Boarding was called inside the lounge, and it was on-time such that the process has already started when I reached the gate which is a short walk from the lounge. An interesting feature along the walk is that the immigrations and customs can be observed from the terminal itself with a glass window separating them and I saw the long queues during for immigration at this time.
View of the security line from the terminal
As I arrived at the gate, I managed to get a shot of the plane with a sunset since there was another security check after the boarding pass check just before heading into the aerobridge. I believe this applies to all US-bound flights.
DL146 operated by a Boeing 767-300ER
DL146 Santiago Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez SCL - Atlanta Hartsfield–Jackson ATL STD-STA: 2045-0540 Actual: 2105-0524 Boeing 767-300ER N-1501 Gate 14 Seat 5D
There was little assistance as I boarded the plane and many of the passengers have already gotten seated in the cabin. On the outbound I was seated on the 'A' side and I took the 'D' side for the return flight.
Delta's staggered Business Class cabin
On my seat was a duvet, a nice comfortable pillow (Westin Heavenly branded), the TUMI Kit in a different soft case design, a headphone and a bottle of Dasani water. There was also a tasty packet of nuts for guests to enjoy while waiting to board.
On-seat amenities
Boarding took a while and the crew was busy too. Orange juice, mimosa and champagne was offered as welcome drinks. The 2 main cabin crews serving the Business Class cabin today was Kevin and Jane. Kevin took the meal orders from passengers while we were on the ground while Jane offered newspapers but only the Spanish language El Mercurio is available. She apologized for the lack of other options and while they were not overly friendly like some US airlines' crews, they were extremely professional and have a very pleasant at interacting with the passengers.
Orange juice as welcome drink
The flight turns out to be a really full flight today on both classes. Up front, the only empty seat was 5A for the pilot resting area. One of the passengers even remarked how she nearly was not able to get a seat on this flight.
Seat 5A with curtains for the crew rest
Perhaps due to the crew rest being on the 'A' side, I actually like the ambience on the 'D' side better since it seems to be brighter. Otherwise the seats works out fine for the average passenger, and should pose no challenge to those 180cm (5ft 9) and below.
View from my seat
Centre seats in the Business Class cabin
Santiago is also quite pleasant in terms of take-off and landing since there does not seem to be any long waits on the tarmac. After take-off, there was a couple of announcements before hot towels were distributed by the crew.
Take off from Santiago
The meal service started almost immediately, with Jane serving my aisle and Kevin serving the other aisle. I had barely time to even choose my movie yet and I believe the early service works out well for passengers wishing to get to sleep since this is a flight that would not see any daylight.
Inflight service commencing
Drinks order are taken while the starter canapés was served. However what was weird was the inflight service manager came over and wanted to take away my plate of untouched canapés. I was like I have not even started, as I was selecting my movie to watch while dining.
The menu for the flight was as follows:
In the end, I opted to watch 'San Andreas', which was just an average disaster movie. The movie selections on Delta was not bad and probably on par with most international airlines, though still a notch below Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.
Inflight entertainment choices
Canapés served were quite good and did not disappoint. Portions for the starters was also quite large so no nit-picking here.
Canapes of Tortilla Espanola with Bresaola, Manchego and Tomato jam
I also got 2 drinks to start with, first the coke with lemon that I asked while having the starters. Next I was also offered some red wine and I thought why not?
Coke with lemon
Glass of red wine
Next came the soup and salad which was served together. The soup was tasty but the salad was not to my liking as it was overly crunchy. Even though the colours are nice, it was quite messy and dry.
Spring mix salad and wild mushroom soup
For the main course I got the chicken but because Jane was not the one who took the order, she did not know and there was the plate of beef on her other hand. The chicken was better than I expected and the gravy was perfect since it didn't smear the whole dish to make it soggy so the chicken preserved its crunchy texture.
Chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and provolone cheese
What was weird was that the vegetables served with the chicken was asparagus and not brussels sprouts as indicated on the menu. After the main course Jane reappeared with the dessert tray, which is probably the best thing in the meal service for US-based airlines.
Dessert trolley
Sundae toppings and sweet treats
There was the classic ice cream sundae with a variety of toppings, sweet treats in small cubes and berries with cheese. I chose to have the ice cream, strawberries and a small piece of the chocolate cake.
Ice cream sundae with strawberries and Sauternes
When the meal was over, the crew dimmed the cabin lights to allow passengers to rest, and I reclined my seat to a lie-flat position to enjoy the remaining of the movie.
