Future passengers onboard one of Delta Air Lines Airbus A350 planes will notice something different in years to come, with the aircraft having its first retrofit take place. The aircraft, once refreshed, will be re-launched on long-haul international routes.
A new cabin for Delta passengers
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has debuted its new design, offering substantial changes and improvements compared to the historic cabin. The airline has dedicated itself to improving the passenger experience, which has seen new seating materials, a new color palette, and several decorative and signature brandings.
The cabin atmosphere and design have been meticulously planned to elevate passengers' experience. Delta's Mauricio Parise, who serves as the carrier's Vice President of Customer Experience Design, explained that:
“Delta has a 100-year history of creating a customer experience that feels welcoming and thoughtful with intentional design elements woven into every aspect of a customer’s travel.
Designing a warm, calm atmosphere for passengers
Bespoke design has ensured a cohesive, calm environment, which is expected to aid passengers in adjusting to new time zones and feeling more grounded (pun intended) throughout the flight. Given that every flight is slightly different, so is the environment.
At the same time, ensure passengers can sit back, relax, or even write that all-important report while they fly from A to B. Feature lighting will dim and brighten to remind passengers of sunset and sunrise, which will adjust by the flight duration and arrival time.
Delta has utilized its unique brand colors as part of its warm color palette, with a mix of natural elements; this is hoped to remind passengers of Delta's unique history and set subtle distinctions between the various cabins onboard. New bulkhead motifs show an evolution of previous Delta patterns, and an Infinite Grid reminds passengers that "no one better connects the world than Delta."
A new look for the airline's lavatories
Bright walls and a celestial sky pattern welcome passengers to the lavatories onboard. The flooring is fresh and made of various wood colors and non-slip materials. Throughout the entire aircraft design, the intention is to create an experience that mirrors customers' lifestyles, and the hope is to put them at ease as soon as they step onboard.
A fresh, clean look for the A350
The first aircraft, the debut of the new design, was on show in Atlanta this week, and as reported by USA Today, the airline showed off the new strategy and experience that passengers can expect as soon as they step onboard.
Such dedication to a new and improved experience starts from the ground up, where the airline reminded the media of the latest and improved flooring and carpet.
The airline's Manager of Onboard Products, Michael Steinfield, noted that the carpet is set to prove more durable and can sustain heavy wear and tear, from red wing to cookie crumbs. Textured flooring has also been debuted in galleys to ensure safe and stable passages for cabins and crew.
Settling into a new and improved seat
Every passenger onboard will be promised a comfortable journey. Seats are made with memory foam, which Delta has put through a rigorous testing regime, including staff testing the seats for the equivalent of the airline's longest flights.
Seat coverings in premium classes have also been replaced with new and improved comfort and breathability. Delta One has been newly designed, with wireless charging added to the traditional USB and USB-C outlets.
Shallower secondary seatback pockets, the perfect size for phones, are offered for Premium Select, Comfort+, and Main Cabin passengers. They are located conveniently near charging ports, promising passengers that there should be no reason why they can't deplane at the end of their journey fully charged.
Improved onboard entertainment has seen the carrier add a new accessibility mode for route maps. This will result in less busy text and larger fonts specially designed for low-vision passengers, benefiting all onboard passengers. Mauricio Parise, the Vice President of Customer Experience Design at Delta, commented last year on the new cabin design:
"As we embark on our next century of flying, this refreshed cabin interior infuses utility with beauty to create an atmosphere that feels fresh, elevated, and timeless while reflecting our customers’ evolving tastes and expectations."
Acknowledging the airline's flight attendants
Crew seats have had a small tab depicting a wing added. While general passengers may not pick up on the small addition, the 28,000 dedicated flight attendants will appreciate the small acknowledgment of their dedicated service and respect for keeping one of the world's largest airlines in the sky.
When cabin crew are set to rest, a new foam mattress has been added to crew bunks. Even though this is out of sight for passengers, it is set to benefit them indirectly with more rest and rejuvenated crew on long-haul flights.
All new Airbus A350 aircraft to be delivered to Delta Air Lines will feature the new cabin designs, with older aircraft set to be retro-fitted periodically over the next few years.
Delta Air Lines is home to 29 A30s in its fleet, with another 15 to arrive in the next few years. Most of the aircraft have the carrier's standard layout, apart from those aircraft that were acquired from South American airline LATAM.
Noticeable differences for passengers and crew onboard
The airline will debut a new, less-dense layout for upcoming deliveries, reducing its capacity from 306 to 275 seats. This relaxation of 31 seats will be a result of a new configuration focusing on premium customers, as analyzed by One Mile At A Time. The details are below:
Focusing on premium passengers
Delta is set to focus on premium passengers with these new configurations while competing with the United States' other legacy carriers. While the A350 will have considerably fewer business class seats than the United Boeing 777-300ER, it could be assumed the airline will look to woo passengers across the ditch with a smaller, more relaxed environment.
While the airline has already debuted the new cabin designs on the Boeing 757 aircraft, which is currently in operation on domestic and short-haul international routes, the launch of the newly configured Airbus A350-900 raises questions as to whether the airline has plans also to introduce a similar focus for its 20 (plus ten options) Airbus A350-1000 jet, which are expected to arrive from 2026.
A dedicated member of the SkyTeam alliance
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is one of the largest commercial airlines in the world. The airline has almost 1,000 aircraft in its fleet, only second to another US carrier, United Airlines, which recently reached the 1,000-aircraft mark.
Operating from hubs across the country, its principal gateways include the following hubs:
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Boston (BOS)
- Detroit (DTW)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)
- New York John F. Kennedy (JFK)
- New York–LaGuardia (LGA)
- Salt Lake City (SLC)
- Seattle/Tacoma (SEA)
Delta also has focus cities in:
- Austin (AUS)
- Raleigh/Durham (RDU)
The carrier's continued growth has been part of its successful investment strategy, which has seen the carrier hold the majority and minority shares in several global airlines, including Aeroméxico (20%), Air France–KLM (3%), China Eastern Airlines (3%), Endeavor Air, Hanjin (15%), LATAM Airlines (10%), and Virgin Atlantic (49%). Other investments include Wheels Up (21%), Clear Secure (5%), Delta TechOps, Trainer Refinery, and Unifi Aviation (49%).
Delta's home at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is consistently one of the busiest airports in the world, both in terms of passenger numbers and aircraft movements.
