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Delta Airlines A350 – Inside Look
I was recently invited by Delta Airlines to take a sneak peek of their new A350. Delta has added their new flagship plane on the Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai (PVG) route. The inaugural flight takes place today July 2, 2018. To take advantage of Delta Airlines A350, make sure to book flight number DL89.
Delta One Suite
I’ve flown to Asia before on Delta ONE in their A330 and 777 to Tokyo and Shanghai. I was very excited to explore the A350 and see how it compared to my other experiences in the past. Delta ONE suite passengers get a Tumi hard case amenity kit packed with Kiehl products. The seat is wider and comes with a memory foam cushion for exceptional comfort.
The presentation meal had me a little confused by the sushi. I was expecting Delta to have more of a Shanghai or at least Chinese cuisine theme menu for their flight.
Controls
The seat comes with noise canceling LSTN headphones (not pictured). Right below, is your power and USB outlet to charge your electronics.
On your left-hand side of your seat, your seat control is located to adjust your seat accordingly.
Below your seat control, you have the TV remote and the flip up panel has a mirror.
Seat
Business class is in a 1-2-1 configuration. There is a middle sliding door to make it easy to talk to loved ones or friends during your flight.
One of the highlights of the new A350 Suites is it’s Delta’s first enclosed suites which come with a sliding door for ultimate privacy. I’m 6’5 and even when I was sitting down, my head popped above the sliding door. I had to recline my seat not to be exposed.
The seats provide great legroom. My shoe size is 12 and I still had plenty of room to stretch my legs out.
Watching entertainment on your long-haul flight got better with Delta’s 18-inch high-resolution screen. It’s the largest among U.S. carriers.
Located on the bottom left of the seat is a side compartment to put a medium size backpack or shoes.
Delta Premium Select Seat
I was looking forward to seeing what made the new Premium Select seats different from Comfort Plus seats. The seats are wider and have an adjustable leg and headrest. Passengers will get Westin Heavenly blanket and pillow along with the same noise-canceling LSTN headsets found in Delta ONE Suites. A Tumi-amenity kit packed with Malin+Goetz travel essentials are provided to passangers flying in this class as well.
Main Cabin
The main cabin seats are configured in a 3-3-3 configuration and I was surprised how comfy and spacious the seats were.
The Bald Thoughts
Overall, I have to give it to Delta Airlines for stepping up their game. The new A350 has definitely lived up to the hype surrounding it the last couple of months. I’m very eager to experience the soft product when I fly from LAX to PVG (Shanghai) in September. For those who are Diamond Medallion members, you have to use two global upgrade certificates (GUC) to redeem for a Delta One Suite. If you choose to use only one GUC, you will automatically get a Premium Select seat. To see more in-depth review, watch the video below.
Bonus Photos
Cockpit View
Hey Charlie, where are you seeing that it would take two certificates to upgrade to D1 Suites? That is contradictory to what is on Delta’s website: https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/skymiles/medallion-program/medallion-upgrades.html (Under “What to Know About Being on the Waitlist”) You have the option to ask for only the Delta One upgrade instead of asking for both Premium Select and Delta One (which would require two certificates). If you are willing to skip Premium Select, you only need one GUC.
Hi Hari,
Thanks for taking the time to read my article. This is true for most international routes with the exception of the new A350 with Delta One Suites. I confirmed with a Delta representative during my tour and when booking my flight from LAX to Shanghai. The phone agent told me I had to be waitlisted for Delta ONE Suite but I got Premium Select automatically with one GUC.
That’s really strange – they should’ve given you the option for it instead of forcing it. They should have told you that you could take the immediate upgrade to PS and use a second GUC to wait-list with D1, or just wait-list for D1 without the PS upgrade (using only one GUC). 🙁 That’s disappointing that they are shoehorning folks like that! I appreciate the heads up!