Delta Offers Full Flat-Bed Seats in BusinessElite On All Flights Between New York-JFK and Los Angeles

ATLANTA, June 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today launches a significant upgrade to its service between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport with the introduction of three Boeing 757-200 aircraft featuring full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite cabin. These aircraft join Delta's existing international 767-300ERs serving the New York-Los Angeles route, which connects the two largest U.S. commercial centers eight times daily with the seats, amenities and service that travelers expect from a global airline.

All flights between New York-JFK and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle will feature flat-bed seats on Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft by summer 2015. The continued focus on improving travel between New York and key West Coast markets is another way that Delta is making smart investments to improve travel for customers.

"Customers traveling between New York and Los Angeles continue to tell us they expect the best from Delta including the comfort of full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite and an upgraded Economy Comfort experience," said Jeff Robertson, vice president – Product Development, Sky Clubs and Marketing Communications. "Delta is focused on providing the industry's best travel experience on the most important non-stop route in the United States."

Transcontinental 767 aircraft
The 767 transcontinental product features updated interiors including 26 full flat-bed BusinessElite seats with direct aisle access at every seat in a 1-2-1 configuration.  The 21-inch-wide seats offer an average bed length of 79 inches and feature a 10.6-inch video monitor.  The 767s are configured with 29 Economy Comfort seats featuring 35 inches of pitch and up to 50 percent more recline. Each of the 171 seats in the economy cabin features a 9-inch video monitor and USB power.  Standard 110v power is available in the BusinessElite cabin and Economy Comfort section. 

Transcontinental 757 aircraft
The 757 transcontinental aircraft includes 16 full flat-bed seats arranged in a 2-2 configuration in the BusinessElite cabin. Each seat is 20 inches wide and is expandable up to 22 inches with an average bed length of 76 inches. Cabin mood lighting and a high-definition, 16-inch video monitor at each seat further enhance the onboard experience. The updated 757 transcontinental aircraft includes changes to the economy cabin with 44 extra-legroom Economy Comfort seats which offer 35 inches of pitch and up to 50 percent more recline in a 3-by-3 configuration in addition to 108 standard economy seats. 

Transcontinental BusinessElite
In addition to the 757 and 767 transcontinental full flat-bed seat updates, customers will enjoy a gourmet three-course lunch and dinner menu from renowned chef Michael Chiarello paired with wine from Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson's specially curated Delta Winemaker Series. Additional touches like Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding, a Tumi amenity kit featuring skincare products from Malin+Goetz, a noise-reduction headset and sparkling wine round out the BusinessElite experience.

Transcontinental Economy Comfort and economy
Earlier this month, Delta announced upgrades to Economy Comfort including complimentary pillows and blankets on all its transcontinental flights between JFK and LAX, SFO, and SEA. Economy Comfort customers also receive a Delta sleep kit, including eye shades and ear plugs, complimentary Luvo snack wraps, a bottle of water and Luvo frozen yogurt bars (on flights departing prior to 9:00 PM).

From New York-JFK to Los Angeles, all seats in the economy cabin feature next generation seat design for more personal space, an adjustable headrest, a nine-inch seatback video monitor and standard 110v and USB power ports available from each seat. Delta has been enhancing the transcon experience from nose to tail since 2013 with the addition of products such as complimentary Starbucks coffee and headsets for all customers. The New York to Los Angeles transcontinental fleet features in-flight Wi-Fi and an entertainment library of more than 1,000 on-demand options including movies, TV shows, music and games.

The July 2014 schedule between New York–JFK and Los Angeles is below.

Images of Delta's new 757 and 767 transcontinental products are available at news.delta.com:

• 757 BusinessElite seats
• 767 BusinessElite seats
• BusinessElite Transcontinental Meal by Michael Chiarello
• Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding
• Tumi amenity kit featuring skincare products from Malin+Goetz
• Upgraded Transcontinental Economy Comfort

On the ground, customers will also enjoy Delta's Terminal 4 at New York-JFK International Airport which was opened in May of 2013 and the $229 million investment to overhaul Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport which is scheduled to be complete in 2015.

Today's announcement builds on Delta's industry leadership in exceeding customer expectations by being the first major U.S. airline to introduce:

• In-flight Wi-Fi more than five years ago and deploy it across its entire two-class domestic fleet
• The Sky Deck at Delta Sky Clubs in New York-JFK and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
• Personal, on-demand entertainment at every seat on all long-haul international flights – the only U.S. domestic carrier with this offering
• Full flat-bed seats with direct-aisle access across its international widebody fleet.

Delta has invested billions of dollars in the customer experience, including updating interiors with more baggage space and access to power throughout 225 domestic narrowbody aircraft through 2016, and building a new Terminal 4 at New York-JFK and the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal in Atlanta. Delta has also spent more than $100 million to expand, renovate and consolidate terminals C and D at New York-LaGuardia Airport and opened a Sky Deck at Delta Sky Clubs in New York-JFK and Atlanta in 2013. Additionally, customers have seen Delta's investment in its more than 45 Delta Sky Clubs throughout the system, power recharging stations at dozens of airports, and continued updates to the Fly Delta app including features such as integrated baggage tracking and mobile check-in. Customers can see a complete overview of Delta's ongoing updates to its products with the Delta Fleet Sheet on Facebook.

Delta Air Lines serves nearly 165 million customers each year. This year, Delta was named the 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine and was named to FORTUNE magazine's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the third time in four years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 333 destinations in 64 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a newly formed joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.

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SOURCE Delta Air Lines