Information on Delta Flights

Delta Air Lines started off as a crop-dusting service called Huff Daland Dusters back in 1925 and today is one of the world’s largest airlines, serving more than 275 destinations. Use this guide to get tips on how to make the most of Delta flights.

Delta is based in Atlanta, Georgia with its main hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the world’s busiest. In addition to international hubs, such as London-Heathrow (LHR), Delta’s US hubs include Boston (BOS), Detroit (DTW), Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), New York – both JFK and LaGuardia Airports (LGA) –, Salt Lake City (SLC) and my home base airport, Seattle (SEA), where Delta’s route offerings and amenities lure me from other airlines.

Cabin classes and fares on Delta Air Lines

Delta offers several categories of seat classes in the economy, or Main Cabin and three types of premium seating and cabins. All passengers on Delta may board with a carry-on and a personal item that fits under the seat. Everyone gets complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic drinks and access to the in-flight entertainment system.

Basic Economy, Main Cabin and Comfort Plus

Basic economy is Delta’s lowest-priced ticket in the main cabin, with hefty restrictions. For example, you won’t get a seat assignment until after check-in, you’ll board in the last group, you won’t earn SkyMiles or any credits toward Medallion status, and there are no changes allowed. I skip this unless my budget is extremely tight, and the trip is short.

Main Cabin, or economy cabin, tickets include a seat assignment, no change fees, the option to upgrade your seat for a fee and the ability to earn miles (unlike Basic Economy).

Delta Comfort Plus (Comfort+) seats are at the front of the Main Cabin and offer extra legroom, earlier boarding, upgraded snacks, complimentary alcoholic drinks and, on international flights, a pillow, blanket and amenity kit. Price and amenity-wise, this is my sweet spot for traveling on Delta.

Premium Select, First Class and Delta One

Premium Select seats are in a section between economy and business class on select long-haul international routes and include larger seats with wide armrests, extra legroom and footrests, priority services at the airport, and menu items that can be ordered 24 hours ahead of your flight. Amenity kits, blankets, noise-canceling headphones and a memory foam pillow round out the perks. This is the upgrade I save my miles for.

Delta’s First Class seats are available on domestic flights and some short-haul international flights and include priority services at the airport, no fees for changes or cancellations, early boarding, 2 checked bags, extra legroom and meal service on flights longer than 900 miles.

Delta One is the carrier’s best cabin and is available on long-haul routes and select transcontinental flights. You’re in luck if you can nab a seat here with cash or miles. In addition to priority services at the airport, these tickets include two free checked bags and access to the Delta Sky Club lounge.

In the air, Delta One seats feature 180-degree flat-bed seats with duvets and lumbar pillows, premium food and drinks, slippers, hot towel service and upscale amenity kits. On most Airbus A350 and A330-900 aircraft, you’ll get a Delta One Suite, with a sliding door for privacy.

Delta Air Lines lounges

There are more than 50 Delta Sky Club lounges in U.S. airports offering complimentary food and drinks and art-filled spaces to work and relax. Some airports have multiple lounge locations, and some lounges have shower suites and outdoor Sky Decks. Access may depend on membership, airline alliance, credit card and ticket class.

With the introduction of the Delta One Lounge at New York’s JFK airport, Delta rolled out an even more swanky and exclusive category of lounges. Boston and Los Angeles will get these too. Access is limited to Delta One passengers and business or first-class cabin passengers on some Delta partner airlines.

On board Delta Air Lines Flights

Wi-Fi and entertainment on Delta Air Lines

Delta offers free Wi-Fi on most domestic flights and, increasingly, on international long-haul routes, for SkyMiles members. This perk is often the tipping point for me when deciding between carriers offering similar prices for the same route, even if the flight itself is sometimes longer. Signing up for SkyMiles is free, can be completed on board and unlocks other benefits, so there’s no reason not to.

Some airlines have removed seatback screens and transferred all their in-flight entertainment to passengers’ personal devices. But Delta Air Lines’ entertainment line-up, called Delta Studio, has gone the other direction and is only available on seatback screens.

You can use your Bluetooth/wireless headphones with Delta Studio when flying in the first class cabin of the carrier’s A321 new aircraft. Otherwise, to use the system with plug-in headphones you’ll need to have your own headset or wired earbuds with stereo mini plugs or use the complimentary earbuds handed out onboard.

Content-wise, Delta’s in-flight entertainment runs the gamut from live satellite TV, movies, TV, Paramount+ series to Masterclass sessions, playlists and podcasts from Spotify. The offerings are refreshed often enough that between the seatback offerings and what I preload on my own devices, I’m never bored.

Meals and beverages on Delta Air Lines

Snacks, such as Biscoff cookies and non-alcoholic drinks are complimentary for all passengers on Delta. Complimentary alcoholic drinks and hot meals are offered depending on your route and cabin class.

Depending on the flight mileage, a limited array of snack boxes or small meals may be available for purchase.

Some airlines, such as United and Alaska, require that you have a credit or debit card attached to your mileage account to pay for snacks boxes and cocktails onboard. On Delta, for now, you can still hand a flight attendant a credit and debit card for your purchase or use the Tap-to-Pay system with the digital wallet on your phone or with a contactless credit or debit card.

Traveling with pets on Delta Air Lines

Delta allows small dogs, cats and household birds to travel as carry-ons, with fees and restrictions, of course. Pets must fit in kennels that fit under the seat in front of you, and must stay in their kennels during the flights. Kennels are not allowed in bulkhead seats, in emergency exit row seats, or in any cabin with flat-bed seats, for example.

Delta also places tight limits on the total number of pets that may be booked on any flight. So, if you do plan to fly with your pet as a carry-on in the cabin, be sure to reserve and purchase your pet’s ticket as early as you can.

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program

Delta’s frequent flyer program is called SkyMiles. The free-to-join program gives award miles for flights and spending associated with Delta-branded American Express credit cards and dining, shopping and travel activities.

Delta’s Medallion elite status program tallies Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) and has four tiers: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond, each with its own set of benefits and mileage bonuses. Your status is calculated by how much money you spend with Delta each year.

While you build up your SkyMiles account, keep in mind that accrued SkyMiles never expire and can be used for free flights, seat upgrades, hotel stays, vacation packages, checked bag fees, magazine subscriptions and other activities. You can also gift or transfer miles to other travelers and donate miles to worthy causes.

Many travelers rack up loads of extra Delta SkyMiles with their branded credit cards. I don’t have one of those cards but have eked out some easy bonus miles by linking my SkyMiles account with both my Starbucks and my Lyft accounts.

With Starbucks, you’ll get miles when reloading your Starbucks card or account and double stars on Delta travel days. Linking to Lyft will give you miles for every ride, but double for U.S. airport rides. Just be sure to choose Delta Sky Miles from the “Rewards” tab on Lyft.