Introduction
I had originally booked a Korean Air first class award from Seattle to Incheon to Hong Kong, but due to my last trip’s problem, I was irrationally afraid I’d have a similar issue. Plus, I had booked a buddy on the direct SEA-HK Delta in premium economy already, so it made sense for us to just fly together. I was shocked to find 2 seats available on Delta One at a cost of 80K Skymiles. I only had half of that in my account, so immediately transferred the other 40K from AMEX MR. I wasn’t a fan of the fee and even considered transferring more especially since Skymiles don’t expire, but decided not to at the last minute.
Lounge
Since I had an AMEX Plat card, I could have gotten into the Delta lounge at Seatac, but my buddy didn’t have the card and I don’t think I could have guested him in the Delta lounge, we were perfectly content with the inferior Centurion lounge.
Gogo Wifi
I was able to use my AMEX Business Platinum Gogo passes to access Gogo for the duration of the flight, which was awesome. I found out that my CNB card’s Gogo passes were only domestic-only, but I told my buddy to contact them online, and they were able to give him a pass that he could use “because he didn’t know.” The lesson learned here is that not all Gogo passes are equal and the AMEX one is superior to others.
Experience
The flight was a looong 14.5 hours from Seattle. I thought the space was pretty cramped but adequate. There were times I wished the footrest was wider but oh well. I did like how you got 2 pillows. I don’t recall the cabin being particularly too hot, but that could be because I didn’t change into the Delta pajamas and kept on my breathable Public Rec travel pants and Lululemon top. The food was just alright. I did get hungry mid-flight and asked for the bowl of ramen, which was once again just alright. The champagne, which I had 3-4 glasses of, gave me a headache mid-flight. I should have known better when they wouldn’t bring out the bottle and pour it at your seat (like almost every other international airline. The service was on the poor side since they didn’t walk around as much or had as many FA’s as international airlines. The FA that helped me with my ramen waited for me to open the box and seasoning packets. I expected her to do all that for me.
I realize I’m being overly critical of this flight, but when compared to the experience I would have had with Korean F, it’s not even in the same ballpark. Would I have chosen this flight again versus KE F? YES only because I valued the nonstop flight more than the upgrade in the F experience. If I had to connect to get to HK on Delta One, it’d be a HARD NO and I’d give you the “are you stupid” look.
Pictures
What am I missing? Delta ONE customers get access to the SkyClub as part of the international business class ticket.
My buddy wasn’t flying D ONE
Recently flew Delta One from SEA-PEK and was pretty thrilled with the Macallan 12 offering. Far superior single malt to what almost all other airlines offer in J.
Looks like the a330? I had paid for first class from CUN-MSP that was supposed to be an a330, and they switched it out to a 767-300, which I was pretty unimpressed with.
I haven’t flown Delta in a while. Does the aircraft make a difference sitting in One?
The a330 is the reverse herringbone pattern, which I’ve always found really comfortable. The 767 was more of a Thompson vantage style, but felt a lot narrower than swiss business.
It’s not exactly shocking that Delta’s service is not on par with Korean Air lol.
I knew service wouldn’t compare, but I at least thought the FA would make my ramen for me.
I think Delta’s service standard is to allow you to open the ramen and remove the seasoning yourself for two reasons – sanitation, since the seasoning packet is loose inside the meal you’re about to eat, and taste preference, because some passengers may not want to use the entire spice/flavoring packet.