Delta’s domestic schedule for swanky Airbus A330-900neo just got trimmed

Update 5/21/21: Delta has now removed the Airbus A330neo from the JFK-SEA route. It’s now reflected on SEA-HNL instead.

Delta flyers headed to or from the New York area are in for a big upgrade later this summer.

The Atlanta-based carrier recently made notable schedule changes to two of its longest domestic routes from New York-JFK.

The first is the 2,421-mile service between JFK and Seattle (SEA). The route will be flown by the A330-900neo between July 8 and Sept. 6, according to Cirium timetables and confirmed on the carrier’s website.

Note that Delta previously scheduled the A330neo to fly from JFK to SEA from June 5 through Sept. 6, but — in the carrier’s latest schedule update — the upgauge was trimmed to start on July 8.

Instead, the A330neo will be deployed on one daily frequency from SEA to Honolulu (HNL) between June 5 and July 6, marking the first time the plane has flown to Hawaii, per Cirium schedules.

Of course, schedules are still subject to change in the coming weeks and months. As countries reopen, Delta could quickly pivot on its domestic wide-body strategy and put its nicest jets on longer, more profitable routes.

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For now, you’ll find the A330-900neo on Flight 308 on the outbound and Flight 327 on the return. But, once again, be aware that schedules can change until the last minute — especially during the pandemic.

Still, the current schedules mark the first time that Delta has consistently put its A330-900neo on a domestic route. This jet is usually reserved for flagship long-haul missions, like Seattle (SEA) to Shanghai (PVG) and Tokyo Haneda (HND). Cirium schedules show that Delta has operated just 40 total domestic flights with the wide-body jet since September 2019, but it’s never consistently flown on a single domestic route for more than a handful of days at a time.

Delta is the only U.S. airline with this new Airbus wide-body plane, and these jets are some of the youngest in Delta’s fleet, at around two years old on average.

The onboard experience is quite impressive. The 281-seat twin-aisle plane is outfitted with 29 Delta One Suites, 28 Premium Select recliners, 56 extra-legroom Comfort+ seats and 168 standard coach seats.

For now, Delta is selling the premium economy cabin for the same price as Comfort+, so top-tier Medallion elites can select these recliners for no additional cost.

Of course, the real star of the show is the Delta One Suites. With a closing door for privacy, these are some of the most private business-class pods gracing the domestic skies. Coupled with the return of inflight service, there’s no better time to give these suites a try.

Even if you don’t manage to snag a seat on the Airbus A330-900neo, two of Delta’s four other daily JFK-SEA frequencies are operated by the Boeing 757-200 with lie-flat Delta One pods. They aren’t as private or tech-forward as Delta One Suites, but it’s still a notable upgrade compared to the Boeing 737-900 flying the other frequencies.

The other transcon route to get the wide-body upgrade is JFK to Salt Lake City (SLC). Delta is adding one daily frequency from July through September, boosting the route to five daily flights on average.

Of the five daily frequencies, one will be operated by the Boeing 767-400ER and the other will be operated by a Boeing 757-200 equipped with lie-flat seats.

Most of Delta’s 767-400ERs have already been outfitted with a modified Delta One Suite, offering additional privacy and storage space, but without the sliding door. With just a handful of jets yet to be reconfigured, the odds of scoring an upgraded jet are quite high.

The upgraded 767-400ER is equipped with 34 Delta One pods, 20 Premium Select recliners, 28 Comfort+ seats and 156 standard coach seats.

Of the major U.S. carriers, Delta has historically offered the fewest number of domestic flights operated by internationally-equipped jets. However, due to the pandemic, the carrier has plenty of spare widebodies.

Instead of storing them in the desert, many will be crisscrossing the U.S skies on a handful of routes, as you’ll see below.

You’ll find a full list of domestic Delta routes operated by widebodies below for June and July 2021, from Cirium timetables.

Featured photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy