Delta Air Lines announced today that the Atlanta based carrier will begin rolling out new interiors fleetwide starting later this fall. The first aircraft receiving the new interiors, a Boeing 757, will begin flying on domestic and short haul international routes in 2024. The airline’s first widebody featuring the new interiors will debut on an Airbus A350 in early 2025.
Delta is unveiling the new cabins ahead of the airline’s 100th birthday, the airline was founded March 2nd, 1925 as Huff Daland Dusters, and is meant to elevate the travel experience for passengers. Mauricio Parise, Delta’s Vice President of Customer Experience Design, had this to say about the new cabins:
“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. 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.”
Modern Cabins Minus the Delta Flair
First let me start off by saying, these new cabins look sleek. However, they also look like they could be found on any carrier around the world. It’s not surprising to see Delta move in this direction but I’m gonna miss their signature blue interiors. They were unique in a world where airline cabins have become many different shades of gray.
The upgraded Delta One cabins will feature brand new, breathable fabric seats made of a wool and nylon blend. The carrier states that these seats are lighter, breathable, and make it easier for passengers to regulate temperature when flying. The carrier currently has leather seats in the Delta One cabin.
Delta’s Premium Select and First Class cabins (on non-Delta One equipped aircraft) will get new seat covers made of breathable leather along with memory foam cushions. These seats also have winged headrests for additional privacy, though aircraft were already being updated with those seats prior to the announcement.
Finally, passengers traveling in Comfort+ and Main Cabin will experience seats made of engineered leather with updated colors and signature stitching and stripes. If you’re traveling in Comfort+ or Main Cabin on long-haul aircraft, the seats will also be equipped with memory foam.
Updated Delta Branding Throughout the New Interiors
In addition to upgraded seats, new lighting and branding are present throughout the new interiors. Mood lighting has been tailored to each phase of flight and can be adjusted based upon time of day.
As mentioned above, while I love the Delta colors being prominently displayed, the airline is taking a more subdued approach to the new cabins. New bulkhead designs trade blues for blacks and the Delta logo is missing.
Premium seats are still identified though the headrest stitching has been swapped out for a small tag on the side of the seat.
Rollout Schedule
The first aircraft with the new interiors will begin flying later this year. According to FlyerTalk, the first aircraft with the new interior will be N706TW, a roughly 28 year old Boeing 757-200. The plane has been in Kansas City for over a month and has not been scheduled to operate any flights as of yet. I’m sure that some eagle-eyed readers will manage to find their way onto the first revenue flight.
Delta also notes that the Airbus A350 will be the first widebody aircraft to feature the new interiors which will come sometime in early 2025. From what I can tell, that aircraft has yet to be identified.
According to Delta, additional aircraft will receive the new cabin design as schedules and operations allow over the next few years. The airline also has quite a few aircraft on order and I would expect that new planes would be delivered with the interiors over the next few months as order slots allow.
Summary
Delta announced that it is installing new interiors across its fleet over the next few years. The new branding comes as the carrier is making investments into its premium offerings with the opening of new Delta One lounges in New York and Los Angeles.
While the new cabins look sleek, they also don’t have any of the brand elements that we’ve come to expect from the airline over the years. At first glance, these interiors could be on any airline anywhere in the world. Whether that’s a pro or a con is in the eye of the beholder.
(Images courtesy Delta Air Lines)