How to Fly Delta One Suites Without Leaving the US

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Experiencing Delta's ultimate business class product, Delta One Suites, no longer requires a passport. TPG has confirmed with Delta that a retrofitted Boeing 777-200 is now making a daily round trip between Atlanta and Los Angeles.

You may recall that Delta's first jet with four branded cabins — Delta One Suites, Delta Premium Select (premium economy), Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin (standard economy) — began operating earlier this year between Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia. That same aircraft also rotates between LAX and Delta's hometown.

Delta One Suites are only available on three aircraft: the retrofitted Boeing 777-200, the Airbus A350 and the brand-new Airbus A330-900neo. All of those are wide-body aircraft designed for international travel, but an eagle-eyed tipster on an ATL-LAX flight noticed that while he booked into Comfort+, he was actually ticketed for a Premium Select seat.

To book yourself into a Delta One Suite on this 4.5 hour domestic hop, you can search at Delta.com for nonstop flights between Atlanta and Los Angeles (or vice-versa). You'll spot the "Suite" logo on flights operated by the 777.

Delta's booking engine has yet to update to account for the refurbished cabin. This means you'll book into "first class" rather than Delta One (business class), but rest assured that you'll be sitting in a fully enclosed suite once on board.

Another oddity here is that the seat maps do not fully reflect the new interior. There's no way to purchase Premium Select outright on these flights, but if you're sitting in the cabin with a 2-4-2 seat layout between rows 20 and 25, you'll wind up in Premium Select. Comfort+ covers rows 30 through 39, while standard economy (Main Cabin) is situated in rows 44 through 57.

We're seeing one-way SkyMiles award fares for as low as 69,000 miles (plus $5.60 in taxes/fees), which isn't too shabby for four-plus hours in Delta's most stately business class seat. A few months into the future, those fares jump to 125,000 SkyMiles each way, so it pays to have flexibility in your search.

Paid fares a couple of months out look to be around double the listed price of Comfort+. It's unlikely that you'll receive the full Delta One Suites experience on this route when it comes to meals and service, so we wouldn't recommend overpaying. That said, if you need to travel to Los Angeles or you're able to slot this particular flight into an existing itinerary, you might as well.

Boosting Your SkyMiles Balance

If you're looking to book a Delta One Suite using miles, it’s critical to actually earn the SkyMiles you need to complete the transaction. There are a variety of ways to earn Delta miles, from Delta-operated flights to trips on SkyTeam airlines to various non-travel partners. However, one of the best ways to boost your SkyMiles balance to score a few free trips is by adding one of the cards below to your arsenal.

• Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express: Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you use your new card to make $1,000 in purchases within your first three months and a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first three months. Terms Apply
• Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express: Earn 35,000 Bonus Miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $1,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. Plus, earn a $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 3 months. Earn 2x SkyMiles miles on Delta purchases and 1 mile elsewhere. Enjoy an annual companion ticket plus bonus MQMs for reaching certain spending thresholds along with the same in-flight benefits as the Gold Delta Amex, all for a $195 annual fee ($250 if application is received on or after 1/30/2020) (see rates and fees) Terms Apply
• Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express: Earn 40,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases in your first 3 months of account opening. Earn 2x SkyMiles miles on Delta purchases and 1 mile elsewhere. The card comes with SkyClub access, an annual companion ticket in first class and bonus MQMs through spending and additional in-flight perks, though the annual fee is $450 ($550 if application is received on or after 1/30/2020) (see rates and fees). Terms Apply.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express ($550 annual fee; see rates and fees); 60,000-point welcome bonus after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first three months, though be sure to check the CardMatch Tool to see if you’re targeted for a 100,000-point welcome bonus (you can transfer Membership Rewards points directly to Delta SkyMiles; offer subject to change at anytime). Terms Apply
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express ($595 annual fee; see rates and fees); Earn up to 75,000 bonus points: 50,000 bonus points after you spend $10,000 and an extra 25,000 bonus points after you spend an additional $10,000 all on qualifying purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply

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For rates and fees of the Gold Delta SkyMiles card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Platinum Delta SkyMiles card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta Reserve card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum card, click here.