wide body Archives - TravelSkills

Delta unveils new seats on new Airbus A350 & sets routes

October 18, 2017

Delta’s newest baby: The Airbus A350- easy to spot with those mod black framed cockpit windows (Photo: Airbus)

We’re getting close to the commercial launch of Delta’s first Airbus A350 wide-body, and the carrier has unveiled more of its route plans for the new aircraft – including its first Europe route. It has also introduced a brand new “real” premium economy seat.

As previously reported, the first Delta A350 route will be from Detroit to Tokyo Narita, starting October 30. The airline is focusing on its Detroit hub for the A350 rollout, with plans to begin flying the plane from DTW to Seoul Incheon on November 16, followed by DTW-Beijing flights as of January 17. (DTW is also the airport that will see the end of Delta’s Boeing 747 service later this year.)

Now Delta has announced two more routes for the A350. It will use the plane for one of its four daily Detroit-Amsterdam flights beginning March 31 of next year, followed by its introduction on Detroit-Shanghai service starting April 19. Atlanta-Seoul will get the A350 treatment starting March 24.

See the Seat Map for Delta’s new A350 here.

Delta’s A350s will debut its new Delta One business cabin. (Image:” Delta)

In addition to Delta’s new Delta One front cabin, which features innovative passenger “suites,” the aircraft will also debut the Delta Premium Select seating category – the airline’s new international premium economy product.

The new Premium Select (true premium economy) seats will be up to 19 inches wide, with pitch of up to 38 inches, up to seven inches of recline, and adjustable leg and head rests. Premium Select travelers will get noise-cancelling headphones, pre-departure drink service, upgraded meal service, free in-flight entertainment selections on a 13.3-inch screen, in-seat power ports, and Delta’s Sky Priority treatment (expedited check-in, baggage and security screening, and premium boarding).

Delta’s B777s are also slated to get the new Premium Select seats next year.

Delta’s new international premium economy seats will debut on the A350. (Image: delta)

As Delta’s long-haul aircraft get the new Premium Select seating, they will no longer offer Comfort+ extra-legroom economy seating. Only “preferred” economy seats will be available. This means it could be tougher for elites to get “good” economy seats on long haul flights.

In its Premium Select FAQs Delta offers these options for upgrading to the new Premium Select seats:

There will be three ways to upgrade into Delta Premium Select:
1. Purchase an upgrade with cash through delta.com or Reservations
2. Purchase an upgrade with miles through Reservations
3. Use a Global Upgrade Certificate, and if not cleared prior to check-in, monitor the airport standby list to see if your certificate clears. Global Upgrade Certificates are only available to Diamonds as a Choice Benefit option.

With customer anticipation running high for the new A350s, especially among SkyMiles elites, Delta posted a message on Flyertalk to ”clear up any confusion” about upgrades to the aircraft’s Delta One (business class) suites. “Diamond Medallion Members can use one Global Upgrade Certificate to upgrade directly to a Delta One suite from any cabin of service offered on the flight – including Main Cabin (excluding Basic Economy),” a Delta rep said.

Delta celebrated the A350 with a “media day” this week– check out the busy social media stream the event produced— plenty of great photos.

What do you think about Delta’s new plane? And new seats? Please leave your comments below.

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Countdown is on for United’s final Boeing 747 flights

November 18, 2016

United’s 747s disappearing sooner than expected (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

United Airlines had been hinting for a while that it might speed up the retirement of the venerable Boeing 747 from its long-haul fleet. This week company officials confirmed that October 2018 is the target date for the end of the airline’s 747 flights.

United execs said in an investor conference call that all 20 of the aging wide-bodies should be permanently grounded by then, as the airline relies on 777s and 787 Dreamliners to take over its long-distance routes.

The newer long-haul aircraft in United’s fleet can’t carry as many passengers as the 747. Its 777-200s accommodate 266 to 364, and Dreamliners can seat 219 (787-8) or 252 (787-9), vs. a passenger capacity of 374 for United’s remaining 747-400s.

United will likely be the last U.S. airline to fly the 747, since the only other one that has the plane in its fleet – Delta – expects to retire the last of its few remaining 376-passenger 747s by the end of 2017. Delta is turning to Airbus jets as long-haul replacements, including the A330 and the new A350.

Don’t miss: Is the 747 nearing its end?

Newly refurbished economy section in a British Airways 747. (Image: British Airways)

The U.S. carriers are not alone in turning away from the 747 . Boeing recently said that because of a lack of new orders, it plans to reduce production of the 747 – its current model is the 747-8 – from 12 a year to just six. Competitor Airbus is seeing a similar shrinking of demand for its competing jumbo, the A380.

Economics are at the heart of the trend. The four-engine 747 can’t compete on fuel efficiency with the newer twin-engine wide-bodies from both manufacturers. Other international airlines have also been taking the 747 out of their fleets over the past several years, although a few – like Lufthansa and Korean Air – are using the newer 747-8, and British Airways has been overhauling its 747s to keep them flying for the years ahead.

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Roomier widebodies on domestic flights? We hope so

May 2, 2015

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A United 777 takes off from LAX (Photo: Eric Salard / Flickr)

I nearly always book Delta’s big wide 767s for the 4-5 hour nonstops between SFO and Atlanta even though the planes are old, overhead bin space is out of the 1980s, and flight attendants refer to the planes at “Ghetto 767s.”

I love the big wide ride. Delta knows this, too and nearly always charges a premium for those 767 flights.

The continuing popularity of our recent post How to find roomy domestic wide body flights is clear evidence that we’re not the only ones who prize a big wide rides on transcontinental flights.

And luckily, it seems that United is going to add more twin-aisled aircraft to its domestic route map. Is this the start of a trend? We can only hope so.

United said last week that it will take 10 Boeing 777-200s off international routes and deploy them domestically.

While it’s yet to be determined how United will configure these birds, one good thing is sure to come of it: Twice as many seats with aisle access on its transcons. Plus, in the current 9-abreast configuration on United’s 777s, economy seats are 18-inches wide– about an inch wider than those one its narrow bodies.

I’m so tired of flying United’s sad old fleet of 757s across the country (hello SFO-BOS!). They just feel so overcrowded and claustrophobic. Once you are in your seat, it’s tough to get up and move around, while it’s relatively easy on a widebody.

Seasoned travelers prize widebodies “because they offer a smidgen more room to spread out and the promise of a faster getaway on landing. Aisle seats, especially at the front of the cabin, are among those that full-service airlines reserve for elite-level frequent fliers and passengers paying the most expensive fares,” according to a report in Crain’s Chicago Business. It said, “Big jets fell from favor for U.S. operations in recent years as airlines focused on more-frequent jaunts with smaller planes.”

United’s 777s have space for over 300 passengers– nearly twice as many seats as the 737s and A320s United regularly uses for transcons.

United’s chief revenue officer Jim Compton said that the move could help United consolidate three San Francisco-to-Chicago departures on smaller jets that now come within a 90-minute span.

Do you go out of your way to fly on domestic widebodies? If so, on which routes? Please share your secrets below.