Delta invited journalists to Atlanta today to get a preview of their new A350 and a surprise flight.
TPG did an initial post about it with lots of pics:
https://thepointsguy.com/2017/10/delta-a350-tour/

I really dislike the blue Delta uses on economy seats. It could be the worst shade possible.

Varsity1 wrote:

I really dislike the blue Delta uses on economy seats. It could be the worst shade possible.

I have to agree. It looks so off on the beautiful A350 cabin. They should have kept the same blue as is on Delta One, but I understand why there's a distinction.

Varsity1 wrote:

I really dislike the blue Delta uses on economy seats. It could be the worst shade possible.

It's that cheap AMERICAN look, to make the y passengers feel like peasants. DL is not alone here !! It's amazing how you step into a JL, SQ, EK, BA etc etc etc cabins and they at least looks decent. The DL Y cabin on this A350 looks like a cheap 1970s charter airline. What a shame!

Would anyone happen to know if Delta's A350's have the tail camera like all the other airlines that fly the A350 do?

787fan8 wrote:

Would anyone happen to know if Delta's A350's have the tail camera like all the other airlines that fly the A350 do?

they do not.

Unrelated, I got my first flight on DL's A350 coming up on November 30th. Thanks to all the negative posts about the colors of the main cabin seating, I decided to snag a few cheap Z fares for the DL suite seat for that flight and to SIN in February. I'm stoked!!

LAXLHR wrote:

Varsity1 wrote:

I really dislike the blue Delta uses on economy seats. It could be the worst shade possible.

It's that cheap AMERICAN look, to make the y passengers feel like peasants.

I know what you meant, but this made me lol

jumbojet wrote:

787fan8 wrote:

Would anyone happen to know if Delta's A350's have the tail camera like all the other airlines that fly the A350 do?

they do not.

Well that sucks. I was looking forward to having one at my seat if I ever got the chance to fly on them from ATL. In spite of all that, I still think Delta's A350's are pretty sweet despite the lack of the tail cam.

All is see is boxes, corners and squares.

Delta One suites, walled boxes, the rectangle tables, square TVs, square 'door' (what a gimmick that 'door' is a joke)

Premium Econ, upholstery, rectangles and squares. TVs square, layout of seat rows--large rectangles.

Econ, perfectly aligned sharp corners, including the headrests and the stitching on the seats. TVs, square.

Even the galley pictures are all rectangles.

All very odd aesthetic.

airzim wrote:

Delta One suites, walled boxes, the rectangle tables, square TVs, square 'door' (what a gimmick that 'door' is a joke)

I'll withhold final judgement until I've actually seen and experienced it myself. But going by the photos, the plane looks very nice overall - looks like another solidly competitive product offering for Delta in some of its marquee longhaul markets.

That said, I have to agree on the Delta One suites and the "door" - I'm unsure of that "door." Apparently due to certification limitations, it cannot close completely, and given the height of the "door" and dimension of the suite, it honestly looks more confining without even adding all that much privacy.

Related to previous discussions about Delta's intended premium "surcharge" for these Delta One suites, I'll say - after seeing the pictures and reading the reviews today - that I remain skeptical of Delta's ultimate ability to price these seats much, if at all, above competitive J products offered by AA, United, BA, JAL, ANA, etc.

Delta One suites look a bit cramped... we all know they used the door as a marketing gimmick. I would personally prefer a DL A330 suite over this.

Continental767 wrote:

Delta One suites look a bit cramped... we all know they used the door as a marketing gimmick. I would personally prefer a DL A330 suite over this.

I've flown over a hundred flights in business class on a variety of airlines. On exactly ZERO of those flights, have I found my limbs hanging out into the aisle. And remember, its a door. It opens, it closes. If you don't want to close it, than leave it open. Its a pretty simple theory actually. So if you feel confined and cramped, leave the door open. Your still getting a far superior seat to what you will find on AA/UA. As far as the surcharge, it sucks. Hopefully it doesn't stick but the market will dictate that. I understand that UA has a surcharge for its Polaris product on the 777-300ER.

I have 3 flights booked in the front cabin on the DL A350 coming up soon. Until I experience it, I will withhold judgment.

jumbojet wrote:

787fan8 wrote:

Would anyone happen to know if Delta's A350's have the tail camera like all the other airlines that fly the A350 do?

they do not.

