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Lie-Flat Business Class Seats Coming to Delta Transcontinental Flights

Nov. 06, 2012
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4 min read
Lie-Flat Business Class Seats Coming to Delta Transcontinental Flights
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Perhaps it’s playing catch-up in anticipation of American’s new fleet of aircraft with lie-flat beds in first and business on transcontinental routes, but Delta announced it plans to begin operating Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft with a full BusinessElite seat overhaul on all flights between New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle out of its new Terminal 4 at JFK.

Don’t get excited just yet, though. The first 767 is not scheduled to begin flying until March 2013 between JFK and LAX and will be timed to connect to the airline’s LAX-Sydney flight in both directions.

Soon you'll be seeing BusinessElite seats like these on Delta's transcon 767 and 757's.

Then by June, the airline plans to have four of its seven daily flights between JFK and LAX and one of its five daily flights between JFK and Seattle operating with a 767 widebody with the flat-bed BusinessElite product.

The new BusinessElite cabin on these jets will include only 26 full flat-bed seats, each with direct aisle access in a 1 x 2 x 1 configuration. Note: this is actually how you’ll be able to tell these particular aircraft apart from ones with the older class of service, which will have seats configured in a 2 x 2 x 2 layout.

As is standard with the BusinessElite seats, each will be 21 inches wide and recline to a bed with a full length of 79 inches. Each will have a personal 10.6-inch video monitor.

In addition, these planes will have 29 Economy Comfort seats with 35 inches of pitch and 50% more recline (to maybe about 5 inches!). For those stuck in the back, every seat in Economy will be outfitted with a personal 9-inch video monitor and USB power while Business Elite and Economy Comfort seats will have 110v power outlets.

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The entire fleet of widebody Delta planes is scheduled to be complete its reconfiguration by early 2014.

Look at the number of Economy Comfort seats to figure out if your plane has the new seats in it.

The newly redone 757’s will continue to have 16 BusinessElite seats in a 2 x 2 configuration – and will be 20 inches wide with a length on average of 79 inches when fully reclined. This will be the first time Delta has lie-flats on 757 aircraft and I hope they continue to retrofit their 757 fleet that services Europe. The plane will have 44 seats in Economy Comfort and 108 Economy seats, each of which will have its own video monitor, and every seat will have 110v and USB power ports. By next summer, the transcontinental 757 fleet will have 25 Economy Comfort seats up from 11 today. This is how you’ll be able to single out the newly reconfigured aircraft as they roll off the line – if the Economy Comfort cabin has just 11 or 25 seats, it won’t have the new BusinessElite seats, but if there are 44, you’re golden.

The entire fleet will have in-flight WiFi, on-demand entertainment and the 757’s will have 18 channels of live satellite TV, which will be a nice improvement since currently the transcontinental flights don't have live satellite TV.

For more details on the upgrade and flight schedules, check out Delta’s announcement page. Overall, this is great news- especially with 767s servicing the route, which means 10 more BusinessElite seats and better chances of Medallion upgrades!

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.