Delta Starts Installing Full Flat-Beds on A330 Aircraft
Delta Air Lines said it is upgrading its Airbus A330 fleet — the final fleet type to receive the modification — to include full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite cabin and new “slim line” seats, which offer more personal space throughout the Economy cabin. The first modified A330 operated its first flight April 16 from Atlanta to Detroit. There are 32 A330s in the Delta fleet.
Each A330 will have 34 BusinessElite full flat-bed seats providing direct-aisle access for every customer, electronic seat controls with adjustable lumbar support, a 110-volt universal power outlet, USB port and an adjustable personal LED reading lamp. Each seat offers a 15.4 inch widescreen video monitor with instant access to 350 films, 130 hours of television programming, nearly 100 hours of premium selections from HBO and Showtime, 27 games, more than 4,500 digital music tracks and a real-time flight tracker. On-demand streaming entertainment to personal laptops and tablets will also be available on board this summer.
Delta already offers more flat-bed seats with direct-aisle access than any other U.S. carrier. The new A330 BusinessElite seats, manufactured by Zodiac Aerospace, are approximately 78 inches in length and 20 inches wide. The seats will be arranged in an angled reverse herringbone layout, similar to the flat-bed seats currently offered on Delta’s 777 and 747-400 fleets. Window seats will face outward, while center seats are angled toward each other. There are no middle or rear-facing seats.
To date, more than 60 percent of Delta’s widebody international fleet has been upgraded with direct-aisle access full flat-bed seats. Already, Delta’s fleet of 16 Boeing 747-400 aircraft, 18 Boeing 777 aircraft and 21 Boeing 767-400ER have been retrofitted with full flat-bed seats. Thirty-five Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with new full flat-bed BusinessElite seats are currently flying, with the entire fleet of 58 aircraft scheduled for completion by the end of 2013. The full international widebody fleet of more than 140 aircraft will be complete by mid-2014.
Like all of Delta’s international fleet, the A330s will feature Economy Comfort, which includes “slim line” seats offering more personal space, up to four additional inches of legroom for 35 inches of seat pitch and 50 percent more recline. Delta’s A330 aircraft each have 32 Economy Comfort seats with six-way adjustable headrests, a 110-volt universal power outlet and USB port.