Unrelated, I got my first flight on DL's A350 coming up on November 30th. Thanks to all the negative posts about the colors of the main cabin seating, I decided to snag a few cheap Z fares for the DL suite seat for that flight and to SIN in February. I'm stoked!!

No U.S. carrier I know does even on the 77W. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't understand US carriers obsession with leather (more specifically,pleather) seating in YCL on long-haul. If it surely provided a remarkable "cost-benefit" over cloth seating, then all other global carriers would likely adopt it. But other than long-haul LCCs (like Air Asia and Norwegian), very few global network carriers outside the US offer leather seating in YCL. Why is that?

Personally, I find leather seating to be extremely uncomfortable on long-haul flights and it makes a modern cabin like the A350 or 787 look gimmicky and cheap. Do passengers in the US (non-aviation geeks) prefer leather over cloth?

AA is in the process of covering up the brand new fabric seats on their new 77Ws/A321T/787s/772 CIP planes, while UA is doing the same.

USAirALB wrote:

I don't understand US carriers obsession with leather (more specifically,pleather) seating in YCL on long-haul. If it surely provided a remarkable "cost-benefit" over cloth seating, then all other global carriers would likely adopt it. But other than long-haul LCCs (like Air Asia and Norwegian), very few global network carriers outside the US offer leather seating in YCL. Why is that?

Personally, I find leather seating to be extremely uncomfortable on long-haul flights and it makes a modern cabin like the A350 or 787 look gimmicky and cheap. Do passengers in the US (non-aviation geeks) prefer leather over cloth?

AA is in the process of covering up the brand new fabric seats on their new 77Ws/A321T/787s/772 CIP planes, while UA is doing the same.

I guess ease of cleanliness.

For SQ, I guess the "premium" feel to it, akin to a luxury car.

I personally don't like leather. Even at home or in a car. It gets hot in the summer time, cold in winter and it feels all sticky during hot and humid conditions where you're all sweaty. Yuck.

jumbojet wrote:

So if you feel confined and cramped, leave the door open. Your still getting a far superior seat to what you will find on AA/UA.

Without the door, it is just a Vantage XL seat.

The AA SuperDiamond is just as good, maybe even better than any Vantage XL.

The Y seats look so cheap. A touch of red and that diamond weave pattern would liven it up. I think the finishes overall are cheap, it dulls the product. While the seat itself may be good, the aesthetic is just meh. All navy, some brushed metal finishes or something would be great. More contrast than just blue. My two cents.

-Rowen

MSPNWA wrote:

jumbojet wrote:

I've flown over a hundred flights in business class on a variety of airlines. On exactly ZERO of those flights, have I found my limbs hanging out into the aisle. And remember, its a door. It opens, it closes. If you don't want to close it, than leave it open. Its a pretty simple theory actually. So if you feel confined and cramped, leave the door open. Your still getting a far superior seat to what you will find on AA/UA. As far as the surcharge, it sucks. Hopefully it doesn't stick but the market will dictate that. I understand that UA has a surcharge for its Polaris product on the 777-300ER.

I have 3 flights booked in the front cabin on the DL A350 coming up soon. Until I experience it, I will withhold judgment.

Doesn't sound like you've flown a DL 767. It's hard not to have limbs hang into the aisle. And that's one downside of straight staggered seats. If you're in a seat along the aisle, there's little extra room for knees, elbows, etc.

No surcharge for United Polaris. And you've already judged the seat by saying it's far superior to anything on UA/AA. Don't prevent you haven't.

I've been up front on a DL 767 many times and never had my limbs hanging out lol. Yeah it's a narrow seat but you should have personal space. The 767 vantage doesn't compare to the vantage xl.....

The cabin looks very sterile and utilitarian to me and I agree with those who dislike leather ("leather") on long haul flights. In Delta One I believe the bedding is excellent which would make up for it but no thanks in economy.

Man that plane looks sterile. Zero color at all and a small Delta sign on the wall. It’s just white and a weird blue color.

I can’t judge comfort, and that’s what really matters, as I will most likely NEVER be in a business class cabin other than United’s and that will be limited to work only. But I can say based on initial pictures Polaris just LOOKS more comfortable and inviting.

LawAndOrder wrote:

I've been up front on a DL 767 many times and never had my limbs hanging out lol. Yeah it's a narrow seat but you should have personal space. The 767 vantage doesn't compare to the vantage xl.....

Either you're small or really lucky. Laying on one's side is trouble once you bend the knees, and I gotta watch the elbows when seated. It's not so much the size of the seat as it is the lack of any extra room to one side.

