I’ve never been a fanboy of any airline, certainly not any US airline. The same can’t be said for many of my fellow millennials, who anecdotally seem to be on the Delta train in overwhelming numbers.
I mean, I’ve always liked Delta well enough. They have a clean livery, great advertising and branding and are the only American carrier to fly the Airbus A350, my favorite plane currently flying. At the same time, I’ve only ever really flown them when they were the cheapest carrier on a route.
For a long time, I wondered whether I would ever write a Delta One business class review, for reasons I’ll explain in greater depth later in this post. Which I do hope you’ll continue reading—did Delta make a fanboy out of me?
Why It Took Me So Long to Review Delta One
I honestly never thought I would be able to write a Delta One review. As you’ll know if you’ve read my other airline content, I primarily use miles and points to fly in business class. I do pay cash occasionally, but this only when I find a “mistake fare,” or when I get an especially good price. If you know anything about Delta One (or Delta, which has inexplicably decided it’s America’s Premium Airline™, in general), you know these ideas are incompatible.
I’ll explain more about Delta One’s ridiculous points pricing in a few paragraphs. When it comes to paying cash, however, it’s almost impossible in 2024 to find a round-trip to Asia for less than $5,000—it’s often much more. It was only due to a random Google Flights search, which led me to an itinerary into Tokyo and out of Taipei for under $4,000 (and $500 less using my Platinum Card, booking via Amex Travel) that I finally decided to pull the trigger.
Ranking the Elements of the Delta One Experience
Delta One seat
Now, I have to warn you: Delta One seats are highly variable. Only the one on the A350, the A330-900 and the 767-400 are true “Delta One Suites” with doors; among these, only the A350’s has truly sleek, premium-looking finished. And even then, it just doesn’t seem as exciting now as it must’ve in the late 2010s, even if the bed was comfortable: Between my flight to Tokyo and the one back from Taipei, I slept a combined 12 hours.
Delta One service
Service in Delta One business class was shakier, at least superficially so. The words I wrote down to describe various flight attendants were “decrepit” and “frail,” even if in these seem unkind in retrospect. My own flight attendant, in spite of being somewhat sassy, won me over in the end. I loved her spicy nail polish and her conversational skills, even if I found it unprofessional how she expected me to set my own table multiple times.
Delta One food and beverage
Speaking of tables, the food in Delta One was a major fail. This was true for the infamous beed on the way to Tokyo, and for the dumplings on the way back from Taipei. Although I chose a Chinese meal (and a pre-order one, no less), it was accompanied by Western-style sides (and with a fork/knife on the tray, which was awkward to say the least). Also, this is a minor gripe, but the lack of name-brand Bailey’s among cordial selections was annoying.
Delta One entertainment and WiFi
This might surprise you in a Delta One review, but my flight from Taipei didn’t have WiFi at all, in spite of being on a brand-new Airbus A330-900. This was not a hardware problem, it seems, but a software program. The good news is that both the speed and coverage en route to Tokyo were much better than I expected, especially since Delta (like most US carriers) lets you switch between devices. I barely browsed the IFE library on either flight.
Delta One value for money
I’ll be honest: If I weren’t a travel blogger dead-set on reviewing every business class product, I’d never have paid Delta’s price. While there were many good elements to the experience—some were even excellent—the reality is that between underwhelming SkyClub locations, a forgettable flight in domestic first and even small things like the spartan, paltry excuse for an “amenity kit,” Delta simply doesn’t feel as premium as it puffs itself up as being.
Can You Use Miles for Delta One?
The good news? You can absolutely use Delta SkyMiles to fly Delta One! The bad news? While rates to Europe and Africa are slightly more reasonable, it’s difficult to fly Delta One to Asia for less than a million miles round-trip per person (half that one-way, obviously). Booking via partners like Virgin Atlantic and Air France/KLM is obviously cheaper, but finding Delta availability via their programs (at least to Asia) is pretty rare.
How many points do you need to fly Delta One? Yes, you heard me correctly: You will probably need 500,000 Delta SkyMiles (or SkyPesos, as they’re increasingly) known for a one-way flight from the US to Tokyo or Seoul, although more rarely you can fly to Taipei for half that. I recently saw Sydney for 80,000 miles during the middle of winter, though my advice would be not to pin your hopes on getting a deal like that.
Other FAQ About Delta One Business Class
Is Delta One like business class?
Delta One is Delta’s business class, although the brand name might have you believe it’s a first-class experience. While the seat-with-a-door was revolutionary in 2018 or 2019, it’s relatively standard these days and can be found in many airlines’ business classes. Note that certain Delta aircraft don’t include these seats, and instead have an older “staggered” product.
What does flying Delta One get you?
In addition to a lie-flat seat with a bed, a multi-course meal and a full bar, Delta One passengers enjoy complimentary access to the Delta SkyClub (or a partner lounge, when a SkyClub is not available), priority boarding, additional baggage allowances and, at some airports, access to expedited security and immigration queues.
Does Delta upgrade to Delta One on international flights?
Unless you pay in advance to upgrade your economy or premium economy seat to Delta One before you travel, your chances of receiving an upgrade to Delta One at the gate are virtually zero. Delta would literally rather let a Delta One seat fly empty than upgrade a passenger to it free of charge.
The Bottom Line
If you’re a Delta lover, my Delta One business class review might have rubbed you the wrong way. While I’ll concede that some aspects of the Delta One experience were good (some were even excellent), I just don’t get the hype overall. Certainly not considering that round-trip flights to Asia (my most typical destination these days) tend to cost upwards of $5,000, or an even more laughable 1,000,000 Delta SkyMiles. With this being said, I am happy I’d finally flown Delta One for myself, after years on the outside (or back in Premium Select, as it were) looking in…er, forward. Need personalized help planning your next trip? Hire me as your Travel Coach!
