Onboard the Flagship: Delta One Suites on the A350 from Atlanta to Cape Town

by Krish Patel

Delta Airlines has a large widebody fleet, with several aircraft types used for long international routes. Their flagship widebody jet is the Airbus A350-900, which operates the airline’s longest flights. Clocking in at 14 and a half hours, the route from Atlanta to Cape Town is Delta’s second longest flight.

The Ground Experience

Delta Airlines is headquartered in Atlanta, with ATL being their largest hub. The carrier occupies most of the concourses at Hartsfield Jackson International.

My connecting flight from Newark arrived at Concourse C, so I don’t have much to say on the check-in experience in Atlanta. However, Delta One passengers can pass through the Sky Priority check-in queue and clear check-in and security quicker.

The flight to Cape Town departed from the international Concourse E, which required a ride on the airport’s Plane Train. The train runs through all of the airport’s concourses and departs every 2 minutes. I made a quick stop in Concourse D to review the new Delta Sky Club that had opened a few days before taking this flight.

Unfortunately, Delta does not have a Delta One Lounge in Atlanta, despite there being over half a dozen Sky Clubs. However, the new lounge in the D gates is absolutely beautiful. In the club is some artwork that reflects a modern, contemporary design. They’re incredibly stunning and enhance the design of the new lounge.

After reaching the main level, you’ll notice an abundance of seating options adjacent to the windows, as well as some located towards the center. The club is shaped like a rectangle and offers seating for over 500 passengers, making Delta’s largest lounge in Atlanta.

There’s one large buffet station in the club, which offers several locally-inspired hot dishes, salads, and soups. There are also some sweet dessert bites to choose from, including chocolate chip cookies and s’mores brownies. All of the food is freshly made in the lounge’s kitchen. Since there are identical serving stations at each end of the buffet, there shouldn’t be a very long line to get food.

This lounge features the coolest bar I’ve seen in a Sky Club. It displays elegant wooden finishes and a stunning ceiling with hanging light fixtures. Available at the bar is an extensive selection of premium drinks available for purchase in either cash or SkyMiles.

After spending just under an hour at the new D gates lounge, I made my way to the Delta Sky Club in Concourse E. This is where the majority of international Delta flights depart at Atlanta. For the longest time, Delta has faced the issue of overcrowding in its Sky Clubs. There are often long lines to enter one. However, international Delta One passengers can skip the waitlist and enter the lounge, even if there are virtually no empty seats. The Sky Club in Concourse E is older than the one in the domestic terminal. The design feels slightly more plain and basic, with lower ceilings and white walls and countertops.

Still, this lounge offers lots of comfortable seating options. Whether you’re looking to relax, unwind, dine, or work, there are many seating variants to choose from. It branches off to almost every angle of the lounge from the central buffet.

In the Concourse E Sky Club, the buffet offers sandwiches, salads, hot dishes, desserts, and cold cuts. The selection is roughly equivalent to the other Sky Clubs in Atlanta. Paper plates and plastic utensils were being used as dinnerware as opposed to proper glassware, which made me sad to see. Adjacent to the buffet is also a full-service bar that offers a selection of complimentary drinks and premium beverages for purchase.

Since I figured that I would have a long day of travel ahead, I decided to grab a shower in one of the shower suites. This was the main reason why I decided to pay a visit to the E gates Sky Club. The shower was relaxing and offered fragrant Grown Alchemist shampoo and shower gel.

The gate isn’t that long of a walk from the Sky Club and took less than five minutes to reach. I admired the stunning Airbus A350-900 and its iconic wingtip that displays the Delta logo.

Boarding commenced on time, however, we would soon experience a delayed departure due to severe thunderstorms in the Atlanta area. Delta One passengers board in Zone 1 of 8 and I found myself to be one of the first onboard.

Delta One A350 Cabin and Suite

Delta’s Airbus A350-900 features a total of 32 Delta One Suites spread across two cabins. The main Business Class cabin is composed of 24 suites, and the mini cabin offers 8 suites. The seats alternate by row facing closer to the window and closer to the aisle. Each suite offers 20.5 inches of width and 76.5 inches of space in bed mode.

Delta’s flagship international Business Class product features seats with stunning black finishes and white suite exteriors. The triangular stitching engraved onto the blue seat padding is visually appealing and is complemented well by the red storage unit.

In front of each seat is the Delta Studio entertainment system, adjacent to which is a coat hook. The screen measures 18 inches across and offers hours of entertainment. You can access movies across several genres and watch newly released films. There’s also a variety of TV shows, live television, and Spotify-curated audio playlists to choose from. You’ll notice special tabs for kids movies and TV, games, information about Delta Air Lines, and the inflight map. The map on the IFE screen thought we were going to Paris instead of Cape Town and showed the wrong flight path until we were airborne.

Beneath the screen is a leg rest, which offers plenty of space to stretch your feet out in lie-flat bed mode. Right next to the footwell, you’ll notice the literature pocket.

The side table can be found either to the left or right of your seat and offers a generous surface area. Built into the side table is a wireless charging pad, the seat controls, and button for the tray table. The preset of seat controls allows you to adjust the seat to a variety of relaxing positions. Included in the seat controls are also dedicated buttons to control the suite lighting and a do not disturb button. A second preset of seat controls can also be found beneath the side table.

Behind the side table is a red storage compartment that houses the headphones. It offers plenty of space and can even accommodate small personal items. Right below the storage unit are the charging outlets and a headphone jack.

