Delta One gets its biggest overhaul in nearly 30 years, with Wagyu burgers, upgraded tech and Missoni
Delta Air Lines has unveiled a major redesign of its Delta One premium cabin experience, covering food, drink, service and rest. The airline calls it its largest investment in the product in nearly 30 years.
It builds on more than $1 billion already spent on the fleet. Delta says the changes touch thousands of details.
The headline act is the menu. A new Delta One Wagyu burger sits at the top, with caramelised onions, cheddar and cornichons on a toasted brioche bun. I’ll admit it – a Wagyu burger at 35,000 feet sounds absolutely glorious.
That’s not all, though. Roasted sea bass, braised lamb, beef short rib and a seasonal risotto join the line-up. Mac and cheese and a chicken Caesar cover the comfort-food crowd.
The dessert cart stays, which is good news, with a new dairy-free sorbet you can pair with a Champagne Taittinger float.
Delta worked with chef Simon Hulstone and Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson on the programme. Chefs Norio Ueno and Jereme Leung are consulting on regional dishes.
Then there’s the booze. Delta is the first airline to serve Blanton’s, the hard-to-find single-barrel bourbon.
Delta is cutting wine rotations from four a year to two. A panel narrowed 1600 wines down to 13 from 11 wineries. Napa names such as Silver Oak, which retails at over $200 a bottle, feature alongside global labels. Taittinger Champagne now also appears on domestic Delta One flights.
Dassai 45 sake joins flights to and from Tokyo Haneda. It’s brewed with rice polished to 45 per cent of its original size. Delta says it’s fruit-forward and gently sweet.
There’s a new cocktail and mocktail list too. It features the Hugo Spritz and the Paloma, each in boozy and alcohol-free versions. As a non-drinker myself, I’m glad non-alcoholic options are no longer an afterthought, and a decent mocktail beats yet another sparkling water.
The service has been reworked as well. A new “sip and settle” moment puts a hot towel, warm nuts and a drink on the console before dinner. Fresh cracked pepper is offered with the first course. Side sauces come in small sauce boats. There’s also new tableware featuring the Delta widget, with more than 60 new pieces.
Choice is a big theme here. Entrée pre-selection now opens up to 18 hours before departure, six hours later than before. Delta says no other US carrier offers a window that close to flight time. There are also gluten-free and lighter pre-order options.
On long-haul flights, you can skip the morning meal and take a coffee and croissant before landing instead. As someone who’d rather sleep than eat eggs at 4am body time, I like the sound of that.
Rest gets a boost too. A new Winter Elsewhere Missoni amenity kit arrives with Grown Alchemist skincare, a Marvis dental kit and a wrist strap. A second Missoni cuddle pillow joins the existing mattress pad, memory foam pillow, slippers and eye mask. Delta x Bombas socks also return on select routes.
Next-generation seatback screens and improved digital features are part of the package. Delta’s Porsche partnership also grows from 40 to 70 hybrid vehicles across 15 airports and hubs by 2028. Porsche transfers are available to Delta One customers who book VIP Select.
The airline says more than 200 flight attendants and team members shaped the changes. They took part in four phases of testing and 36 trial flights.
The new Delta One experience debuts this autumn on transoceanic Delta One routes departing Los Angeles. It then rolls out across Delta’s global network in early 2027.
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