Review: Delta One Suites Airbus A330neo (HND-MSP)

Delta's most premium product is currently their Delta One Suites, however they also come in three different varieties depending on what aircraft you fly on. They can currently be found on their Airbus A350, A330neo, and Boeing 767-400 aircraft. Each suite product is just so slightly different from each other, for example the Boeing 767-400 has no suite door.

While I currently believe the A350 has the most room, I had a chance to give the A330neo a try with their enclosed suite doors.

Booking

This trip was booked one way from Tokyo-Haneda airport, the only airport currently served by Delta, as a larger Pacific-area trip that I was on. Because I was leaving Japan from my booking, it was priced in Japanese Yen and I ended up paying just over ¥448,000 or $2,900 for the one way ticket from Japan. I was traveling during the middle of the Cherry Blossom season and prices were slightly inflated during the time of booking but about average for a one-way fare.

Check-in

The Tokyo-Haneda airport is very efficient. I arrived just prior to noon via subway from downtown Tokyo and made it to the large check-in hall. Airlines are assigned banks of check-in desks that can be randomly assigned based on the airline, however Delta seemed to occupy one of the middle set of desks when you enter the check-in hall.

I did not end up checking a bag or waiting in line as I managed to get my mobile boarding pass, however I did grab a physical ticket from an electronic kiosk for backup purposes and if ever you need to rescan your passport it will prompt you. This eliminates gate agents calling your name during boarding to get your passport verified.

Boarding

Delta seems to occupy the very end of the concourse around gate number 140. I saw the Atlanta and Detroit flights either leaving or arriving as I was sitting at my gate. Each gate house is actually a floor below the main hall, and at the top there was a security checkpoint for US bound passengers to get their passports checked. The waiting area was nice and clean, there were bathrooms and vending machines so once you made it to the gate area you didn't have to leave if you didn't need to.

Boarding started on time without much of an issue. The gates have electronic passport checks that all you have to do is scan your passport, and it lets you on. I find this a way better way to board than having your ticket and a gate agent manually verifying your passport.

Soon it was time to pushback and we get a wave goodbye from the ground staff.

The Seat

The Airbus A330neo features the same Delta One Suites that the flagship A350 has, except they feel a little more narrow in the shoulders. At my seat, there was the standard Delta offering of a pillow, blanket, amenity kit, and surprisingly a mattress pad. Delta has begun to roll out mattress pads across their international flights, and the Tokyo flights seem to be the first ones to get it. I enjoyed the presentation and liked that it also doubled as a lumbar support pillow while rolled up.

I maintain that the "Suites" product that Delta offers are the best seats they fly. Furthermore, I almost exclusively look for the three aircraft with these suites when I can while flying, however it's tough given that Delta doesn't have many aircraft with these seats.

Inflight Entertainment

Delta always gets high marks in my book for their inflight entertainment, they have some of the best selection of movies and TV Shows in the air, plus I'm not required to use my own device to stream it. For the 10-hour flight to Minneapolis, I managed to keep myself entertained with some TV Shows.

We did have one slight hiccup after takeoff with the system. From what it sounds like, half of the cabin couldn't get their screens to work, and the flight attendants made an announcement that they were resetting the system. This was disappointing as I had queued up some things to watch that were ultimately wiped out during the reset.

The whole system was down for around 15 minutes before it all returned to normal. I also noticed that I believe the IFE system is tied in with the mood lighting of the suite, I had turned it all off while leaning back to rest, and when the flight attendant reset everything the mood lighting when to full bright.

However, once the system was working it continued to be just fine for the rest of the flight and worked without issue. A flight attendant told me that these new planes are very finicky, and it causes them to reset the systems at least once during a flight to work properly. I wonder if this is a vendor issue or a Delta issue.

Service

As always, Delta flight attendants are amazing, and this flight wasn't any different. Almost as soon as I got settled in I was offered a choice of water, juice, or sparkling wine. I observed the flight attendants up and down the aisle during the whole boarding process helping passengers and generally making light conversation with them. It was interesting to see that most of them spoke Japanese, and some of the passengers seemed excited as they were greeted in their native tongue.

After takeoff, the flight attendants brought around some warm nuts and asked for drink options. I had asked for a sparkling wine with lunch, however once the flight attendant came back she said they didn't have any onboard and offered instead Champaign which I gladly took.

Dinner service on the flight included both Western and Japanese-style meals. I decided to be a little adventurous and try the Braised Japanese Beef Short Rib that came with radish, carrots, shimeji mushroom, soy sauce, Japanese mustard, Gihey rice, Japanese pickles, and miso soup. Overall I thought the food was great, however the beef was on the slightly dry side yet still flavorful.

For dessert, there was an actual dessert cart with Ice Cream Sundays and cheese plates. Of course, I had to go for an Ice Cream Sunday and get all the toppings. My favorite topping is the crushed up Biscoff cookies, it adds a nice crunch and its unique flavor is perfect.

After dinner, I laid down and tried to get some sleep. It was past midnight in Minneapolis, and I wanted to try to get some sleep to adjust my body. Being in the last row, I wasn't bothered any by the bathroom right behind me or passengers walking back and forth.

I managed to get a good 5-hours of sleep before waking up somewhere over Montana. Sometime when I was sleeping, a flight attendant had brought a replacement bottle of water, which was nice to wake up to.

About an hour outside of Minneapolis, breakfast was served, and I went with the egg frittata. For me, eggs on planes just don't cut it for me. But it was flavored well, and I enjoyed the sliced seasoned potatoes along with the fruit bowl.

Final Thoughts

Delta One Suites are undeniably Delta's best product flying in the air. The A330neo is almost as good as their flagship A350. As always, their flight attendants and inflight entertainment round out the whole experience into more than just how good the seat is. I would highly recommend seeking out a Delta One Suite on your next flight, wherever in the world that might take you.