The tray table comes out from the side console and is incredibly sturdy. I find the shape of the table to be quite bizarre and not the most practical.

Found on the inner seat wall is the signature adjustable lamp and a latch for the privacy door. The lamp can be adjusted to various brightness levels and adds a lot of coziness to the seat. The door is kept in the locked position for taxi, takeoff, and landing, but could be closed on the ground before departure.

Individual reading lights are found above each of the window seats. Given that the ceiling is higher above the center section, reading lights aren’t found above the center suites.

The Delta A350 comes with two lavatories for Delta One passengers. Both are very spacious and come with plenty of room to stand in comfortably. The sink is well sized and you’re provided with sufficient counter space. Of course, like any premium Delta lavatory, there’s hand soap and lotion supplied from the Grown Alchemist.

I slept well for a significant portion of the long haul flight. In lie-flat bed mode, the seat offers plenty of legroom and great width. My shoulders and upper body didn’t feel constrained and I was able to extend my legs into the footwell, which is pretty wide.

Dining in Delta One Business Class

Waiting at my suite upon boarding was the inflight menu. Delta provides three meals on ultra long haul flights, including dinner, breakfast, and a mid-flight snack. The menu also highlights the wine list and selection of non-alcoholic drinks.

Offered prior to pushback were pre-departure beverages. I opted for a glass of orange juice, which was served in a fun glass branded with the Delta logo.

Service commenced shortly after takeoff with hot towels and a drink of choice. I opted for a glass of water, which was provided with warm nuts.

Five days before my flight, Delta sent me a meal request via an email asking me to pre-order. I ordered the wild mushroom and spinach lasagna, which was the only vegetarian entree. It was acceptable, but not great. The pasta was a little too heavy for me and there was a little too much sauce and cheese. Provided on the side was a mixed greens salad, tomato soup, bread roll, shrimp appetizer, and condiments such as butter, salt, and pepper. The salad didn’t taste very fresh and the tomato soup was my favorite item on the tray.

For dessert, the choice was obvious. I had the ice cream sundae, which tasted delicious and included vanilla ice cream as the base. Passengers could customize their sundae with assorted toppings such as whipped cream and hot fudge. I opted for a little bit of everything. To go along with the sweet dessert, I also ordered a peppermint green tea.

Inflight, a snack basket was set up in the galley for passengers to come and grab a light snack. Mid-flight meals were also offered, with the choices being a burger or flatbread. I skipped the mid-flight meal service.

The second hot towel service was well-appreciated and flight attendants then came around with a beverage cart taking drink orders. I opted for a decaf Starbucks coffee and sparkling water, which tasted refreshing.

Breakfast was served before landing. I ordered the banana bread french toast, which was pretty good as far as the standards of inflight breakfast go. The french toast was somewhat soft and not too solid. Provided on the side was a muffin and bowl of yogurt, which made this a filling meal. Pre-arrival chocolates were distributed shortly after the meal, which I thought was a nice touch.

Amenities in Delta One Business Class

Waiting for me at the Delta One Suite upon boarding was a Missoni amenity kit, pair of Delta One slippers, Delta Studio headphones, bottle of water, and the COZ-Z-Z bedding. It included a mattress pad, pillow, and blanket. The memory foam mattress was plush and paired comfortably with the rest of the sleep items. Please note that Delta is rolling out new Missoni bedding on its flights and it’s expected to be on all Delta One routes by the end of the year. In flight, I found the slippers to be somewhat comfortable, but their material wasn’t very durable and a bit flimsy.

The Missoni amenity kit is composed of a stunning blue pouch that wears the signature zig-zag Missoni logo. Its contents consist of the following items:

Eye mask

Dental kit - Mint toothpaste and bamboo toothbrush
Earplugs
Delta-branded socks
Grown Alchemist skincare pouch - Vanilla and orange peel flavored lip balm and hand cream
Delta-branded pen

Service in Delta One

The crew working the Delta One cabin on this flight were exceptional. I enjoyed chatting with them as they were in the aisles and they maintained a professional attitude. What really stands out about Delta’s crew compared to other American carriers is that their flight attendants always seem passionate about what they do.

Booking Delta One Business Class

Flying Business Class (or even Economy) to South Africa is not cheap. The cost to book a one-way flight in Delta Business Class from Atlanta to Cape Town starts at $5,160. Delta operates this route three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, so the price tends to be more expensive on peak days such as Thursday.

For the same flight in Delta One, Delta will charge approximately 495,000 SkyMiles plus $6 in taxes and fees. Instead of using SkyMiles to book Delta One, it’s better to transfer your credit card points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Capital One Miles to Virgin Atlantic. Flying Club uses a partner award chart for flights on Delta. Previously, VS used to charge about 60,000 points for a one-way Delta One flight between ATL and CPT, but that changed when Virgin Atlantic devalued its Delta award chart. Now, Virgin will typically charge close to 165,000 Flying Club points one-way on this route. While that’s a very high price, it’s still less than what Delta charges.

Overall Thoughts

Delta One is a solid Business Class product when it comes to flying transatlantic. I loved the private suite on the A350 and found it to be very comfortable and spacious. In terms of the soft product, Delta fares well. The bedding is luxurious, and I found the Missoni amenity kit to be well-stocked. While the inflight meals, suites with closing doors, and amenities were all good, I wish that the lounge experience in ATL was more exclusive. In summary, Delta One is one of the best ways to fly on a U.S. carrier if you’re looking for a comfortable experience with better food and amenities.

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