Delta BusinessElite Flight 202 New York JFK – Stockholm – Review
Delta is in the midst of a $1.2 billion expansion at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport that will increase its presence in
Terminal 4 and result in considerable enhancements to Terminal 2 as well. (Terminal 3, the former Pan Am Worldport, will be demolished as part of the plan.)
Although my flight to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport (ARN) was departing from Terminal 4, Delta offers SkyPriority check-in for first- and business-class passengers as well as eligible members of Delta’s SkyMiles frequent flyer program from a dedicated entrance at Terminal 2 with an easy shuttle-bus transfer to its gates at T4.
Delta acquired the New York-Stockholm route with its purchase of Pan Am’s transatlantic routes in November 1991; Pan Am had started flying the route in the early 1960s.
The SkyPriority lines were busy but moving quickly so I didn’t have a long wait and I had plenty of time to stop at the Delta Sky Club to relax before the flight.
BOARDING
When it was time to board, I headed to the shuttle bus gate. A few minutes later I was on the bus, which drops passengers off airside at Terminal 4. (See the slideshow on page 3 to see how the transfer works.) Boarding was just about to start when I arrived.
Delta invites its BusinessElite passengers to board first, followed by Medallion members of its SkyMiles frequent flyer program.
Flight attendants were preparing for departure, offering to hang up coats and jackets, and offering pre-departure beverages.
At my seat, 1B, I found a bottle of water, a fluffy pillow, and a blanket as well as an amenity kit that included the usual pen, toothbrush/toothpaste, earplugs, moisturizing cream, socks, and eye mask but also thoughtfully included a shoeshine disk and a shoehorn.
SEAT COMFORT
Delta currently flies the New York to Stockholm route on Boeing 767-300ER aircraft (see the Virtual Tour of this aircraft on page 3). 
The airline is in the process of upgrading these aircraft (it has already upgraded its fleet of 767-400s) to true lie-flat seats with direct-aisle access but, sadly, my aircraft had the older, cradle-style seats that recline but do not go fully flat. While these type of seats were state-of-the-art for business class ten years ago, their day has come and gone and spending the overnight portion of a flight in one reminded me why this is the case.
I found the seat somewhat narrow (it is 18.5” wide) and I was unable to find a truly comfortable position to sleep in. The seats are in a 2-2-2 configuration with 60” pitch and they recline 160°.
In addition to the 36 BusinessElite seats, there was a separate Economy Comfort section with 31 seats and the main cabin had 143 seats.
Click here to continue to Page 2 – In-Flight Service and Arrival