I think the finishes in the J cabin are nice, the shelf is a bit pokey on the arm rest, and takes up some space.

Premium economy looks good - the lack of a proper bulkhead and curtains is appalling, meal services will be conducted at different speeds, allowing light and sound to flow through the cabin. And the security excuse for the lack of true curtains is paranoia.

Economy looks so dull. And ridged. DL normally has a fair amount of style, and flair. Delta one shows this, the rest of the aircraft not so much, poorly thought out.

With the new uniforms and proper mood lighting some shades of purple - red+blue=purple would have softened the cabin and added a classy accent to the harsh blue and red.

jumbojet wrote:

787fan8 wrote:

Would anyone happen to know if Delta's A350's have the tail camera like all the other airlines that fly the A350 do?

they do not.

Unrelated, I got my first flight on DL's A350 coming up on November 30th. Thanks to all the negative posts about the colors of the main cabin seating, I decided to snag a few cheap Z fares for the DL suite seat for that flight and to SIN in February. I'm stoked!!

I thought these 3 cameras are a standard A350 cockpit feature. Especially the nose wheel camera was reported to be very helpful during taxi.

Personally, I appreciate the cabin color scheme as it gives me a feeling of cleanliness and cheerfulness.

However, the little detail that slightly pales me in the A350 presentation is the embossed "DeltaOne" (located on the headrest) because it reminds me of "TransWorldOne" by TWA.

Some thoughts:

o It's a damned nice plane. No doubt, the finest Airbus has ever offered.
o I agree that the Y seat color choice is just a bit...."off."
o I will never for the life of me understand why airlines brand these new F seats as "Suites" when anyone walking by can peer inside. It's like labeling a cubicle as a corner office.

All in all though, well done, DL. You've got a helluva nice product there!

Apart from the worst colour choice in economy ever this is a great cabin!

Varsity1 wrote:

I really dislike the blue Delta uses on economy seats. It could be the worst shade possible.

They're nowhere near as ugly as those seats in the cockpit

Overall a nice plane but just seems a bit too sterile for me. I agree the Suites appear just as comparable to all their other DL1 seats, but Premium Econ looks really nice. I'd be happy to fly on that bird!

JoergAtADN wrote:

jumbojet wrote:

787fan8 wrote:

Would anyone happen to know if Delta's A350's have the tail camera like all the other airlines that fly the A350 do?

they do not.

Unrelated, I got my first flight on DL's A350 coming up on November 30th. Thanks to all the negative posts about the colors of the main cabin seating, I decided to snag a few cheap Z fares for the DL suite seat for that flight and to SIN in February. I'm stoked!!

I thought these 3 cameras are a standard A350 cockpit feature. Especially the nose wheel camera was reported to be very helpful during taxi.

They are a standard feature in the flight deck, but optional in the IFE.

I was not expecting to see so many negative comments over a product that most people haven't seen let alone had a chance to experience. Some times pictures and videos do not do a product justice at some point next year I'll book a flight on DL to experience the suite oneway and premium economy on the way home after that if there is another thread on the product I'll pass judgement. After reading the article the Points Guy really didn't have anything negative to say except to point out the lavs are very small but then that is the case on most aircraft.
What I do like and I'm sure the many passengers in economy will love is the standard 18 inch seat width. As more and more A350's are delivered passengers will notice the difference between the standard seat width on the A350 verses the seat width on most 772ER, and 77W's and 787's. Boeing could learn a thing or two from Airbus when it comes to the standardization of seat width and stop letting airlines squeeze people into narrower and narrower seats.

jayunited wrote:

I was not expecting to see so many negative comments over a product that most people haven't seen let alone had a chance to experience. .

The problem is twofold.

1. Delta haters will dislike anything DL puts out.
2. A lot of folks are thinking this is the same Delta One seat that is currently in the business class cabin on the 767's and when you add a door to that, you immediately think your going to be in a very confines space. The cabin width of the B767 is 16 feet 6 inches. I believe the cabin width on the Airbus 350 is nearly 20 feet. That's a pretty big difference.

The DeltaOne and Comfort+ cabins look very nice indeed. I'd be inclined to agree that the Economy cabin is not as visually appealing. That said; I do tend to find that Delta cabins are less sterile in person than they look in photographs.

