Yesterday, I shared my experience flying Delta’s Airbus A350 business class from Santiago to Atlanta. It’s probably the best business class offered by a US airline. From Atlanta, I connected to Mexico City on a Delta Boeing 737-800, and this flight was essentially the opposite extreme.
Delta’s 737-800 cabins make me dream of American
The Delta “premium” juxtaposition
Bottom line
Delta’s 737-800 cabins make me dream of American
Historically, Delta has been known for flying older aircraft, but maintaining them well and making the cabins feel new (as seen in my recent review of the carrier’s Airbus A319 first class). Some of the carrier’s Boeing 737-800s are an exception, and just as I give the airline credit where it’s deserved, I think it’s only fair to call out the airline where it falls short.
I flew on a 23-year-old Delta Boeing 737-800 with the registration code N3754A, and the cabin was far from modern or luxurious.
The seats were fine (I’m always grateful just to be in first class), but the lack of any sort of headrest makes this one of the less comfortable first class seats out there, in my opinion.
Delta 737-800 first class seats
There was seat back entertainment (or in my case, entertainment on the bulkhead), but my gosh, this screen must be an original from when the plane was delivered in 2001. It was tiny and so low resolution, and fit into the category of “why bother?”
Delta 737-800 first class entertainment
But even beyond that, the cabin was just a mess. For example, take a look at the chargers underneath the seats. I’m not sure whether to be more shocked by the presence of ethernet ports, or how damn filthy it is. Is no one even pretending to be cleaning these planes?
Delta 737-800 first class outlets
Then there were the volume controls between seats, which… well, I’ll let the picture speak for itself.
Delta 737-800 first class volume controls
While I didn’t take a picture of it, my seat mate’s tray table wouldn’t even stay up correctly, and kept collapsing.
For a moment I wondered if Delta had some sort of a wet lease agreement with Cubana (okay, that would be a dream), but nope, this is just Delta. It’s not often I say this, but I’d take an American 737 any day over this. At least the cabins are modern and relatively clean (in the sense that there’s no grime on the ethernet ports).
To Delta’s credit, the airline is in the process of updating the interiors of these jets. But at the end of the day, I booked a ticket on the plane Delta is flying now, not the plane that Delta is flying in the future.
Read More: 2025 Checked Baggage Size and Allowance Guide for 62 Airlines [Dimensions, Limits, and Policies]
The Delta “premium” juxtaposition
Delta is such a fascinating airline. There are so many things the airline does well, like positioning itself as a premium brand, having (on average) the best staff of the “big three,” and selectively investing in the passenger experience.
But Delta is also inconsistent. Take my experience yesterday, for example. In addition to flying the above Delta 737, I also spent quite a bit of time in Atlanta:
Delta has no Delta One Lounge in Atlanta, and has no plans to build one (and also doesn’t have official plans to build one in Detroit or Minneapolis); these are the carrier’s three biggest hubs, and American and United have a much more impressive setup in most of their hubs, especially with United Polaris Lounges
When you look at the variety of aircraft at Atlanta Airport, you really appreciate just how many not-modern planes Delta has (to put it politely), from Boeing 757s to Boeing 717s
Delta’s Boeing 767-300ERs have the worst long-haul, wide-body business class product of any US airline. Delta has no plans to update them, and they’ll fly for several more years. Compare that to United’s gorgeous 767-300ERs
Can I also just say that even Delta’s (reportedly) best Sky Club in Atlanta, in Concourse F, is… kind of just okay. Yes, the terrace is cool, but it’s not all that modern at this point. Cleanliness could use some help, and am I the only one who doesn’t love eating off disposable plates, with single-use cutlery that you have to remove from plastic packaging?
I’ve also never seen anything quite like it when they’re transitioning from the breakfast to lunch service. They closed the buffet for around 30 minutes, and the staff seemed to take genuine pleasure in yelling at customers who would walk up and try to get something. “SIR, THE BUFFET IS CLOSED!”
Many passengers in the lounge were Korean (ahead of the Korean Air flight) and clearly didn’t speak English, since they didn’t respond to these commands. So that just caused the staff to yell louder.
Bottom line
While I had a great flight on a Delta A350-900, the experience was different on the carrier’s 737-800. It’s not just how outdated the cabin was, but how poorly maintained and dirty it was as well. It was like stepping back in time, with some dirt added for good measure. It even made me miss American’s interiors, which is saying something.
There are many things Delta deserves credit for, including its ability to position itself as significantly better than the competition, despite some major gaps in customer experience.
