Sneak peek: On board the first Delta Air Lines jet sporting its all-new cabin look
It's been decades since Delta Air Lines gave its cabins an entirely new look. But that's about to change.
Tuesday night, a newly delivered Airbus A350-900 will depart Delta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) megahub sporting an all-new cabin appearance — one that will slowly become the standard look on Delta's planes over the coming years.
Inside a hangar in Atlanta this week, TPG got a sneak peek of the new cabin, which features an entirely new aesthetic, from updated mood lighting and design touches to new Delta One seat coverings that the airline says will be more comfortable for sleeping on long-haul flights.
Boarding
Step on board this particular A350 and the first thing that hits you is the "new plane smell." It's not surprising, considering Delta only weeks ago ferried the aircraft back from Airbus' Toulouse, France, headquarters.
Once that fades, what you're most likely to notice first is the absence of the airline's "enchanted blue" seats, which have become an almost unmistakable sign you're on a Delta jet since debuting in 1998.
Delta's new seat coverings are a sleeker — if less distinct — dark navy color, featuring small pops of red throughout the cabin.
The Atlanta-based carrier last fall announced plans to update its cabin aesthetic with a look it described at the time as "fresh, elevated and timeless," reflecting customers' "evolving tastes."
Delta sees the darker-colored seats as a more premium look befitting an airline that has positioned itself as the U.S. carrier that most caters to premium travelers.
Throughout this A350, the airline's trademark widget adorns newly designed cabin dividers sporting a "celestial sky" pattern — a design that's inspired, Delta says, by its global route map (once the most-read page, it notes, in the now-defunct Sky Magazine).
The celestial sky pattern is similarly found on the navy blue dividers with branding for the carrier's various cabins.
The vibe inside the cabin can change based on the time of the flight, with mood lighting settings ranging from "candlelight dinner" to sunrise and sunset. The more elaborate decor (compared with existing Delta jets) extends to the lavatory — which on this yet-to-be-inaugurated jet was already equipped with Delta's signature Grown Alchemist products.
Delta One
This newly delivered aircraft is Delta's more premium-heavy configuration of the A350-900. It features a hefty 40 Delta One suites spread out across both a standard front cabin and a second miniature business-class cabin behind the galley.
If you've flown in a Delta One suite on one of the carrier's existing A350s, there isn't much difference in the actual bells and whistles: The changes debuting on this aircraft are mostly (but not entirely) cosmetic.
As part of this cabin refresh, the carrier replaced the standard leather seat coverings with a cloth covering atop memory foam that's meant to be more breathable — and more comfortable for sleeping on long-haul flights, Delta said.
Here's what it looks like in 180-degree lie-flat mode.
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That said, these suites offer a variety of state-of-the-art touches, from wireless charging to USB-C ports and expansive inflight entertainment screens (though not the significantly upgraded ones Delta announced earlier this month in Las Vegas).
We mentioned splashes of red: In the business cabin, you'll find that in the storage cubbies (not unlike existing Delta One suites) and on small tags with the Delta widget decorating each seat.
Premium Select, Comfort+ and Main Cabin
In Delta's three remaining cabins on this A350, you'll still find traditional leather seat coverings but with the new darker color palette.
The Premium Select recliners sport a sleek dark leather design with red striping on the seat cushion and the red Delta widget tags on the side. Again, the rest of the "hard product" is what you'll find on existing Delta A350s.
Meanwhile, you can see a slight difference between the Comfort+ seats, which sport a red stripe just beneath the headrest on the side, and the standard economy seats in the rear of the aircraft.
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Over the course of this year, a growing complement of newly delivered Delta aircraft will get this overhauled cabin aesthetic, the airline told TPG late last year. And the carrier is planning interior refurbishments for its existing jets over the coming years, such as bringing improved seat cushions to its fleet of Boeing 757s.
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