In terms of the most visually appealing economy cabin around; I think that that would have to be that of the Swiss 777-300. See: http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/ ... announced/
Swiss did a superb job with the cabin - it looks premium from nose to tail. Good use of subdued tones to create a premium atmosphere.

res77W wrote:

The Y seats look so cheap. A touch of red and that diamond weave pattern would liven it up. I think the finishes overall are cheap, it dulls the product. While the seat itself may be good, the aesthetic is just meh. All navy, some brushed metal finishes or something would be great. More contrast than just blue. My two cents.

-Rowen

DL really cheapened the cabin compared to United they went all out with touches to the cabin....lighted United signs on the bulkheads and entry ways of the cabins... nice finishing in the lavs...united cabin for finishing and details really blows the socks off delta new cabin...

KLDC10 wrote:

The DeltaOne and Comfort+ cabins look very nice indeed. I'd be inclined to agree that the Economy cabin is not as visually appealing. That said; I do tend to find that Delta cabins are less sterile in person than they look in photographs.

.

this has been pointed out in the past, when you have 200 plus people sitting about in the main cabin, you won't really notice how bland the cabin is. Plus, it helps keep cleaning and other maintenance costs down.

DL will deploy the A350 to AMS.

Delta will begin A350 service between Detroit and @Schiphol in March 2018, says Bastian. #DeltaA350Day

https://twitter.com/e_russell/status/920637457128919042

It's a really lovely aircraft, and a big leap forward in comparison to the relatively old, noisy cabin of the 777 (even though -for the time being DL is still @ 9-across on those!).

It remains a very nice environment despite the somewhat drab and institutional overall appearance of the cabin because of those oh-so-very-American colours... it's a bit "US Postal Service"-like, but not too bad. At least it's quite bright.

The seats in Y are nice and spacious, and the memory foam cushion will likely make a difference on the long flights. The headrest is also nicely shaped. Premium economy looks solidly spacious and inviting too.

Conversely, I am not a big fan of those coffins airlines sell as J seats these days... I entirely fail to see the added benefits (privacy?) over a considerably narrower seat, but that is just me probably.... especially when said privacy is delegated to non-closing, rickety half-door?... oh well..... I'd appreciate the level of privacy that allows you to sleep in your briefs (I don't use PJs), or else I'd rather take a wider, old-style, full flat plush seat. Again, that is just me, I know...
The toilets do look a bit small really... where can one change then?

It's a good looking aircraft from the outside. Not so sure about the interior yet.

"We need to decide for what the next generation domestic narrowbody aircraft will be for Delta,"

"It will be a significant order,"

"I think it's one of the biggest RFPs going on in the industry."

"Boeing has every opportunity to win this,"

https://twitter.com/e_russell/status/920647856716951552
Delta CEO Bastian regarding DL's next big RFP ..

KLDC10 wrote:

The DeltaOne and Comfort+ cabins look very nice indeed. I'd be inclined to agree that the Economy cabin is not as visually appealing. That said; I do tend to find that Delta cabins are less sterile in person than they look in photographs.

In terms of the most visually appealing economy cabin around; I think that that would have to be that of the Swiss 777-300. See: http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/ ... announced/
Swiss did a superb job with the cabin - it looks premium from nose to tail. Good use of subdued tones to create a premium atmosphere.

I have to agree. LX have done an excellent job visually. The 'wood grain' accents do wonders to enhance the ambience feel, and give it that quintessentially northern "Gemuetlichkeit Element".
The Y seats are not that great though, and neither exactly spacious... that [lovely looking] cloth in particular tends to get a tad too warm right 'under your behind' on the longer flights.... I guess it lacks a bit in transpiration characteristics...

res77W wrote:

The Y seats look so cheap. A touch of red and that diamond weave pattern would liven it up.

This.

That said, the rest of the interior looks very nice indeed.

Detroit is getting alot of 350 service

Delta expands flagship A350 service to Europe and China
By spring 2018, Delta’s A350 will be offered on Detroit-Shanghai service and select Detroit-Amsterdam flights.
Delta has scheduled its flagship A350-900 aircraft on one of four daily flights between Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, effective March 31, 2018. Amsterdam will be the first trans-Atlantic destination for Delta's A350 aircraft, offering customers an elevated travel experience in every class of service throughout their flight. Delta will also deploy the A350 on Detroit-Shanghai service beginning April 19, 2018.

With the addition of Amsterdam, Delta will fly five international routes from Detroit using the A350. The first aircraft is scheduled to enter service later this month between Detroit and Tokyo-Narita on Oct. 30, with service to Seoul, Beijing and Shanghai starting Nov. 18, Jan. 17 and April 19 respectively.

