Delta Air Lines Adds New First Class Seats on Boeing 737-800s, Expands Delta One on Airbus A350-900s

Delta Air Lines will update the cabins on its Airbus A350-900 aircraft and select Boeing 737-800 planes over the coming months. The airline aims to improve the onboard experience for passengers, especially those flying in its premium cabin classes. The updated cabins will appear on the first 737-800s and A350-900s in February and the summer, respectively. 

Mauricio Parise, Delta's Vice President of Brand Experience, said about the cabin updates:

"Delta is committed to creating a consistent and elevated customer experience across all touchpoints of the travel journey, which includes offering the best products for our customers while in-flight. Enhancing our aircraft interiors with select retrofits will give customers more premium options to choose from."

Boeing 737-800

Delta will introduce a brand-new First Class seat on certain Boeing 737-800 planes. These seats will provide passengers with enhanced comfort, more privacy, additional storage space for personal items, and a tray table that can accommodate more weight. The airline introduced these seats in 2022 on its Airbus A321neo aircraft.

Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin passengers will receive updated lavatories and in-flight entertainment screens. The 10-inch (254-millimeter) screens will allow passengers to watch over 1,000 hours of entertainment on Delta Studio, including up to 18 live TV channels on select flights. 

On the technical side, Delta is installing split-scimitar winglets that will save the airline almost 3.3 million gallons of fuel annually. Fuel efficiency is important for Delta as the airline aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Delta is currently working on incorporating sustainable aviation fuel into its operations at its hub airports, including Los Angeles (LAX) and Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP). 

Delta has 77 Boeing 737-800 planes in its fleet for domestic flights. The 737-800s can accommodate 160 passengers across three cabin classes. There are 108 seats in Main Cabin, 36 in Delta Comfort+, and 16 in First Class. Delta uses the 737-800 on flights between its hubs and midsize airports, such as Delta flight DL 1117 from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Cincinnati (CVG). 

Airbus A350-900

Delta will expand the Delta One cabin on its Airbus A350-900s by adding eight more lie-flat seats on each aircraft. The modifications will expand the plane's capacity to 275 passengers across four cabin classes. The A350-900s can now accommodate 159 passengers in Main Cabin, 36 in Delta Comfort+, 40 in Delta Premium Select, and 40 in Delta One.

Delta currently has 28 A350-900s in its fleet and has 16 additional planes in its order book. The aircraft is used on many long-haul international routes, such as Delta flights DL 146 and DL 147 between Atlanta (ATL) and Santiago, Chile (SCL). Some domestic flights also use the A350-900, especially longer routes like Delta flight DL 777 between Las Vegas (LAS) and Atlanta.