Delta Flight 763 BusinessElite New York-Los Angeles – Review

Lie-flat seat with Westin In Flight Heavenly bedding

At my seat were an 18×22” pillow (in an 18×23” pillow case with a French envelope closure) and a large (48×81”) 262-thread-count quilted duvet.  The pillowcase, made from microfiber, was nice and soft, and the duvet was constructed using a baffle-box design to ensure that the fill didn’t move around too much.

I normally don’t get excited about bedding but Delta and its partner Westin are really onto something here.  Westin had introduced the Heavenly Bed years ago in its hotel rooms  and it became so popular that the hotel group started offering them for sale to guests who had apparently enjoyed such a good night’s sleep that they wanted to recreate their experience at home.  Airlines, however, haven’t always done a great job in bedding as some blankets are too hot, some are too thin (and hence too cold), and few are just right.  Suffice it to say that this new offering was and I won’t be at all surprised if Delta starts offering these items for sale as well.

IN-FLIGHT SERVICE

Pre-departure beverages were offered and, once aloft, the breakfast service began.  The first course consisted of a gravlax appetizer and fresh fruit accompanied by a yummy cinnamon yoghurt dipping sauce.

Several options for the main course were offered, including a Fontana omelet, granola with strawberries, and apple ricotta crêpes with toasted pecans and maple syrup (my choice).  The crêpes were surprisingly good and I had an Apfelschorle (made with half apple juice and half sparkling water) and coffee with the meal.

Once breakfast was over, I took advantage of the Westin Heavenly In Flight bedding and caught up on the sleep I had missed out on by getting up for a 7 a.m. flight.  It was a restful nap.

ARRIVAL

We arrived early and with ample time to make my connection to my San Diego flight.  I had chosen the routing via Los Angeles in order to avail myself of the more comfortable cabin and service offered on the “transcon” routes (while New York to San Diego is of course a transcontinental flight, the aircraft used on it do not have lie-flat seats or the Westin bedding and there is less personal space in business class overall).

BOTTOM LINE

While a transcon is a relatively short flight in terms of available sleep time, it was smart of Delta to offer the new bedding on its premium transcon routes instead of limiting it to international flights.  This, along with other changes that Delta has made to create a more restful atmosphere for flying (including adjusting the lighting and limiting the number of PA announcements), made for a most pleasant flight and, more importantly, turned me into a big fan of the Westin Heavenly In Flight bedding products.

(Photos: Accura Media Group)

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