With my Scotland trip report finally done, it’s time to move on to other things. I still have several trips to report on, but also a few “random” items in between. One such random trip was a spin in Delta One Suite A330-900neo on its premium transcontinental service from JFK to LA. Short take – it’s a big step-up over the outdated product on the 767-400. But would it match the Delta-inspired hype? I paid (way too much) cash for these tickets, to the tune of $1,548 each.
See also: my review of Premium Select on the A330-900neo from Minneapolis to Paris in 2023.
Delta Air Lines (DL) Flight 738
- Saturday, April 19, 2025
- Depart: New York – John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Terminal 4, Gate B37, 14:54, 6m early
- Arrive: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Terminal 3, Gate 30A, 18:04, 11m early
- Duration: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Seats: 2C, 2G
- Equipment: Airbus A330-900neo
Check-In and Boarding
Delta really does provide a fully seamless experience starting at check-in at JFK. After arriving via the subway and AirTrain, my son and I headed for the dedicated Delta One check-in area at Terminal 4.
An agent quickly greeted us and checked our boarding passes. After verifying we had no bags to check, she pointed the way to the dedicated Delta One security check. Before heading down, I snapped a few photos of the check-in area. There are numerous check-in desks, meaning you should never have a meaningful wait.
If you need more substantial assistance, there are additional agents available at separate desks. Or you can just relax in the sitting area for a few minutes before heading to security.
Once you’re ready, you head down a private corridor to a separate security area.
Pre-check took all of two minutes, and then you arrive directly to the entrance of the Delta One Lounge. I’ll have a separate post about the lounge later (spoiler: it’s very good).
This is really an exceptional offering, comparable to what I found at Abu Dhabi when flying Etihad First. I haven’t had a chance to try American’s Flagship check-in at JFK. My son and I have a joyride in transcontinental Business scheduled in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we’ll have time to check it out. But it certainly has a high bar to clear compared to what Delta offers.
Anyway, we arrived at the gate a few minutes before scheduled boarding. Boarding began right on time, and the gate agent welcomed Delta One passengers on board in short order.
Delta One Suites A330-900neo – Seating and Interior
Delta One on the A330-900neo consists of 29 Thompson Aero Vantage suites in a 1-2-1 configuration. (The 29th seat is an orphaned window seat in Row 8, Seat 8A.) These are similar to the Delta One suites on the A350-900, though those are Thompson Vantage XL seats. On the A330-900neo, Delta One seats measure 22″ wide, and fold into a 76″ flat bed. For those keeping score at home, that’s actually 1.5″ wider than the seat on the A350-900.
The seats themselves look quite similar to those on the A350, and include the same staggered configuration. In odd rows, the seat is closer to the aisle, with a large storage shelf by the window. Meanwhile, in even rows, the seat is against the window, with the shelf on the aisle side. Since my son and I were traveling together, I selected a pair of center seats.
If you value privacy, the odd-numbered window seats are the way to go. But unlike modern reverse herringbone designs, you do have decent options if you want to talk to your neighbor. Since they face forward without an angle, the center seats actually allow you to talk to your seatmate without too much effort. (If you don’t want to socialize, you can raise the partition between seats.)
My son certainly approved of the seat…
One of the major issues with Delta’s 767 Business Class seats is the narrow footwells. The A330-900neo is much better in this regard; I found foot space adequate in both upright and bed mode.
Delta provides a pretty good pillow and fair blanket to transcontinental Delta One passengers. The bedding in particular isn’t world-beating, but good enough for a daytime flight. I found the seat itself comfortable in bed mode.
And of course, there’s the suite door. While in lie-flat mode, it does provide a modicum of privacy from the aisle. But like most Business Class suites, you’re not exactly invisible from those walking down the aisle. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you’re in a seat immediately adjacent to the aisle, the bed is right up against the door. That may feel confining to some. And I’ll concede that it’s a little awkward to have to swing out your feet directly into the aisle if in flat bed mode.
As for seat storage, this consists of the oversized shelf at each seat, along with a small cubby under the armrest, by the seat controls. One thing I did notice – despite this plane being fairly new, there’s quite a bit of dust and wear already starting to build up.
Speaking of seat controls, you can find basic seat and lighting controls on the armrest.
At the top of the storage shelf is a more comprehensive control panel. The visuals make it reasonably easy to use, with the seat position fully customizable. You should have no trouble getting comfortable.
As far as the cabin itself, something feels just a bit off about everything. While it’s bright and airy, it feel a bit…cold, maybe? The bright white finishes just don’t give a particularly warm and premium vibe. My guess is the finishes will also get scuffed up pretty quickly. I do like the suite lighting, though, and the A339 is noticeably quieter at cruise than a standard A330.
When it comes to amenities, Delta One passengers receive a small “Missoni” amenity kit. It’s a fairly basic kit, with socks, eyeshades, lip balm, face cream, and a dental kit.
