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In Defense of North America's Only Premium Airline: DL89 LAX-HKG Delta One Trip Report

亚伯兰

4 weeks ago

Bottom line up front: on US-Asia routes, the business class product is upper-mid-tier, roughly on par with the various Asian carriers that the forums love to hype, each with their own strengths, and it absolutely blows UA and AA out of the water. My personal US-Asia business class ranking: Starlux > China Airlines (A350) > Delta (A350) ~= EVA Air (77W) > Cathay Pacific (77W non-Aria) > ANA (non-The Room) >>> United (789 non-Elevated) > AA (77W). Some products like JL, KE, AS, SQ, or the newer-generation BR and CX offerings I genuinely haven't flown, so I can't fairly judge them.
Price: I missed the Skypesos DL One 97,000-point blowout, but I caught the Premium Airline US-Asia promo combined with Amex Delta Gold. First I burned 17,500 miles for a Main Cabin seat (non-BE), then I watched D1 load factors and upgrade prices closely, and three days before departure I successfully snagged it for $999. Personally I think that's an even better deal than paying pure points.
Ground experience. Delta One Lounge is GOATed! Although the LAX D1 Lounge can't match JFK's, it loses nothing in style and vibe. It was probably late in the evening, but the server-to-guest ratio was roughly 1:1, the entire restaurant is à la carte, and every restroom is a private single-occupancy suite. The LAX departure ground experience beats every Asian carrier (except Korean Air).

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Comments (7)

2kys4 weeks ago

Upgrading to D1 for $999 is genuinely a good deal, but fares like that only show up three days before departure and are highly unpredictable—especially during peak season or when the flight is nearly full, you may never see one at all. And if you redeem 17,500 miles for Main and then pay cash to upgrade, a failed upgrade means you'd have to rethink whether the miles and cash were really worth it.

王米米4 weeks ago

You mentioned that the D1 Lounge at LAX doesn't measure up to JFK — is that comparison based on space, food and drinks, or the staff-to-guest ratio? If it's only good when you arrive late, the experience during the daytime peak hours could be a whole different story.

猪八戒背媳妇4 weeks ago

D1 Lounge is fully à la carte—so do vegetarians or people with special dietary needs have many options?

@_@4 weeks ago

If your goal is business class on a US–Asia route, checking award tickets first and then watching upgrade prices may be more practical than waiting around for a big promotion. Delta's $999 upgrade is essentially paying the difference in cash, which saves you quite a bit compared with buying business class outright—but only if your Main Cabin fare and route both qualify. It's also worth thinking through a backup plan in advance in case the upgrade doesn't go through.

WildHeart3 weeks ago

Asian airlines flying to the U.S. tend to refresh their hard product quickly, but for people living on the West Coast, lounges and connection convenience when departing from North America may carry more weight. Take a direct flight from LAX to Hong Kong, for example—Delta's advantages in schedule and through-checked baggage are more noticeable for those who don't frequently fly within Asia.

侯小龙3 weeks ago

Upgrade prices don't drop until three days before departure, so if you've already booked a non-refundable hotel or airport transfer, changing your dates could cost more than what you save.

Cassie3 weeks ago

The D1 Lounge's private single-occupancy restrooms and 1:1 server-to-guest ratio are indeed rare, but this kind of experience depends heavily on when you visit. If you could add what time you went in, how many dishes you ordered at the restaurant, and how fast the food came out, people could judge whether this is the norm or just a one-off. Also, it's worth detailing exactly where Delta's A350 D1 seats fall short of next-generation business class on Asian carriers when it comes to storage space and privacy.