- I flew Delta One from Brussels to Atlanta in August for $1,356.
- The seat was amazing, and I loved the perks that came with it.
- I don't think I would splurge on the seat again, though.
I fly nearly a dozen times a year, and more often than not, you'll find me sitting in economy.
However, on a flight from Brussels to Atlanta in August, I got a taste of how the other half lives when I flew Delta One, the airline's business class offering for long-haul flights.
The pricey seats give travelers a host of benefits, most notably a seat that lies completely flat to make sleeping easier, along with next-level service from flight attendants.
There was a lot I liked about my Delta One experience, but I don't think I would splurge on the ticket again.
I flew Delta One from Europe to the US.
I'm not a total stranger to Delta One, as I flew in the cabin from New York to San Francisco on my honeymoon.
However, I hadn't flown Delta One on an international flight before my trip from Brussels to Atlanta, so I was curious to see what the experience would be like.
My timing was good, too, as Delta just resumed its direct flights between Brussels and Atlanta in June after pausing them in March 2020 because of the pandemic, as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Delta is now flying the route three times weekly through October.
When I bought it, my ticket from Brussels to Atlanta cost $1,356.
My long flight was from Brussels to Atlanta, and then I had a connecting flight from Atlanta to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.
I loved that I got to fly with two checked bags for free.
I was in Europe for just shy of 10 days, and not only was I sightseeing and working in three countries, but I also attended a wedding. I tried to pack light, but my husband, who accompanied me on the trip, and I still needed two suitcases to fit our clothes.
Normally, I would have used my smaller roller bag as a carry-on bag, but Delta One allows its passengers to check two bags for free. I checked both bags with my ticket.
It was lovely to bop through the airport hands-free, with only backpacks on our backs, though we did have to recheck our bags in Atlanta to reach our final destination.
Lounge access was a highlight of my experience as well.
International airports don't often have Delta-specific lounges, but my Delta One ticket still granted me access to the Brussels airport lounges.
I ended up spending a few hours in Brussels' The View lounge because my flight was delayed about an hour and a half, which definitely added to the luxury feel of my Delta One journey. It was much more comfortable than sitting at the gate, which was particularly crowded on the Sunday morning I was at the airport.
I got a filling breakfast, sipped on a latte, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the lounge before my flight.
However, I missed out on some of Delta One's perks because I was flying out of an international airport.
As I found out, the elevated Delta One security experience — private entrances for Delta One fliers offered at JFK and LAX — isn't an option at international airports.
So in Brussels, I carried my luggage up several escalators to the Delta counter, checked my bags in the same line as Delta's other Sky Priority fliers, and went through a standard security line.
I didn't mind the pre-flight experience, especially since I still got access to a lounge, but it felt notable that I wasn't having a much different experience than travelers flying Delta Premium Select, which can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars less per ticket.
Unsurprisingly, my comfortable seat was the best benefit of the flight.
The lie-flat seat is one of the biggest Delta One perks, particularly since it essentially becomes a bed for long-haul flights. Some even have doors for total privacy while you fly.
My seat didn't have a door, but it still lived up to the hype, especially when I paired it with the blanket, pillow, and mattress pad that came with it.
As soon as the plane reached cruising altitude, I leaned my seat back a bit and put the footrest up, feeling relaxed as I ate my dinner. After my meal, I added the mattress pad to my setup, and I lay back almost completely to watch a movie. I felt nearly as comfortable in the seat as I do watching TV on my couch at home.
Having the option to switch positions also helped with the physical toll of the long flight. I sat in a smaller economy seat on my way to Europe, which left me feeling stiff and sore once I landed. I didn't have the same aches after my Delta One experience, as I had been able to move my body.
I loved the goodies my seat came with as well.
I was so excited about my seat that I almost forgot it came with additional goodies. I was thrilled when I spotted them in my seat.
The complimentary headphones for viewing shows and movies were great, and I changed into the provided slippers as soon as I saw them. Inside a Missoni kit, I found an eye mask, socks, earplugs, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a pen, moisturizer, and lip balm.
The kit made me feel like Delta was considering my entire on-flight experience, so I felt cared for. The eye mask came particularly in handy when I tried to sleep.
The care from flight attendants was amazing in Delta One.
The high-quality service flight attendants provided on board was also a huge benefit of flying Delta One.
Shortly after I boarded, a lead attendant approached everyone flying Delta One, introduced himself, chatted for a bit, and confirmed each person's meal order.
Drinks and snacks were offered continually, and meal service was amazing. An attendant even laid out a cloth napkin for me on my tray table before serving me food.
Flight attendants also ensured I got service when I was sleeping, leaving a warm towel for me to awaken to toward the end of the flight. I also came back from the bathroom to find that an attendant had organized the items on my tray table for me, ensuring I had all the space I needed to relax.
The team went above and beyond.
It was fun to get free drinks on board, too.
