Delta Introduces Additional Flights with Full Flat-Bed Seats in BusinessElite for Purchase on its New York-JFK to Los Angeles Route

Updated Boeing 757 aircraft to start serving transcontinental route by July 1, 2014

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Oct 29, 2013, 09:00 ET

ATLANTA, Oct. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will debut three updated Boeing 757 aircraft on the transcontinental route between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport beginning July 1, 2014, with tickets now available for purchase. These will be the first 757 aircraft in service to feature Delta's previously announced upgrades which will include full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite on transcon flights between New York-JFK and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. All transcon flights on these routes will feature flat-bed seats by summer 2015.

The aircraft will include 16 full flat-bed seats arranged in a 2-2 configuration in the BusinessElite cabin. Each seat is 20 inches wide – expandable up to 22 inches – with an average bed length of 76 inches. Cabin mood lighting and high definition 16-inch video monitor at each seat will further improve the onboard experience.

"Delta customers traveling from New York and Los Angeles continue to tell us that the comfort of full flat-bed seats is a meaningful element of their travel experience," said Tim Mapes, senior vice president–Marketing. "This expansion demonstrates our commitment to listening to what customers value most and then acting quickly to provide it."

The addition of flat-bed seats to the 757 transcon fleet will complement Delta's existing Boeing 767 transcon flights which already feature flat-bed seats for a total of eight daily flights on the route. Customers will enjoy a gourmet three-course menu from renowned chef Michael Chiarello paired with wine from Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson's specially curated Delta Winemaker Series, Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding, a Tumi amenity kit featuring skincare products from Malin+Goetz, a noise-reduction headset, Starbucks coffee and sparkling wine round out the BusinessElite experience.

Modifications to Delta's 757 transcontinental fleet will also include changes to the economy cabin, with the addition of Economy Comfort seats. The 44 extra-legroom seats offer 35 inches of pitch and 50 percent more recline in a 3-by-3 configuration in addition to 108 standard economy seats. All seats in the economy cabin will feature a slim-line design for more personal space, an adjustable headrest, a nine-inch video monitor and standard 110v and USB power ports available at every seat.

Delta has been enhancing the transcon experience from nose to tail throughout 2013 with the addition of products such as complimentary Starbucks coffee and headsets for all passengers. The entire transcon fleet will feature in-flight Wi-Fi and all upgraded aircraft will offer an entertainment library of more than 1,000 on-demand options. Additionally, the 757 fleet will feature 18 channels of live satellite TV.

On the ground, customers will also enjoy Delta's new Terminal 4 at New York-JFK International Airport and the $229 million investment in progress to overhaul Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport.

Images of Delta's new 757 transcontinental BusinessElite seats and Delta's Terminal 4 at New York-JFK are available at news.delta.com:

Today's announcement builds on Delta's industry leadership in exceeding customer expectations by being the first U.S. airline to introduce in-flight Wi-Fi five years ago, the Sky Deck at Delta Sky Clubs in New York-JFK and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this year, being the only U.S. domestic carrier to offer personal, on-demand entertainment at every seat on all long-haul international flights by the end of 2013 and offering flat-bed seating with direct-aisle access across its international widebody fleet by mid-2014.

Delta has invested more than $3 billion in the customer experience since 2010 including installation of full flat-bed seats on Delta's widebody international aircraft, a new Terminal 4 at New York-JFK, 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. Additionally, customers have seen Delta's investment in its more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs throughout the system, power poles at dozens of airports, mobile apps which include features such as baggage tracking, and Wi-Fi on more than 800 aircraft.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 312 destinations in 56 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. 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-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and 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 and Facebook.com/delta.