I was assigned a seat in the first class cabin aboard a Boeing 737-800 aircraft that was operated by Delta Air Lines for a recent flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to Atlanta; and I expected the same tired old seat that is typically found in first class cabins in the United States…
Delta Air Lines First Class Cabin Boeing 737-800 Aircraft
…but these seats were notably different: a number of storage compartments were available for various small items…
…each seat had a large monitor for viewing the numerous choices on the in-flight entertainment system. The cushions of the seats seem thinner with less padding than their ancestors that preceded them; but I did not find them less comfortable…
…especially with the way the seat cushions were padded — as well as the adjustable headrest. The hard “wings” on each side of the headrest offered a modicum of privacy.
The screens for the in-flight entertainment were large and adjustable, as they could be tilted at an angle that may be optimal for viewing.
To my left were where an electrical outlet and a Universal Serial Bus Type A port were located. Both were illuminated for better visibility in the dark. A port in which to plug in headphones was also located in this area, which was rather dusty.
The center console allowed room for a tray with beverages to be rested on it — as well as a button to recline the seat. A cup holder was available inside the console — but neither a cup nor the bottle of water would fit in it. Perhaps that was merely an anomaly.
An assortment of items from snack basket included — but was not limited to — tangy dijon mustard pretzels, Biscoff vanilla flavored sandwich cookies whose flavor reminded me of stroopwafels, fruity gunny bears, and cookie squares with chocolate.
Final Boarding Call
I like the most recent iteration of the first class cabin by Delta Air Lines. The seats were comfortable; the service was very good; the beverages were replenished multiple times; and I liked the assortment of snacks. One very minor criticism is that I would have liked the snack basket to have been passed around a second time — although I know I could have simply asked for more snacks…
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
