Flight Review: Delta Airbus A330-900neo Delta One® – ATL-FCO

We’re in Italy again this week and will be spending time in Calabria and Sardinia. Yesterday, Delta was still recovering from weather over the weekend and it nearly made us getting to Italy impossible. We were scheduled to fly from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and then onto Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO) before connecting onward to Reggio Calabria Airport (REG) on a separate ITA Airways ticket. The first flight from Chicago was experiencing a rolling delay. If we stayed on that we would have ended up missing the flight to Rome. I quickly switched us to connect in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and while we made all of our flights, the crew on the transatlantic segment was the worst I have ever had flying Delta.

Anthony’s Take: Check-in with the app was quick and easy. The food on this flight was great and we liked the Delta One® suites on this Airbus A330-900neo. Aside from that, I have nothing nice to say. The crew did not want to be there and put as little effort into service as humanly possible. This included serving the entire Delta One® cabin an express service, never offering a single drink refill, loudly talking about passengers and how they questioned whether they could afford Business Class, and more. The purser, Marguerite, was outright rude. She refused to board the plane until the cleaners were off. This caused us to be delayed. She never smiled and barked at passengers. I rarely dislike a flight attendant, but I don’t like her. She needs to be fired and I will be writing a letter to Delta.

Booking

I jumped at the opportunity to buy seats in Delta Premium Select for $1,068 each. I used Global Upgrade Certificates to confirm into Delta One® at booking. I thought this was a great price.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

Even though we arrived a little late, we still had time to run to the Delta Sky Club® in Concourse E (I’ve reviewed this before here). It was not as nice as the Delta One® Lounge we were planning on visiting, but it was fine for a short stay.

Boarding

Boarding was late due to the flight attendant and no one working there seeming to be in any hurry. Everyone started pushing forward and lining up. A mix of people (us included) boarded as the gate agents let pre-boards and everyone else just get on the plane.

On-Board

On Delta’s Airbus A330-900neo, Delta One® contains 29 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. I selected seat 1A (with my husband in 2A). I always go for the bulkhead seats as the footwells are larger. This was as close as we could get having just booked the flight same day.

At the seat was a large pillow, a duvet, a mattress pad, and Missoni slippers.. Polaris® bedding by Saks Fifth Avenue is far superior to what Delta offers, but I like the Missoni design and it does lend itself to feeling premium.

There was also a Missoni amenity kit, a water bottle, and headphones placed in the side space. These are the new amenity kits that come in five limited-edition seasonal colors. I think the one I received is called Seoul Sunrise (orange).

Seat Features

Seats 1A and 2A are good if you’re traveling alone. They work okay when with someone, but you need to stand up to talk. The seat features several sets of controls for converting it into a lie-flat bed as well as controls for the entertainment system, lights, and flight attendants. The entertainment system offers a huge selection of movies and TV shows. There was also a pair of USB-A plugs and a standard AC outlet. Some of these controls were loaded with crumbs and filthy.

The screens felt large.

Air vents and reading lights were overhead.

A coat hook was awkwardly placed next to the entertainment screen.

Pre-departure beverages were offered with a choice of orange juice or prosecco. I selected orange juice.

Food

Menus were already at each seat when we boarded. They detailed both meals as well as wine and other beverages. Since we just moved onto the flight we were unable to pre-order.

The meal started with a choice of beverage and warm nuts. I had half club soda and half cranberry juice.

The tray with the rest of the service arrived next. I asked the purser why they were doing an express service on a 9.5-hour flight and she just shot me a dirty look and said turbulence. I chose the Spinach Artichoke Ravioli and enjoyed it. The rest of the tray was also quite tasty.

Dessert came next with the flight attendants yelling to each other around ice cream toppings instead of using a cart or making them one by one.

At breakfast time, I had a cranberry juice.

The breakfast tray was delivered about 90 minutes before landing. The yogurt parfait was delicious. The Brioche French Toast is a winner.

Chocolate was handed out before landing.

Wi-Fi

The Wi-Fi was free for SkyMiles members and worked well throughout the entire flight.

Lavatory

There is one lavatory at the front of the plane and another closer to the end of the Delta One® cabin.. They were both standard and functional.

Service

The service throughout the flight was bad. Some seemed like they were not trained to work Delta One® flights while others like the purser. The flight attendants sat in the galley almost the entire flight complaining about passengers, work, their personal likes and more

Overall Impression:

This was not a good flight simply because of the delays and the flight attendants bad attitudes. Delta is still trying to be premium and flights like this one make it anything but.