I don't usually drink alcohol on flights, mostly because it rarely feels worth it to pay the additional cost airlines charge for alcoholic beverages when sodas and coffee are often free.
However, since alcohol was complimentary with my Delta One ticket, I enjoyed some libations. Before the plane took off, flight attendants offered everyone in business class sparkling wine or orange juice. I took both and made myself a mimosa, which felt perfect for the morning flight.
A few hours later, I also had a glass of wine with my dinner, making my meal experience feel extra fancy.
While much of my food was tasty, I wasn't sure it was worth the hefty price tag.
I enjoyed the chef-curated meals, one of the biggest differences between flying Delta One and other cabins.
For dinner, I was served a chicken and asparagus dish with soup on the side. I missed out on the appetizer, though, because it was prawns and I'm allergic to shellfish. After dinner, a flight attendant came by with a dessert cart with three different options, including customizable ice cream sundaes. I had a refreshing lemon cake.
My flight was also long enough that there was a second, lighter meal toward the end of the flight. We had the option of pizza or a burger, and I chose a burger. All of the food is also served on ceramic dishware and with cloth napkins, elevating the experience.
All of the food I ate on board was fairly tasty, but it was still airplane food, so I wasn't overwhelmingly impressed. I think the biggest benefit of Delta One's dining experience is getting more food.
While you wait for your entreé, you're served warm nuts, an appetizer in addition to your dinner, an elevated dessert, and a warm cookie. The second meal appeared to be larger compared to the one served in the main cabin.
Plus, you can request snacks from the flight attendants at any time, which isn't typically the case in the main cabin. During a lengthy delay on the tarmac, I was also served two snacks and offered multiple water bottles, while main cabin travelers only got one snack and a cup of water. I'll remember that attentive service far longer than the actual food I ate.
Unfortunately, my seat also didn't make sleeping much easier for me.
Although being able to elevate my feet and lie back ensured I was comfortable during my Delta One flight, I didn't sleep much.
For the first few hours of the flight, the cabin's lights were on and flight attendants were serving dinner. I also had my heart set on eating the warm cookie served as a snack after dinner, so I found myself waiting up until cookie service before I even tried to snooze. Fellow chocolate chip fiends will understand.
Eventually, I put on my eye mask and used my AirPods with white noise playing in my ears to sleep. Despite the mask, I fully woke up when the cabin lights came back on as flight attendants served the second meal toward the end of the flight.
I managed to get in about two hours of sleep. Even a flat seat couldn't stop spots of turbulence or my awareness of other travelers moving about the cabin around me, which kept deep sleep out of reach.
To be fair, I'm generally not a great sleeper, struggling to nap on car rides or even on the couch. I should have expected I would likely be awake for most of my Delta One experience.
Plus, I learned that a Delta One ticket doesn't eliminate surprising challenges.
Flying Delta One can reduce some of the discomfort of traveling, but it can't eliminate unexpected stressors.
My flight was delayed about 90 minutes, and after everyone boarded, a mechanical issue created a further delay. We sat on the tarmac for four hours before departing. My screen also didn't work when I boarded, and flight attendants weren't able to hard reset the screens until about two hours into the flight. Many passengers were without in-flight entertainment for about six of the thirteen hours we were on the plane.
"Delta people have the autonomy to offer on-the-spot service recovery in the uncommon event of inoperative in-flight entertainment or WiFi," a spokesperson for Delta told Business Insider. "Of course, customers can further contact Delta to have additional concerns heard, and additional compensation may arrive on a case-by-case basis."
Delta One made me more comfortable during the long delay, but it still wasn't fun.
I don't think I'll splurge on Delta One again.
Delta One offered by far the most luxurious in-flight experience I've ever had. For me, though, Delta One was not worth the over $1,300 price tag.
Because I didn't sleep much, it didn't feel like I really needed to be able to lie flat, which was a premier perk of the cabin. Plus, you miss out on some of the Delta One benefits if you aren't flying out of specific airports, so it probably would have made more sense for me to invest in a Premium Select ticket instead.
One step down from Delta One, Premium Select offers many of the benefits of the Delta One experience or similar amenities, like the ability to check two bags for free, SkyPriority boarding, an elevated dining experience, a care kit, and personal flight attendant service. Your seat is also more spacious and leans back further than an economy seat, even though it doesn't fully recline.
Premium Select is also a bit more cost-effective than Delta One, though still pricey. For instance, I looked up the price of a flight from Brussels to Atlanta on October 19, which is 40 days from when I wrote this piece. The one-way Delta One ticket costs 6,397 euros, which is about $7,488, while the Premium Select ticket was 2,927 euros, or around $3,426. Both are costly (and were likely elevated because direct flights between Brussels and Atlanta are pausing again at the end of October), but you could save $4,000 if you chose Premium Select over Delta One and still have an outstanding in-flight experience.
The difference in cost between the two cabins won't always be that dramatic, but Premium Select just makes more sense for me as a traveler.
