Review: Delta's Inaugural Flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane (A350 Delta One)
Australia is getting another connection to the United States by way of Brisbane. Delta Air Lines has started service to the Queensland city from December 4, 2024 with a 3-times weekly service. I happened to have booked a seat on the very first flight in Delta's most premium class of service, Delta One.
Booking
I splurged on this flight, going all out for Delta One. However, you will pay a hearty premium for it. The flight can be upwards of $5000 for Delta One, but other classes of service like Premium Select and Main are much more reasonable.
If you are willing to fork over some points, you will be spending at least 60k miles for Main, 215k for Premium Select, or a whopping 410k for Delta One.
For me I see the sweet spot as Premium Select, you get all the same meals as Delta One, just minus the suite. The deep reclining chair and extra space is well worth it for a flight that can push up to 14 to 15 hours.
Check-In
Check-in was quite normal. There was nothing special at the desks, however the gate area was totally decked out with balloons, a koala on an airplane, and special treats.
They were giving out ground beef pies, and ANZAC Biscuits (a traditional Aussie cookie with coconut and oatmeal).
Boarding
Just before boarding, the captains of the flight (there are two due to the length of the flight. In total, two captain and two first officers) cut a ribbon to signify the start inauguration of the flight. It was very lack luster and not organized, unlike the Seattle to Taipei Inaugural.
During the boarding process we were given a card to hold on to. It alluded to a furry friend at the other end of the flight. Safe to say, I was very excited.
The Seat
We were on one of Delta's newest airplanes, not only was this Delta's premiere Delta One product, but it was Delta's newest airplane configured with a comfortable 275-seats including two extra rows of Delta One behind the main cabin door.
But... the back half of the airplane is painted up in a big LA28 logo to signify the next Summer Olympics coming to Los Angeles. This was quite the airplane to bring to Brisbane, as it connects the next two Summer Olympics host cities (LA in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032).
At the seat, there was one of Delta's new amenity kits from Missoni, an Australia arrivals card, and my gift post card.
Service
Service began promptly after takeoff. Within 30 minutes, I had a drink and nuts at my table while I settled back to watch a movie.
Before takeoff, the purser had gone around to everyone to collect orders. It sounded like everyone got their first choice in items.
On the menu was a choice of Meatballs, Chicken, or a Lasagna. And due to the very late departure of the flight, we departed just after 11PM, it was an express dinner service with everything on one plate.
I had my entire meal within 40 minutes after takeoff, including a side of Vegemite special for the flight. The meatballs were most and tasty, however I was disappointed with the garlic bread. The juices from the sauce had soaked into the bread and made it soggy and wet. Besides that, I was satisfied with everything else. the only thing that I always find funny with airline catering is that a main that includes bread always comes with another side of bread, for someone watching the carbs, it doesn't help.
After dinner, there was the choice of a cake, cheese, or a Sunday with all the toppings. How could you not go for the Sunday? The Biscoff topping is always the best part. It was pretty rock solid and hard, it seemed like it was frozen a little too long before being loaded on the airplane.
I was so tired, I slept right through the mid-flight snack, which was a veggie pizza twist, and made it up in time for breakfast. For breakfast, it was the choice of fruit and yogurt or a frittata. I went for the frittata, it was most and warm. I liked the cheese sauce, although a bit messy, and I enjoyed the warm potatoes.
Due to the timing of my flight purchase, I missed out on a window seat and had to deal with a middle seat for the flight. That meant I couldn't get all the good photos for our arrival.
We were met by a big fanfare at the arrival gate. Not only was there a Didgeridoo player at the gate, but there was a gigantic welcoming party post-security, including the airport streaming a two-hour live stream of our arrival. The airport was extremely excited about our arrival.
Just past security there was a press conference with many high ranking individuals from the government, airport, and Delta Air Lines.
Everyone seemed genuinely excited about the arrival, and there was even a ribbon cutting for the departure flight to inaugurate the return to LAX.
Final Thoughts
Inaugural flights are always an exciting experience, there's something to celebrate and always an excitement to be had. Besides this, the flight attendants and everyone upheld the service I expected. The flight attendants were wonderful, attentive, and never too far away if I needed anything. Besides the soggy bread for my meal, all the food was excellent. All the festivities and extras about adding a new route to the airline's network was just icing on the cake for a great flight experience.