The aircraft features the award-winning Delta One Suite and an all-new cabin of service in Delta Premium Select, as well as an enhanced Main Cabin. Delta is the North American launch carrier for the A350.

"The A350 on one of four daily Delta flights between Detroit and Amsterdam will be a great asset for its enhanced customer experience and the superb operating efficiencies it will bring," said Dwight James, Delta's Senior Vice President – Trans-Atlantic. "Amsterdam is our largest European hub and we're delighted that Delta customers and those of our joint venture partner, KLM, will be able to enjoy an all-new Delta in-flight experience between Europe and the United States."

Highlights of Delta's A350 include:

Delta One Suite

The award-winning Delta One Suites offer up to 32 customers a private, personal experience, with a full-height door at every suite for enhanced privacy and comfort. Each suite features a fully flat-bed seat with direct aisle access, as well as more stowage for personal items, larger in-flight entertainment screens and memory foam enhanced comfort cushions.

Delta Premium Select

Designed with comfort in mind, Delta Premium Select offers more personal space with up to 38 inches of pitch, seat width of 18.5 inches, seven inches of recline and adjustable leg and head rests. Customers will arrive well-rested thanks to upgraded pillows, blankets and amenity kits to give them all the travel essentials they need to settle in.

Main Cabin

Customers benefit from free seatback in-flight entertainment on high definition screens, in-seat power ports at every row and high capacity overhead bins. Meanwhile, the A350 features larger windows and optimized cabin pressure, temperature and humidity to help customers feel more refreshed after a long-haul flight.

​The aircraft is equipped with high-speed 2Ku internet connectivity and customers will have access to free mobile messaging while on board through iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

The premium cabins look fine, but the Y cabin is kind of a branding fail.

The interior of an airliner is a classical branded environment. If you look at a carrier like LH, you will see their signature yellow scattered around the cabin. The roundel is almost everywhere you look. They ensure that, no matter what class of service you fly, you "get" that you are flying Lufthansa.

DL has done this in the premium cabins. But in the Y cabin, the blue is not their corporate blue, there is one widget and it's behind the passengers where they can't see it, and there is no red. Red brightens the cabin and makes it look more professional and branded.

Branding is so important in an industry where you are fundamentally selling a product that hundreds of other airlines are selling, an ASM. So you need to distinguish your product to customers and make sure that they understand WHO is offering that distinguished product.

DocLightning wrote:

The premium cabins look fine, but the Y cabin is kind of a branding fail.

The interior of an airliner is a classical branded environment. If you look at a carrier like LH, you will see their signature yellow scattered around the cabin. The roundel is almost everywhere you look. They ensure that, no matter what class of service you fly, you "get" that you are flying Lufthansa.

DL has done this in the premium cabins. But in the Y cabin, the blue is not their corporate blue, there is one widget and it's behind the passengers where they can't see it, and there is no red. Red brightens the cabin and makes it look more professional and branded.

Branding is so important in an industry where you are fundamentally selling a product that hundreds of other airlines are selling, an ASM. So you need to distinguish your product to customers and make sure that they understand WHO is offering that distinguished product.

I understand that point that many seem to be making. But I honestly question how much it ultimately really matters. Do passengers really care about the color of the seat? Do they really care about whether or not the red widget logo is on the headrest? Put differently - will the color of the seat or the absence of a widget logo drive purchasing decisions? I highly doubt it. To me, that Y cabin looks ... like a major global airline's widebody Y cabin. Many are focusing on the color scheme but in the end, I think the only cabin interior dynamic that will ultimately drive financial performance in a material way, if anything, is the actual fit and function of the seat - and that Y seat looks just as nice as any other longhaul Y seat I've seen.

I like the look of J and Y+. DL's Y has always been a bit sterile. I think the lighting is off in this one, because I seem to recall the Y seats being darker in person. A tiny splash of color goes a long way, but as others have noted, when those seats are occupied, it doesn't really matter.

commavia wrote:

I understand that point that many seem to be making. But I honestly question how much it ultimately really matters. Do passengers really care about the color of the seat? Do they really care about whether or not the red widget logo is on the headrest? Put differently - will the color of the seat or the absence of a widget logo drive purchasing decisions? I highly doubt it. To me, that Y cabin looks ... like a major global airline's widebody Y cabin. Many are focusing on the color scheme but in the end, I think the only cabin interior dynamic that will ultimately drive financial performance in a material way, if anything, is the actual fit and function of the seat - and that Y seat looks just as nice as any other longhaul Y seat I've seen.

