Delta Air Lines will offer an all-suite business class on
certain long-haul flights beginning next year, the carrier announced Tuesday.
A 32-suite cabin, in which each seat is set apart by a
sliding, full-height door and privacy dividers between the two center seats,
will first appear on Delta's first Airbus A350, scheduled to begin service in fall
2017. Delta has 25 A350 aircraft on order, which largely will serve routes to
Asia. For a few years following the A350 debut, Delta will install similar
cabins on its Boeing 777 fleet.
Senior vice president of global sales Bob Somers said Delta
designed the suites following "extensive customer testing, focus groups
and research," including with the airline's corporate clients. "Customers
said they need to leave the skies rested and relaxed," Somers said.
"This offers a more residential feel, where they can sit back and enjoy
the exclusivity of their own suite."
Other features include dedicated storage space, a memory
foam cushion and an 18-inch, high-resolution monitor for in-flight
entertainment, which Delta said is the largest among U.S. carriers. The airline
also will continue to feature lie-flat seats, which it has had on all wide-body
aircraft serving long-haul international routes since 2014.
While other carriers have introduced private
luxury accommodations—including Etihad's
Residence with a personal butler and shower room—Delta's will be the first
all-suite business class, according to Somers. The cabin's price point and how
it will compare with current business class fares is "under
development," he said.