I know because I'm one of you: Delta flyers are a diehard bunch. But while many travelers (understandably) pine for a lie-flat business class seat, I'm ready to rule out booking Delta One ever again.
And I think many of you would be wise to do the same. That's not because flying Delta One is bad – not even close.
But one thing's for sure: It's certainly not good enough to merit the exorbitant sums of 400,000 SkyMiles or more that Delta charges these days. The steep price tag is not worth it when it's likely you'll wind up in a woefully out-of-date seat – not the fancy Delta One suites you see in the airline's ads. And it's definitely not worth it when you can do so, so much better … for a fraction of what Delta would charge you.
The Award Rates are Too Damn High
This is what it really comes down to: Is any business class seat really worth nearly 400,000 SkyMiles?
Forget business class at these rates – check out our favorite ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles!
Because that's the reality right now. The days of booking a Delta business class seat abroad for under 100,000 SkyMiles are ancient history: One-way flights to Europe, Asia, Australia, and beyond in Delta One are routinely north of 300,000 SkyMiles nowadays. A roundtrip in Delta One will almost always cost you more than half a million miles.
That example from New York City (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) isn't some cherry-picked fluke to bash Delta, either. These award rates are the norm for Delta. Check out this calendar for business class redemptions from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD) next year. The automatic 15% discount Delta cardholders get on these redemptions doesn't even make a dent.
Read more: Want to Fly Business Class? Forget About Delta SkyMiles
One-way redemptions of 400,000 miles or more? I'm not even sure Qatar Qsuites or ANA's new “The Room” – easily the two best business class seats in the world … and leagues better than flying in Delta One – are worth that much.
Can you still get a better deal with your Delta SkyMiles? Sure. We've seen a resurgence in discounted Delta One SkyMiles deals, dipping as low as 83,000 SkyMiles for a one-way to Taipei (TPE). Upgrading to Delta One with miles can be shockingly cheap, too.
But deals to book Delta One are few and far between. The best workaround to book Delta business class to Europe for 50,000 points is officially dead. And while you could now get a bargain by redeeming Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles instead, good luck finding the award space to actually book it at these lower rates.
Let's be clear: SkyMiles aren't worthless. But if flying business class is on the top of your list, earning Delta SkyMiles shouldn't be.
Unless you're flying on your company's dime, have an infinite amount of SkyMiles, or both, it's just not worth the sky-high cost to fly business class with Delta.
Especially once you get a look at some of Delta's “best” seats…
Ancient, Outdated Seats
Delta fancies itself as the most luxurious carrier in the U.S. and a premier global carrier. But let me ask: Does this look luxurious to you?
Read more: Despite Premium Brand (& Prices), Most Delta Business Class Seats are Relics
That's what you'll find on the majority of Delta's long-haul flights today: A woefully outdated business class seat. Nearly 60% of Delta's business class seats flying in 2024 are more than a decade old, according to our analysis of Delta's fleet using data from Cirium.
While Delta's fleet of newer jets with state-of-the-art Delta One Suites onboard is growing, ancient Boeing 767-300s and Airbus A330s with outdated seats remain the workhorse – especially flying to Europe and back. And despite outfitting those planes with Delta Premium Select cabins and touching up the economy cabin, Delta has no plans to replace its top-dollar business class seats until the planes are retired … sometime in the next decade.
Even compared to fellow U.S. carriers, the difference is stark. Competitors like American, United, and even JetBlue offer a consistent (if not identical) experience in long-haul business class no matter which plane you're on. They've all gone to greater lengths to outfit their fleets with modern business class cabins.
So while the vast majority of Delta's planes flying to Europe are more than a decade old, here's what you'll always get flying United Polaris business class across the pond.
And it's a crap shoot: Delta currently has a whopping seven different business class seat configurations flying internationally.
Read more: From First to Worst, Ranking Delta One Business Class Seats
That will change over time. Delta has another nearly 50 Airbus widebody planes on order between Airbus A350s and A330-900neos – (almost) all with Delta One suites onboard. And those are easily the best you can get among U.S. carriers.
But that will take until 2030 or even longer to be common place. Until then, you're only likely to find Delta's latest and greatest suites flying across the Pacific Ocean to Asia or Australia.
Check out all the routes where you can currently fly Delta One Suites!
Maybe you'll win your game of Delta One roulette and wind up in a suite … but probably not. Either way, is that worth paying 400,000 miles or more?
Cheaper & Superior Alternatives
Don't get me wrong: Any lie-flat seat is a treat, and Delta does it better than most. You'll always have direct-aisle access and Delta's service is often second-to-none among U.S. carriers. There's even an exclusive new Delta One business class lounge in New York City (JFK) to visit beforehand.
But let me put it this way: Would you rather fork over 300,000-plus SkyMiles for a tired, old Delta One seat on a Boeing 767-300 to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG)? Or would it be better to book Air France business class on that same route, visit that same lounge in JFK, and get this instead … for just 50,000 points each way?
That's not a trick question. It's an easy answer, and it just underscores why booking Delta One is rarely worth it: You can do so, so much better. Here's a short list of our favorite, tried-and-true business class redemptions that make SkyMiles look like extortion in comparison:
- Both Air France and KLM business class are regularly bookable for just 50,000 points each way – and not just to Paris or Amsterdam (AMS), but all over Europe
- You can book Iberia business class to Spain from just 34,000 Avios each way – or 68,000 roundtrip. It's the cheapest way to fly lie-flat across the pond – and you can generally find availability when you book well in advance
- While it's gotten harder to book in recent years, you can still routinely snag a Qatar Qsuite for as low as 70,000 miles each way by booking 10-plus months in advance
- You can book Turkish Airlines business class to and from Istanbul (IST) from 65,000 Turkish miles fairly easily – or at similar rates using miles from partner airlines like Air Canada Aeroplan or Avianca LifeMiles
Read up on our favorite business class redemptions for under 50,000 points – and the easiest lie-flat seats to book with your points!
If SkyMiles are all you've got, it's a moot point. But by shifting your attention away from only Delta (and your trusty SkyMiles credit card), you can open up a world of far better business class experiences … at a fraction of the cost of what Delta would charge you.
Bottom Line
Flying Delta One isn't bad – not even close.
But is it worth paying 400,000 SkyMiles … or even more? When you run the risk of sitting in a positively ancient seat for all those miles? And you could get a far better experience flying with another airline for a fraction of the points?
Not a chance.