of miles for a one way fare, but not when you consider the $ amount — which was over $6k — making this point/$ value a decent $0.075 per point, well above my $0.04-5 threshold.
Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
Or is it location, location, location? I forget. Either way, Delta is pretty darn consistent with their business class experience, at least when they remember to load amenity kits on board before the flight (more on that flight some other time!). Yes, the Delta 767 business class was cool 10 years ago and is in need of a serious refresh ASAP, but on their other widebody jets (aside from some 777s) you’ll end up in this reverse herringbone configuration, much like you see on tier 1 airlines such as Qatar, Cathay, Virgin Australia, Air France, and EVA (though EVA’s tier 1 status is not confirmed as they have no first class). Delta One on the A330 is a great business class product for three main reasons:
- whether it’s good or bad, you will have basically the same experience on every flight
- everyone has aisle access
- since you face away from the aisle your seat feels more private
You can check out the Delta A330-200 seat map and read Delta Airlines reviews from other travelers by following those links.
The gallery
How to Get Delta One Business Class on Points
Earning Delta Skymiles means Amex all the way. If you also happen to be an SPG member, then this is actually a very good thing. Delta & SPG Crossover Rewards + The PRG card + the Delta Gold card from American Express + the SPG card = multiple opportunities for layered points earnings. Pick which card you use for airfare (either of the Golds) and you’ll also earn 1 SPG point/dollar for many flights, and vice versa (except use the SPG card for hotel purchases…).
The Bottom Line
Delta has a pretty solid business class product with this configuration, and as a Diamond with lots of SkyMiles and Amex points – which I can transfer over at 1:1 – I tend to fly them often and rarely have complaints. It won’t win any “best business class” awards, sure, but it’s a LOT better than United and some American configurations. I give it 4 stars, whereas United widebody might get 2 or 3…
Thoughts on Delta One
If you’ve flown Delta’s business class, we want to hear from you! If you love it, hate it, or simply have to deal with it because your company has a corporate contract with them, please share your comments with us below 🙂
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Marty
Upgraded from Premium Economy to Business Class on a flight to Milan coming up in late September, from all the reviews on the A330, am looking forward to the flight over and back with my wife.
seatlink
Enjoy - it's a solid business class product, well worth the upgrade!
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