Delta Begins Full Flat-Bed Seat Installation on Final International Fleet Type, Airbus 330 Aircraft

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Apr 17, 2013, 10:04 ET

ATLANTA, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is upgrading its Airbus A330 fleet – the final fleet type to receive the modification – to include full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite cabin and new "slim line" seats, which offer more personal space throughout the Economy cabin. The first modified A330 operated its first flight yesterday from Atlanta to Detroit and will operate from Detroit to Amsterdam today. There are 32 A330s in the Delta fleet.

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BusinessElite
Each A330 will have 34 BusinessElite full flat-bed seats providing direct-aisle access for every customer, electronic seat controls with adjustable lumbar support, a 110-volt universal power outlet, USB port and an adjustable personal LED reading lamp. Each seat offers a 15.4 inch widescreen video monitor with instant access to 350 films, 130 hours of television programming, nearly 100 hours of premium selections from HBO and Showtime, 27 games, more than 4,500 digital music tracks and a real-time flight tracker. On-demand streaming entertainment to personal laptops and tablets will also be available on board this summer.

Delta already offers more flat-bed seats with direct-aisle access than any other U.S. carrier. The new A330 BusinessElite seats, manufactured by Zodiac Aerospace, are approximately 78 inches in length and 20 inches wide. The seats will be arranged in an angled reverse herringbone layout, similar to the flat-bed seats currently offered on Delta's 777 and 747-400 fleets. Window seats will face outward, while center seats are angled toward each other. There are no middle or rear-facing seats.

"A restful night's sleep is critical to our customers who are flying halfway around the world and we are thrilled that the full flat-bed seats will soon be offered throughout our international fleet, providing them with a more relaxing and productive journey," said Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president – Marketing, Network and Revenue Management. "Once complete, Delta will be the only U.S. carrier to offer a full flat-bed seat with direct aisle access across the entire widebody international fleet."

To date, more than 60 percent of Delta's widebody international fleet has been upgraded with direct-aisle access full flat-bed seats. Already, Delta's fleet of 16 Boeing 747-400 aircraft, 18 Boeing 777 aircraft and 21 Boeing 767-400ER have been retrofitted with full flat-bed seats. Thirty-five Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with new full flat-bed BusinessElite seats are currently flying, with the entire fleet of 58 aircraft scheduled for completion by the end of 2013. The full international widebody fleet of more than 140 aircraft will be complete by mid-2014.

Economy Comfort
Like all of Delta's international fleet, the A330s will feature Economy Comfort, which includes "slim line" seats offering more personal space, up to four additional inches of legroom for 35 inches of seat pitch and 50 percent more recline. Delta's A330 aircraft each have 32 Economy Comfort seats with six-way adjustable headrests, a 110-volt universal power outlet and USB port.

The product is similar to the upgraded Economy services currently available on flights operated by Delta's joint venture partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia and is located in the first few rows of the Economy cabin on more than 160 Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft.

In addition to more legroom and recline, customers seated in Economy Comfort will enjoy priority boarding and complimentary spirits throughout the flight. These benefits are in addition to Delta's standard international Economy class amenities, including complimentary meals, beer, wine, entertainment, blankets and pillows.

Economy
Changes to the Economy cabin include more comfortable "slim line" seats manufactured by B/E Aerospace, providing customers with additional knee clearance. All Economy seats feature a headrest with adjustable wings, height and tilt, USB power and a nine-inch touch screen featuring personal on-demand entertainment and the same extensive library of entertainment choices as those offered in BusinessElite and Economy Comfort.

Installing full flat-bed seats on Delta's widebody international aircraft is a major component of Delta's $3 billion customer experience investment. This investment also includes Delta's new Terminal 4 at New York-JFK, opening this May, and Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal in Atlanta, which opened in April 2012. Delta is also spending more than $100 million to expand, renovate and consolidate terminals C and D at New York-LaGuardia Airport. Additionally, customers will see Delta's investment in its more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs throughout the system, power poles at dozens of airports, mobile apps which include features such as baggage tracking, and Wi-Fi on more than 800 aircraft.

About Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 313 destinations in 57 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and 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 15,000 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. Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta and Facebook.com/delta.