I think this is correct. As I said above, I don't exactly love the Y color scheme, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone ever say their purchasing decision was driven by the color of the Y seats. Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if there was some more color to them, or the blue was darker, but no one is going to choose to fly them based on this criteria. The seat itself doesn't look any different from any other A350 Y seat out there.

commavia wrote:

[ understand that point that many seem to be making. But I honestly question how much it ultimately really matters. Do passengers really care about the color of the seat? Do they really care about whether or not the red widget logo is on the headrest? .

Passengers, the ones that matter, don't give a rats a$$. Only ANET does.

"Gee honey, last time we flew Delta, it was on that new A350 and the coach seats were in a very monotone blue color. Although the service was spectacular, I do not want to look at that 'very unpleasant to the eyes blue' seat again".

DL will have 6 confirmed routes now with the 350, all to be in service by April 2018. DTW to ICN/NRT/AMSPEK/PVG and ATL to ICN.

How many A350's do they need to operate these 6 routes? I don't really understand how aircraft rotations work so any help will be appreciated.

jumbojet wrote:

commavia wrote:

[ understand that point that many seem to be making. But I honestly question how much it ultimately really matters. Do passengers really care about the color of the seat? Do they really care about whether or not the red widget logo is on the headrest? .

Passengers, the ones that matter, don't give a rats a$$. Only ANET does.

"Gee honey, last time we flew Delta, it was on that new A350 and the coach seats were in a very monotone blue color. Although the service was spectacular, I do not want to look at that 'very unpleasant to the eyes blue' seat again".

I disagree with this. People probably won't present it like you did though. It will be more along the lines of "This looks drab" or "This is a dull cabin". Further, there are volumes of studies on mood lighting, color, and environment and how that affects peoples' dining, service, sleep experience. Maybe they won't have an overt reaction, but after 13 (26 if roundtrip) hours they certainly have made a passive judgement on their experience. Having said all that I don't think Delta cares since 75% of those in Y aren't Delta FFers or won't step foot on another DL flight for a while.

A slight aside, I hear comments quite frequently on the very aggressive LED lighting in the new DL interiors domestically so I'm not sure why this would be any different.

jumbojet wrote:

commavia wrote:

[ understand that point that many seem to be making. But I honestly question how much it ultimately really matters. Do passengers really care about the color of the seat? Do they really care about whether or not the red widget logo is on the headrest? .

Passengers, the ones that matter, don't give a rats a$$. Only ANET does.

"Gee honey, last time we flew Delta, it was on that new A350 and the coach seats were in a very monotone blue color. Although the service was spectacular, I do not want to look at that 'very unpleasant to the eyes blue' seat again".

This is not true and lots of studies contradict what you are saying. A good brand is friendly to all senses, It doesn't matter how good the service is or the comfort is if it stinks, or is extremely loud, or looks uninviting......The cabin looks harsh, sterile and uninviting to me and that COULD affect my comfort and experience.

Just think of it this way. You book a night at a brand new Ritz Carlton and walk into your room and it looks like a 1970s Econo Lodge. What will be your initial reaction? And will you feel comfortable in that room? I can tell you I would not.

It will be great to see this premium economy rollout across other fleets...

Those sliding door seats look terribly uncomfortable. I also don’t care for the leather like surface. It’s too hard and get too warm when sitting on those for long durations. It better feel better than it looks or there is going to be lots of fallout.

What purpose does that door truly serve?

CriticalPoint wrote:

This is not true and lots of studies contradict what you are saying. A good brand is friendly to all senses, It doesn't matter how good the service is or the comfort is if it stinks, or is extremely loud, or looks uninviting......The cabin looks harsh, sterile and uninviting to me and that COULD affect my comfort and experience.

Just think of it this way. You book a night at a brand new Ritz Carlton and walk into your room and it looks like a 1970s Econo Lodge. What will be your initial reaction? And will you feel comfortable in that room? I can tell you I would not.

Okay, I understand all of that, but for this:

Osubuckeyes wrote:

Having said all that I don't think Delta cares since 75% of those in Y aren't Delta FFers or won't step foot on another DL flight for a while.

Again, the question isn't whether cabin finish affects passengers' "comfort and experience," but explicitly whether it affects passengers' buying behavior. And I just don't believe that the color of the seat is going to have much, if any, material impact on passengers' buying behavior.