I flew on a retrofitted Delta Air Lines 737-800 in first class from Seattle to Chicago, enjoying a delicious dinner, though the service was not quite up to Delta standards.
Delta Air Lines 737-800 First Class Review (SEA-ORD)
I flew from Los Angeles to Chicago via Seattle because Delta offered a very attractive $293 one-way fare in first class. That was about the same price as economy class on American or United on a nonstop flight. As long as I have internet on airplanes, I can work just as if I am on the ground, so it wasn’t like I was sacrificing much to fly on Delta.
We boarded from gate A11 40 minutes prior to scheduled departure. This was a lightly-filled flight (perhaps reflecting why I scored such a good deal on the price) and the gate agent took it upon himself to ensure everyone (who wasn’t traveling in a trio) had an open middle seat in economy class, which I thought was a very nice touch. He made an announcement asking everyone to refresh their seats on the app, explaining that he had spread everyone out.
Delta 1045
Los Angeles (LAX) Seattle (SEA) – Chicago
Tuesday, September 30
Depart: 5:55 PM
Arrive: 11:55 PM
Duration: 04hr, 00min
Distance: 1,721 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Seat: 2A (First Class)
Onboard, I settled in seat 2A.
Seat
I was actaully quite surprised when stepping into the first class cabin…it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting Delta’s older domestic first class recliner seat, one like this:
Instead, I found Delta’s latest hardshell first class seats, the same seats I had experienced on my A321neo flight from LAX to SEA, just 16 seats instead of 20 in a 2-2 configuration.
The CL4710 seat, designed by Recaro, offers 37 inches of pitch and 21 inches of width, with a fixed privacy “wing” that slightly wraps around your head for extra seclusion. Each seat includes an oversized tray table that slides smoothly from the center console, an adjustable armrest, and a large pocket beneath the center divider that fits a 15-inch laptop easily.
Power included a 120-volt and USB-A port beside the seat and a USB-C port under the monitor.
A center console was large enough for beverages and phones.
The overhead passenger service unit had updated lights (not the ratty old dull lights some 737-800s have) as well as individual air vents.
Delta’s in the process of retrofitting its 737-800 fleet and this aircraft had already received the retroits. The overhead bins were still not large enough to stack bags vertically.
Food + Drink
Dinner was served after takeoff, starting with a choice of beverage and a Biscoff cookie.
Dinner choices included:
- Slow Roasted Beef Short Rib – demi-sauce, grain mustard mashed potatoes, green beans, Roma tomato
- Makhani Chicken Curry – basmati rice, garlic spinach, red chill pepper
- Spinach Ravioli – Bianco di Napoli sauce, roasted red peppers, artichoke
Also available only as pre-orders:
- Chicken Greek Salad – romaine, feta cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini, lemon-oregano dressing
- Shake Shack Cheeseburger – Angus beef, cheese, toasted potato bun with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and Shack Sauce on the side. Served with crinkle-cut potato chips and a brownie.
On this flight, I ordered the Shake Shack burger… something I’ve wanted to try all year. In short, it was delicious…I offered my thoughts on this in a separate Meal of the Week post.
> Read More: Epic Shake Shack Cheeseburger On Delta Air Lines
I think Delta misses out by not offering warmed mixed nuts and a salad or soup course with lunch or dinner, but the meal was very good…so good it led me to say that this burger even topped the famous Cathay Pacific cheeseburger.
Snacks were offered prior to landing, including salted pistachios, potato chips, and Biscoff cookies.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi worked nearly flawlessly on this flight (at one point it went out for about 15 minutes) and was free for SkyMiles members.
Seatback screens are loaded with conent including live TV, music, movies, games, and television programming.
Complimentary disposable headsets were provided on request.
We ran into an extended traffic jam leaving SEA…it took about 40 minutes to get off the ground. We made up some time in the air, pulling up to the gate only 10 minutes late.
Service
I found service a bit off on this flight. First, there were no pre-departure beverages (though a water bottle had been placed at each seat). Second, the purser never introduced herself or said hello to passengers. Third, meal orders were taken in a very odd way. To be precise, mine wasn’t taken at all onboard.
I mentioned above that I pre-ordered, but it is customary to verify that pre-order with the passenger while taking meal orders. That did not happen here. Without a word, a flight attendant appeared with my meal tray, handing it to me.
Thankfully, my pre-order had been loaded, but confirming the meal before serving it would have been the better move. On my previous flight, the purser stopped by each seat, greeted each passenger, and confirmed pre-orders for those who had chosen their food in advance.
I didn’t see the purser again until 45 minutes before landing, when she made one pass with the snack basket.
While the purser was very attentive on my previous flight, that was not the case here.
Lavatory
There is one lavatory in the front of the cabin reserved for first class passengers. It was clean and I loved the Grown Alchemist hand wash, which smelled so pleasant (showing the power of branding, I’ve ordered some for home).
CONCLUSION
It was after midnight when I stepped off the plane and the entire terminal was closed and quiet.
Delta uses Terminal 5 in Chicago, which is a pain if you are going into the city by train, but quite convenient if you are going to the rental car center (just one train stop away).
Despite the service on this flight, it was a productive flight with a very nice dinner onboard and fast, free Wi-Fi. These days, Wi-Fi is the single most important factor when I fly and it was stable and functional for almost the entire flight.
I enjoyed my trip to Chicago on Delta and will happily fly out of the way via Seattle or another hub if Delta continues to offer such attractive pricing.
A few things
1) I don’t know who flies this or how it makes money. I’ve done this route several times as a “hack” because it’s cheap. It’s a rare Delta connection option through O’Hare. It’s always an issue because my bag never makes it onward as O’Hare isn’t used to handling connecting Delta bags. I assume this is a Boeing corporate account flight.
2) I’m pretty sure when Delta announced the cheeseburger they also announced it would have an accompanying side salad. When i flew Detroit to Denver in September, my dad ordered it and got a side caesar salad.
3) Delta doesn’t have pursers on domestic flights. They have flight leaders. Until somewhat recently there would be a second flight attendant in first class on meal flights. One cooking and preparing meals and drinks and the other serving meals and drinks. It’s become a problem on the 757 and A321 since they have large cabins. Too large for one flight attendant.
4) I’m surprised to see Delta went from 20 to 16 seats with the refitting since Delta seems to be adding premium seating to planes as they’re refitted.
Nice review. I believe there is a typo: We ran into an extended traffic jam leaving Chicago (should it say Seattle???)
Correct. Thanks.
So, yeah, Delta has totally cut costs because March 2025 announcement touted a side salad.
“The Shake Shack Cheeseburger features a 100% Angus beef patty, topped with cheese and served on a toasted potato bun. Customers can customize their burger to create the signature ShackBurger, with toppings like tomato, lettuce and Shake Shack’s famous ShackSauce, all served on the side. The meal also features chips, a Caesar salad and a dark chocolate brownie.”
That food looks not so great. I think AA has the best catering in domestic F. Followed by DL and then far behind both United.
Where would you rank Alaska’s food?