By Shawn Gallagher
Hello internet from Atlanta! I’m coming off of a connecting flight, about to board a 14 hour flight to Tokyo, Haneda with Delta Airlines. This is a full review of their economy class product.
The aircraft from this flight was the Airbus A350-900, one of the most technologically advanced, and modern airplanes that fly the skies today (the second photo was my plane, the first was a different one at a nearby gate).
Boarding and Getting Settled
Boarding began on time, and happened very smoothly. From my experience, boarding for wide body aircraft tends to move more easily than narrow body aircraft. Even though they hold more passengers, the wide body aircraft with its 2 aisles seem to make a difference versus aircraft with just 1 aisle. This is just my speculation, but this seems to be the case more often than not.
As we all settled into our seats, flight attendants came around and passed out earbuds for the IFE, and an eye mask. With most other airlines, eye masks are usually available only on request and are limited in stock, so this surprised and impressed me.
Waiting at the seat were a pillow (average size for an economy class seat) and a thin but comfy blanket.
And this was the seat. Legroom was not bad, and the seat width was fine. This was a 3-3-3 configuration, which is the standard (and I believe is the only) existing layout on the A350, so you can assume other A350 carriers to have similar seat widths. I found the headrest to be particularly comfortable. The ends of the headrest bend, and compared to other seats I’ve experienced before, this one bent closer to the center, meaning my neck wasn’t at much of an angle when resting against it.
Economy class was divided up into two cabins. I was in the front cabin, a few rows behind comfort plus in 37C.
Post Departure Meal
The meal service began very soon after takeoff, once the seatbelt sign was turned off. Flight attendants first came around and passed around waters. Then we were offered 3 choices: pasta, chicken, or beef. I went with the pasta.
The pasta was mushroom ravioli, which was great. However, I really could not tell what the side dish was. If someone knows what this is, please let me know because I’ve never seen it before! Drinks were offered along with the meal.
In Flight Entertainment
Delta’s in flight entertainment was incredible. The number of movies and TV shows was great, and they had a variety of genres and selections. You seriously can’t get bored.
I spent some time watching old episodes of the tv series Friends. I didn’t watch all of them, but they had about 15 episodes.
Spending Time Mid-Flight
Many passengers tried to get some rest soon after the meal service in order to adjust to Japan’s time zone. I was able to get some sleep as well.
The restrooms were not large, and were average at best. Nothing special, just functions as a bathroom and is what you’d expect. No surprises here.
The sun stayed up for the entirety of the 14 hour flight. When the days are short enough during the winter months, the sun will set and rise again if the plane flies north in the areas where the sun doesn’t rise during winter. Keep that in mind if you’re flying a transpacific route between November and January.
Mid-Flight Snack
At right around the half way point of the flight (6.5 hours until landing), we got a mid-flight snack.
This was called a “Pizza twist,” basically pizza in croissant bread. It tasted very good, and it was very nice to have something hot for a mid-flight snack. The flight attendants also passed out drinks to go along with it.
Drinks were out like this throughout the cabin, and passengers could take them anytime whenever they felt like it. More kinds of drinks were available by asking the flight attendants as well.
Snacks were also displayed in parts of the cabin.
I got myself some small snacks a couple of times during the flight. As you may be able to tell, Biscoff cookies have always been a favorite of mine when I fly.
Pre-Arrival Meal
The lights began to light up as we were getting close to Tokyo, and it was time for our pre-arrival meal.
Breakfast was an egg and cheese English muffin sandwich, fruit, and yogurt. I actually enjoyed this meal a lot. It’s something easy to eat for breakfast, and they’re not trying to do too much, but instead, provide something that’s simple and that many people are guaranteed to like. Just like other meals, a drink of choice was passed out to go along with it.
Final Thoughts About The Flight
Thanks to the winds over Alaska and the Pacific Ocean, we arrived about a half hour early. It ended up being a 13 hour 37 minute flight traveling a distance of 7215 miles. I thought Delta did a great job with this flight. The service was nice and friendly, and aside from the side dish of the post departure meal that I couldn’t tell what it was, the rest of the catering was great. As I mentioned with the seat, the headrest made it easier for me to get rest. It obviously differs from person to person, but it did its part to make a 13 and a half hour flight as comfortable as possible. I felt like they put a lot of effort into its amenities as well. I was surprised to see an eye mask provided to everyone in economy, a hot meal for a mid flight snack, and custom Delta water bottles passed out at multiple points during the flight. I’ve always known that Delta has a good reputation in the US, and I can see why now!
All photos taken by the author.