Yesterday Delta launched its new Business Class seats. I’m sure you’ve seen the photos of the mockup of the new seat, but here they are again for your visual delight:
Delta One Business Class Suite – Image, Delta
Delta One Business Class Suite – Image, Delta
So, we have mini-suites in coming to Business Class now, called “Delta One Business Class Suite”.
Delta promises the following on the new seats including:
- Direct Isle access
- A full-height door at every suite
- Sliding privacy dividers between centre suites
- In-suite, customisable ambient lighting
- Dedicated stowage compartments for shoes, headphones and laptops
- “Contemporary design” featuring premium trim and finishes
- Memory foam-enhanced comfort cushion
- An 18-inch, high resolution in-flight entertainment monitor
- A universal power outlet and USB port at every seat
So definitely a seat designed for privacy. As Runway Girl revealed, the seats themselves based on the Thomson Vantage XL.
Here’s a picture of the seat without a door or cabin around it:
Thomson Vantage XL – the base of the Delta one business seat. Shown at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2016 – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
Delta One Suite will fly initially aboard the Airbus A350 fleet – with the first aircraft to enter service in autumn/fall 2017. The airline will roll out the product on its fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft – following the introduction of the suite on the A350.
So with this product going onto planes, have the Middle Eastern carriers finally forced the hand of Delta into innovating its on-board product further?
According to the quote from Tim Mapes, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer:
“Delta constantly listens to customers and responds with products that deliver what they want. After setting the standard with the introduction of full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access in 2008, Delta is again elevating the international business class experience,”
“Added comfort and privacy are important to business travelers, and that drove the design of the all-new Delta One suite.”
I would say that with the hard product improvements being launched, Delta is reacting and trying to work out the next thing beyond “direct aisle access”. Suite products are flying in the USA already on JetBlue on its MINT Suites product, whilst the Middle Eastern carriers continue to innovate.
Even United has recently begun to its seat and business class product with the announcement of the Polaris seat and associated products
For the passenger – it seems to be a new product for you to try in the air that offers a bit more privacy at 35,000ft when you’re trying to work or sleep. No bad thing at all.
However, with the introduction of a new hard product – the soft product must be tightened and polished at the same time. It’s entirely possible to have the greatest seat in the world – but if you have a crew that don’t want to be aboard the plane, then that new product can be all for nothing…
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That means direct access to an Island (Isle) or to the center Aisle?