After rumors that Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines was planning to update the cabin interior of select planes floated around for weeks, the carrier’s first aircraft has reportedly been completed with the overhaul. The new, refreshed look is believed to include new seats finished with darker tones and improved cabin lighting to enhance the onboard environment.
It comes as Delta hinted earlier this year that “select” Boeing 757s would receive interior upgrades. The airline also confirmed that it would refresh its 737-800 cabins with improved first class seats, while adding more premium seats to its Airbus A350-900s.
A swanky new look
According to aviation watchdog JonNYC, the aircraft believed to feature the new cabin interior is a 757-200, registered as N555NW. Flight data from FlightAware shows that the plane flew its last commercial flight on February 4th as DL2933 from Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Colorado to Delta’s main hub at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The following day, the plane was ferried to Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, where it likely received the upgrades as it remained there for several weeks.
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Simple Flying reported on the rumors regarding the cabin overhaul in February. Delta reportedly detailed its new cabin branding plans in an internal memo, but illustrations of the product’s concept began to surface online. Photos in a post on Reddit highlight the new features, which are anchored by what appear to be dark gray tones in the cabin carpet, seats, and bulkheads.
The concept photos also depict new domestic first class recliner seats, appearing similar to the airline’s A321neo first class seats, which are set to be installed across its 737-800s. The A321neo seats also have winged headrests, offering more privacy and comfort, and are made of navy leather. The illustrations for the 757’s new interior show gray seats and red trimming on the mid-section and side, which is likely a brand element for first class.
Cabin features
An updated bulkhead separating first class from the main cabin is also shown. It appears that most of the wall has been removed, with the only separation being a translucent panel above the seats featuring Delta’s widget logo. This is a common method recently introduced to reduce weight on the aircraft. American Airlines has also updated most of its domestic narrowbody fleet with such bulkheads.
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The true bulkheads facing seats directly behind the lavatories in the middle of the cabin feature small accents of white or light gray, providing a modern and clean look to the dark base. The economy seats appear to have dark navy headrests at the top and inflight entertainment screens on the back, while the bulkheads at the rear of the cabin are white with another set of widget logos.
The general environment of the cabin appears to be significantly improved with mood lighting at the center of the ceiling and on the top of the side walls. The center of the cabin ceiling is lit in a subtle blue, while the sidewalks feature red – displaying Delta’s colors.
When can passengers board?
Simple Flying reached out to Delta on Monday for more details on the cabin overhaul, but has yet to receive a response. It is unclear how many aircraft will undergo the interior refresh.
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying
N555NW was ferried back to ATL over the weekend and has remained at the airport ever since. Although flight data does not indicate any upcoming the plane is scheduled for, Delta will likely deploy it back into service soon. According to ch-aviation, the aircraft is 22 years old. It was delivered new to Northwest Airlines in 2002 and has operated for Delta since 2008 when the carriers merged.
