There’s only one thing you have to know: Which routes use an aircraft with an international (i.e. much more comfortable) Business Class cabin.
HOW TO AVOID THE DELTA BLUES
Last month we looked at United seats on two different aircraft flying to Hawaii. The difference: One aircraft had an internationally configured Business Class cabin, the other, a domestic one.
The experiential difference was amazing. This month FCF turns its eyes on Delta, and what we’ve uncovered is equally as revealing. (Next month we will look at American.)
Again, we’re comparing aircraft seats, one on Delta 1283, the other on Delta 1719. Both flights serve the Los Angeles-Honolulu route. One flight offers just a normal domestic seat; on the other, you’re on Easy Street.
DL1283 uses a B767-300, which has an international Business Class cabin.
Delta.com
DL1719 uses a domestic aircraft, a B757, so you're just getting a domestic First Class seat.
Delta.com
On international flights, Business Class on Delta, as on most U.S. carriers, is really Business Class. On domestic flights, however, Business Class is puffed up: It’s even called First Class, but it’s a big come down in comfort and overall experience. (The Transcon is the one exception.) One is 24-karat gold, the other is fool's gold, given that the price is the same.
Knowing the Hawaii routes and flights on which Delta offers an international Business Class seat means you can strike gold. You get, in effect, a free in-class seat upgrade.
IT STARTS WITH THE RIGHT AIRCRAFT
Delta’s B767-300s: The airline has 5 versions, but the ones used on Hawaii routes all have a Business Class flat-bed seat: 180-degree recline, 77 to 81 inches long, 21 inches wide.
Delta’s B767-400s: There's only one version, and it has flat-bed seats in Business Class: 180-degree recline, 77 to 81 inches long, 21 inches wide.
NETWORKING, CONNECTIONS, AND FREE UPGRADES
Mainland Connections: If you live in Detroit, you must make a connection to Honolulu somewhere, so why not book Delta via Los Angeles or Salt Lake City instead of via Seattle? If you do, you get the international Business Class seat and the free in-class upgrade.
HOW DO I EASILY BOOK MY ITINERARY AROUND THE BEST SEATS?
Just know where to find Delta’s international Business Class seat on routes to Hawaii.
[table_opt id="5960" style="blue-header" width="default" alignment="thcenter" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="no" /]
[aside headline="Special Delta Hawaii Fares" alignment="aligncenter" width="big" headline_size="default"]
Stay alert and check FCF’s Daily Deals for special low premium Hawaii fares, such as the Flash Fares FCF’s research team found on March 20, which started as low as $614 from the West Coast and another one that offered fares from Canada for just $634 round-trip.[/aside]