Delta 757-200 First Class – Worth the Extra Miles?

ByDW
The image shows a Delta Air Lines airplane parked at an airport gate. The aircraft is white with the Delta logo and name prominently displayed on the side. The plane's engines and part of the wing are visible. There is a service vehicle and a worker in a high-visibility vest near the plane. The sky is partly cloudy with patches of blue.

I have my eyes set on a trip to Iceland and am currently perusing the inter-webs for the very best redemption options! While homebase is in Tampa and there is a non-stop TPA-KEF Icelandair flight on the horizon, I am open to other redemption options. Specifically, I am looking at a Delta itinerary via JFK on a 757-200 (75S). What makes this Delta flight so appealing to me is that it happens to be one of the few flights to Reykjavik, Iceland that features lie-flat seats.

The image shows a Delta Air Lines airplane parked at an airport gate. The aircraft is white with the Delta logo and name prominently displayed on the side. The sky above is partly cloudy. There is some ground equipment visible near the plane.

What is so great about lie-flat seats on a red-eye flight?

EVERYTHING! What kind of question is that, man!?

But those sweet lil lie-flat seats come at a price – to the tune of 70k Skymiles – compared to just 30k Skymiles for an economy redemption!

The image is a screenshot of a flight booking summary for one passenger on Thursday, October 26, 2017. The flight departs at 7:00 AM and arrives at 6:45 AM the next day, with a total duration of 19 hours and 45 minutes, including one stop. The flight number is DL 3494, DL 446, and the route is from TPA to JFK to ICN. The lowest fare is highlighted, and there are two fare options displayed: Main Cabin for 30,000 miles plus $5.60 and First Class for 70,000 miles plus $5.60. The image also includes icons for baggage and other services at the bottom.

Now, I know many of you aren’t high on Skymiles – and I get it! I have been hanging on to about 120k from the Delta Gold (50k) and Platinum Amex  (70k) sign-up bonuses awhile back and have been not, not trying to redeem them (double negative inserted for dramatic effect)! That said, I am confident that there is an amazing first class redemption waiting for me out there somewhere.

The difference between 30k and 70k Skymiles isn’t much – 40k Skymiles to be exact – but I am not in the business of wasting my miles! So…

Is Delta 757-200 First Class  worth the extra miles?

The only Delta 757-200 First Review I found was at the Points Guy on a transcontinental Seattle to New York flight. While the overall review was positive – citing the seat as only lie-flat option between the two cities – there were some obvious cons…

Con #1 – Relatively short red-eye flight

I am all for lie-flat seats on long red-eye flights. Just those few hours of sleep ensure I wake up relatively rested in my new destination and ready to seize the day! The flight is less than 6 hours (5 hours 41 minutes), and I don’t envision getting more than 2-3 hours of sleep, so is the lie-flat absolutely necessary?

Eh, probably not… right?

Con #2 – Delta First Ain’t Delta One

These seats show up as “First” rather than the upgraded Delta One product, meaning they are actually the old “BusinessElite” seats.

The image shows a pair of luxurious airplane seats with various features highlighted. The seats are blue and appear to be in a premium cabin, offering ample legroom and privacy. To the right of the seats, there is a list of "Experience Highlights" which includes: - Delta Sky Club Access on Arrival Pre-Flight - Sky Priority Expedited Check-In, Security, Baggage Handling, and Premium Boarding - 2 Standard Checked Bags Free - Relax in a More Private Cabin with Attentive Service - Lie-Flat 180-Degree Flat Bed Seats and Westin Heavenly In-Flight Bedding - Chef-Inspired Dining and Wines Selected by Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson - Feel Refreshed with TUMI Amenity Kit with Kiehl's Products - Stay Charged with a USB and a 110-Volt Outlet
Delta One > Delta First (aka Business Elite)!

Delta One offers an upgraded hard product, Tumi amenity kits, and a delicious seasonal menu!

This redemption would not offer me any of that…

Con #3 – No Pizzazz!

Covered partially in my Con #2… but just in general this redemption lacks pizzazz! In my mind, First Class should be an experience, and this route on the 757-200 just doesn’t seem to offer that.

Final Thought

I finally get to make the trip to Iceland – trip that I have been dreaming about for quite some time! With a set destination and relatively set dates, the only thing left to do is book my flights, and my lodging arrangements, my daily excursions, my meals… OK so I still have a lot of planning yet to do!

For now though, I am focused on the red-eye flight over to the small island in the middle of the North Atlantic and need to determine whether this Delta 757-200 First Class redemption is worth the extra 40k Skymiles per person!

Have you ever redeemed miles for First Class on this route, or perhaps on another Delta 757-200 route? What was your experience like and do you think it is worth the extra Skymiles!?

Also, what do you recommend I see and do on my voyage to Iceland!?

Happy Travels!

DW

The image shows a simple white line drawing of a paper airplane on a blue circular background.

 

4 Comments

  1. If the aircraft used has lie flat seats then that automatically makes it DeltaOne – at least that’s my understanding of their product. You’d get the Westin bedding and a menu. If it was a regular reclining first class seat you’d get the grey blanket and domestic first class service. Is it worth it? It’s a really short flight a la Hawaii to Seattle. It’s comfortable enough in an exit row or even Economy Comfort. I can’t sleep on planes, never have, unless I take a Benadryl, so that’s another consideration. Considering the climb out, meal service, and descent, you’d have maybe 5 hours of lie-flat sleeping.

    Mmmmm, I would save the miles for a longer intercontinental flight where you can really enjoy the luxury of DeltaOne. Best flight ever was CDG MSP on an A330 – the service was absolutely superb. Save your miles for something like that.

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the information! The Delta One thing still confuses me a bit, as it is marketed as First rather than One during the actual booking process? Based on what you said though perhaps the flight would still include the One soft product?

      Either way, I think I am going to take your advice and save the SkyMiles for a longer flight with more lie-flat time!

      Thanks!

      Reply

      1. As an example, widebody flights to/from HNL with the lie flat product are all sold as First Class but you get the Westin bedding, although there are no menus domestically except for DeltaOne transcons. You may not get a menu to KEF but if it’s a lie flat product I’m 99% sure you’ll get the Westin bedding. Whether it’s touted onboard as first class or DeltaOne I’m not sure…

        Reply

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