Delta Air Lines Completes Full Flat-bed Installations on Boeing 747-400 Aircraft

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Nov 15, 2012, 10:30 ET

ATLANTA, Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) has completed the installation of full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite® cabin of all Boeing 747-400 type aircraft.

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The last of 16 Boeing 747 aircraft, each with 48 BusinessElite seats, has been retrofitted with full flat-bed seats. It entered scheduled service this week on a flight between Singapore and Tokyo's Narita airport, before making its way to Atlanta.

"A full flat-bed seat with direct aisle access is a premium cabin feature that's important to our customers and one of the many ways we're keeping our commitment to making flying better," said Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president – Network, Revenue Management and Marketing. "The 747 is an iconic aircraft and with this nose-to-tail modification complete, it will serve as the crown jewel of our fleet taking our customers everywhere they want to go – from Australia, Asia, the Middle East and back again."

Delta previously completed installation of the full flat-bed modification on its Boeing 777 and 767-400ER aircraft types. To date, 13 767-300ER aircraft have received the modification and three more will be complete by month's end. In total, approximately 50 percent of Delta's widebody international fleet has received the upgrade. In addition to flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, the cabin overhaul includes upgraded seats in the Economy cabin with personal entertainment at every seat. The airline's entire widebody international fleet of more than 140 aircraft will receive the full aircraft modification in both cabins by the middle of 2014.

Delta recently announced plans to install full flat-bed seats on its transcontinental flights between New York – JFK and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

This autumn, Delta announced plans to add Wi-Fi to its entire international fleet. The airline is already the largest operator of Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft on more than 3,000 flights serving more than 400,000 customers every day. When complete, Delta will offer Wi-Fi on more than 950 aircraft, from 747s to two-class regional jets.

The installation of flat-bed seats is a major component of the airline's more than $3 billion investment in enhanced global products, services and airport facilities through 2015. In addition to investments in transcon, Delta operates the largest Wi-Fi-enabled fleet in the world, is adding recharging stations at more airports, has added more First Class seats and in-flight entertainment to its domestic product; offers Economy Comfort on all two-class aircraft; is adding personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and Economy class customers on all long-haul international flights; has updated Delta Sky Clubs throughout the system; and is overhauling its terminal facility for international customers at its two largest global gateways – the new international terminal in Atlanta now open and the expanded international terminal opening next May at New York-JFK.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. During the past year, Delta was named domestic "Airline of the Year" by the readers of Travel Weekly magazine, was named the "Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline" by PCWorld magazine for its innovation in technology, won the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey and was the recipient of 12 Executive Travel Magazine Leading Edge Awards for U.S. airlines. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to nearly 313 destinations in 58 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $3 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.