Delta is making some progress when it comes to installing more truly LIE FLAT (180 degrees flat, no tilt) which is FANTASTIC news for international travelers tired of Delta’s tired old BusinessElite recliners. (I still remember the wow factor when Delta first installed those seats back in the nineties. Industry leading back then. Tired now.)
Anyway, Delta tells THE TICKET that full flat beds are now offered on ALL Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. When it comes to 767’s, lie flat seats are currently ONLY on those 767’s flying to/from London Heathrow. (Why only London? That’s where Delta competes head to head with British Airways, which has lie flat business class seats on its entire international fleet.)
And having seen these new lie flat seats at the recent National Business Travel Assoc convention in San Diego, I’d say the wow factor is back. These are really nice seats that really do go completely flat. (See video of 777 seat– I love what the Delta FA says: “You WILL NOT slide out of this seat!”)
On the 777, the seats are positioned in a herringbone style. On the 767, the new seats are 4 across, with one along each window side, and two in the middle, so everyone gets an aisle seat.
So, in a nutshell, if you are in ATL and you want a truly lie-flat experience, fly to London-Heathrow (on a 767). Or to Sydney (via LAX), Johannesburg, or Dubai on a 777. (When booking be sure to check aircraft type, which should be: “Boeing 777-200LR.) Also, Delta 767 flights from hubs in Detroit and Minneapolis will have lie-flat BusinessElite 767’s in service starting in Sept. If you are not on those flights, you can expect the old style BusinessElite with the cradle recliner type seats.
The old cradle style BusinessElite recliner seats will soon be put into service on Delta flights between New York and LA and San Francisco where Delta competes with United and American, which offer similar seats.
Delta.com page on new lie flat seats here.
Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!
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I flew Delta from Heathrow to JFK in November and agree with Steven that the seat was a bit narrower than I would like. Overall I was impressed. Not sure how long they will keep them though. I think Virgin has the patent on the herring bone and the seat as it paid for the development and it has legal cases pending.
I just flew on DL # 17 from ATL to LAX (flight continues to SYD) and I thought the seat was fantastic. I have high standards as a Medallion Flyer. The seat was extremely comfortable. The whole Business Class cabin had a great flow and there was a nice element of privacy.
Beautiful cabin and I had no problem with the size or it being narrow. I thought it was SUPERB!
Corection
not &&& but 777
The sleeper seat on the &&& is more like a cofin. Too narrow and too high walls as compared to AF,BA and SQ