Some inflight entertainment before sleeping
Once the lavatory was empty, I got around to brushing my teeth and got another bottle of water from the crew before making the bed on my lie-flat seat. The bedding amenities like the Westin Heavenly branded pillows and duvet did make a difference in the comfort when sleeping. I especially like the larger pillows they offered as it was a lot more supportive.
Westin Heavenly pillow
Preparing the seat with a duvet
The sleep was so good that it was not until we were off the coast of Florida that I woke up with one and a half hours to go before arrival.
Waking up off the coast of Florida
Once the crew saw me awake, they offered me orange juice and brought along a refreshing towel which was a nice touch.
Orange juice in the morning
More refreshing hand towels
Since I already picked my breakfast option, I was asked if I wanted coffee, and whether I wanted any condiments. I got some coffee with milk and Delta serves decent coffee, meaning it is drinkable but I would not rate is as the best coffee in an airline.
Coffee with milk
I got the omelet for my breakfast and it was substantial enough since there was pastries and ham on top of the omelet along with a fruit bowl. Overall it was a nice breakfast that would last me until lunch time in Atlanta.
Feta cheese and spinach omelet for breakfast
After the breakfast service, the lavatories got a bit occupied since it was full flight and many passengers were keen to freshen up before landing. During this time, Kevin came around the cabin to give out chocolates before final approach to thank us all for our support of Delta.
Chocolate before landing
It was not even daylight yet as we went on to land in Atlanta and probably at this time of the day, I was expecting us to be one of the first few airplanes to land and hoping for a quick immigration clearance. However it was not to be the case since there was some European flights arriving before us and it made for a long queue at the immigration resulting in an hour of wait before clearing immigration. By then it was just nice to catch the sunrise as I took the free shuttle bus from the International Terminal to the Domestic Terminal on the other end of the airport.
Delta Business Class cabin on the 767-300ER
Overall the return flight was as good as the outbound and I think Delta has a very nice business class service that seems consistent with crews that can combine professionalism with friendliness. The fact that Business Class is like the highest classes on most of their flights (Delta operates a private charter division), premium passengers do get very good service and meals that I enjoy more than the other 2 US carriers (ie. United and American).
Arrivals at Atlanta Airport
Sunrise from the shuttle bus between terminals
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Verdict
Delta Air Lines
7.9/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi7.5
Meal/catering8.0
Delta Air Lines Sky Club
8.0/10
Comfort8.0
Meal/catering8.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Services8.0
Santiago - SCL
8.2/10
Efficiency9.0
Access8.0
Services8.5
Cleanliness7.5
Atlanta - ATL
7.5/10
Efficiency4.5
Access8.5
Services8.5
Cleanliness8.5
Conclusion
0 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
The screen size is indeed not the best or highest resolution, but since majority of the flight I will be sleeping, it was not a big issue. The lie-flat seat was more important along with the comfortable bedding and pillow, and that made it more comfortable with Delta.
Thanks for sharing with us ! The quality of the pictures is excellent. I like Delta Busines class on long haul and I have never been disappointed. The catering looks very tasty and it's usaully simple recipes and very fresh. Great report.
Delta does have some of the better tasting meals compared to United or American, based on my past experiences. I was also grateful that the meals on Delta are usually quite healthy and complete.
Thank you so much for the compliments. The weather and sunset really made that cover photo shine right?
Indeed, I find Delta to be the most consistent in terms of service and product offering. That makes it much easier for travellers to know what to expect when flying with them. Their business class fares are also cheaper than United or American in most instances so that helps in choosing to fly with them as well.
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15 Comments
Thank you for this FR. The business class sounds very nice. The screen looks a bit small compared to some other airlines.
The seat is very flashy but it's DELTA style. :)
The cover picture is beautiful.
Thank You.
The quality of the pictures is excellent.
I like Delta Busines class on long haul and I have never been disappointed. The catering looks very tasty and it's usaully simple recipes and very fresh.
Great report.
I too am captivated by the cover photo of the 767 at the gate at SCL. Delta should pay you to use it in marketing materials!
I'm glad you had an enjoyable flight with good sleep. This is the hallmark of a quality business class in my book.
Delta seems to be consistent in the experience which is meant as a compliment. Other airlines would do well to accomplish this.
Thank you again and happy flying.
Indeed, I find Delta to be the most consistent in terms of service and product offering. That makes it much easier for travellers to know what to expect when flying with them. Their business class fares are also cheaper than United or American in most instances so that helps in choosing to fly with them as well.
Good product from DL, really like the cabin.
The sad thing is the little size of the IFE, they could have chosen bigger screens.
Thanks again and keep on flying :)
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