Overall, I give high marks to the seat on the A330-900. The seat itself is comfortable, and the layout does provide choices depending on what you value most. There are a few quirks, and if it’s privacy you want, you do need to choose wisely. But overall, it’s a very solid hard product.
In-Flight Entertainment
Front and center in the A330-900neo is an 18.5″ touch screen display. I found the resolution quite sharp, much better than older products like the 767.
Passengers receive the same Delta Studio entertainment as any other Delta flight. If you want, you can also access the same content on a personal device via WiFi. There is an extensive selection of movies, TVs, games, and kids programming. You’ll have plenty to keep you occupied, whether it’s a transcon or a flight to Asia. (Now if only somebody would bring back the Golf Simulator…)
There is also a selection of live TV programming, along with a few streaming services like Hulu and Showtime.
The flight map, meanwhile, is the usual system Delta offers, which is quite good. (Assuming, of course, you’re a map-obsessed avgeek like me.)
Each passenger receives a set of over-the-ear headphones. While these are significantly better than the old LSTN headphones, they’re just OK overall.
Each suite comes equipped with a combination 110v/USB-A outlet at each seat next to the seat controller. There’s also an additional USB right next to the power port.
Like all other Delta aircraft, all passengers receive free WiFi, as long as you’re a SkyMiles member. Before you get too excited, though, it is still the same old GoGo. It’s free, and certainly better than it used to be, but don’t expect lightning fast speeds or anything. Still, good enough for basic social media and for my son to watch Super Mario videos on YouTube, though with occasional buffering.
Delta One Suites A330-900neo – Food, Beverage, and Service
Service began shortly after boarding with an offer of a pre-departure beverage. On international Delta One flights, Delta serves Taittinger Brut La Française, a pretty good mid-range offering. On transcontinental flights, though, it’s just generic sparkling wine. I took one anyway for the obligatory champagne selfie.
While I don’t recall seeing printed menus on this flight, I did pull them up on the app later and took screenshots. During boarding, the FAs came by and confirmed pre-orders, or took orders for those who didn’t. For what it’s worth, the wine list actually wasn’t terrible on this flight. There were some interesting selections, most of which rate pretty decently.
I must say, it seemed to take an inordinate amount of time for food service to start after takeoff. In fact, it took a good 55 minutes to receive our beverage and mixed nuts. With beef coming up for the main course, I ordered the Spanish Rioja to drink. I took a liking to Riojas after a trip to Sevilla back in 2023. This one is “quaffable” as the wine connoisseur might say. Perfectly acceptable for a < $20 bottle, with some nice dark fruit and vanilla flavors. Also bonus points to Delta for including pistachios and pecans in the ramekin of nuts.
Very quickly thereafter, the FAs brought the main course. Both my son and I pre-ordered the pastrami short rib.
I did find it a little off-putting that the FAs decided to serve everything on one tray. I totally get the desire for efficiency. But it took nearly an hour to bring the food out, and this was a daytime westbound flight. That just doesn’t feel very premium to me. Anyway, the beef wasn’t as good as the short rib I enjoyed on my A321neo flight from Boston to San Diego, but it was perfectly fine. I seem to strike out frequently with beef in the air, but this was cooked acceptably. And as a bonus, it was a decent cut, without any hints of freezer burn. For the rest of the meal, I enjoyed the shrimp and the salad, though the cornbread was dry.
I ate a bit in the lounge before the flight, so I passed entirely on dessert. A couple of hours after lunch, I asked for a Woodford to sip on and cap things off. (Notice the nut ramekin from before lunch still sitting there – not cool.)
About an hour or so before landing, the FAs served a warm cookie. Certainly nothing wrong with that, but sorry, I forgot to take a photo.
So overall, the food and beverage was fine, but service is what I thought missed the mark here. On the plus side, as I’ve come to expect on Delta, the crew was kind. And the FA on my son’s side of the aisle took really nice care of him. He kind of picked at his food, and she asked a couple of times if we could bring him something else. But there just seemed to be a real lack of urgency and efficiency.
I don’t care about a drawn-out meal service, especially on a westbound daytime flight. But not starting service for nearly an hour, and then trying to “express dine” the whole thing, just doesn’t provide a premium experience. Nor do misses like not clearing the nut ramekin for more than 3 hours. It’s little things, yes, but little things make the difference when deciding where to plunk down big bucks or miles on Business Class.
With a pair of middle seats, I had to forego flightseeing on this leg.
Final Thoughts
Delta really likes to hype up its Delta One Suites, but does it meet the mark? I’d say, not quite. If we’re talking purely the seat, it’s a great product. American’s new A321XLR will probably match it, but it’s a solid Business Class product regardless. And there’s no question, the Delta One check-in and lounge experience blows away what American and United offer. What disappointed on this flight was service, which didn’t feel very premium at all. Maybe what I experienced was an aberration, but that drops it to a 4-star experience instead of world beating in my opinion.
