DELTA Air Lines has unveiled its new premium BusinessElite cabin which is scheduled to be installed in Delta’s fleet by the end of the summer.
The installation follows the carrier’s decision to scrap its international first-class seating (Travel Weekly September 16).
Aircraft serving New York JFK, Atlanta and Cincinnati from Gatwick and Manchester will have BusinessElite cabins by June.
Seats will offer a 60ins pitch and be configured in a two-two-two formation. The seats will recline into a bed-style product.
Catering is being enhanced to give a more personal service, with a wider selection of food and snack facilities available throughout flights. Computer points and personal video screens are also being installed on Delta’s long-haul fleet of Boeing 767s and MD-11s.
The carrier’s 14 B777s on order will be delivered in the spring with BusinessElite on board.
Priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling will also come on-line for the summer, but in the meantime its current business-class facilities are available. BusinessElite customers will be given access to Delta’s lounges and extra mileage on the airline’s SkyMiles frequent-flyer programme. Delta said it made the decision to scrap first class because of falling yields globally, although UK bookings had held up well. If passengers insist on first class, they will be booked on codeshare partners Swissair or Air France.
Executive vice-president and chief marketing officer Frederick Reid said the enhanced product will be priced at current business-class rates after taking account of research with 80 frequent international business passengers.
Delta joins fellow US carrier Continental Airlines, which brands its premium cabin as BusinessFirst, in only offering a single premium product on transatlantic flights.
Rival American Airlines has chosen to keep its transatlantic first-class product, but is installing a sleeper-style seat.