Just months before Delta Air Lines’ centennial celebrations, the airline has revealed new interiors that will be part of some of its fleet types. The new cabin will feature a tweaked color scheme, improved seats, and lighting that Delta says has been “carefully planned and thoughtfully redesigned to elevate the travel experience.”
New interiors
Delta Air Lines’ passengers will soon be greeted with new cabin interiors, first on its narrowbody Boeing 757 fleet and later on the widebody Airbus A350 aircraft. The airline says that the 757s with the new interiors will start flying later this fall and the A350 in early 2025.
Photo: Delta Air Lines
Of course, the larger plan is to have the entire Delta fleet to have these new interiors, which the carrier claims has been put together by a team of diverse people with different backgrounds with a lot of thought. It’s also well-timed close to the airline’s centennial celebrations, with Delta’s Vice President – Customer Experience Design, Mauricio Parise, commenting,
“As we embark on our next century of flying, this refreshed cabin interior infuses utility with beauty to create an atmosphere that feels fresh, elevated, and timeless while reflecting our customers’ evolving tastes and expectations.”
Delta operates a diverse fleet, and the Boeing 757 and Airbus A350 both feature prominently in its operations, plyaing their own important roles. Per ch-aviation, the carrier has more than 100 Boeing 757-200 and 16 757-300 aircraft in its fleet. These are mostly used for domestic operations, including coast-to-coast transcontinental flights as well as short to medium-haul international flights.
The Airbus A350 is part of the airline’s long-haul network strategy, covering several of its long-haul international operations. Delta currently has more than 30 A350-900s in its fleet, with many more on order, including the A350-1000 variant.
What’s on offer?
Delta has executed significant changes to several cabin features across all classes. These changes, based on extensive feedback, have been applied to various aspects of the cabin experience, such as seats and lighting, and even lavatories that will feature “modern Azure Blue color.”
New color scheme
Delta’s brand colors have been given a facelift to reflect these changes made to the new interior. The airline says that it has favored a “softer, warmer and more modern color palette with natural materials.”
Photo: Delta Air Lines
Some of the changes include new design motifs on bulkheads that feature slightly tweaked branding patterns. These tweaks also include an under-bin divider in the celestial sky pattern that will be installed in airplanes that do now have full-sized divider between cabins. All of these color and branding tweaks are expected to work well with the changes made to the seats and lighting of the airplanes.
Changes to seats
For Delta One customers, the airline has introduced new soft and breathable wool and nylon fabric seats. Lighter than current seat covers, the airline claims that these help regulate temperature for a more relaxed journey.
Photo: Delta Air Lines
The carrier’s Delta Premium Select and First Class include new seat covers that have memory foam cushions, while Delta Comfort+ and the Main Cabin will also feature seats made from engineered leather. Seats in these two cabins on Delta’s A350s will also have memory foam cushions.
New lighting
Delta calls the changes made to its new cabin lighting as “enhanced lighting programs.” Parise explains the changes, saying,
“For boarding, we’ve focused on the ‘moment of deceleration’ – warm and inviting lighting that makes the cabin appear spacious and open. At mealtimes, we queue hues that feel like you’re at a candlelit dinner – making meals more natural and inviting. As the lights dim for sleep, we borrow from the sunset and slowly remove blue light while bringing in warm amber tones which are reminiscent of a sunset glow. When it’s time to wake up, the cabin slowly brightens into morning and daylight.”
Photo: Delta Air Lines
Delta’s Onboard Experience team
Delta has a dedicated team that studies the interior designs of its airplanes, called the Onboard Experience (OBX) team. This team collaborates with Delta engineers, maintenance technicians, flight attendants, commercial teams, and design firms, among others, to create these designs. It’ll be interesting to see how the carrier’s new cabins are received by its customers in the months to come.
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