Delta is giving its flagship Delta One cabin a serious overhaul, and it starts this fall on transoceanic flights out of Los Angeles. The full global rollout follows in early 2027, but LAX passengers get first dibs on what looks like a genuine upgrade rather than a cosmetic one.
The food and drink side is where the changes are most obvious. Delta brought in Chef Simon Hulstone, whose Torquay restaurant The Elephant has held a Michelin star for twenty years, to rework the menu with Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson. Expect a Wagyu burger on brioche with caramelized onions and cornichons, roasted sea bass in tomato tarragon sauce, braised lamb with red wine demi-glace, and a risotto specifically engineered to keep its texture at 35,000 feet. There's a dessert cart too, stocked with a California cheese plate featuring Cowgirl Creamery's Mt. Tam and Cypress Grove's Humboldt Fog, plus sundaes crowned with Amarena cherries and a doughnut.
The wine list is doing some heavy lifting: Silver Oak (over $200 a bottle at retail) and Champagne Taittinger are pouring, alongside Blanton's single barrel bourbon. From November 3, Dassai 45 sake joins every flight to and from Tokyo-Haneda — a fruit-forward, gently sweet premium sake from Iwakuni, made with rice polished to 45 percent of its original size.
Sleep gets attention as well. The lie-flat suites already come with a mattress pad and full bedding, and the new kit adds a Missoni mini pillow, a Missoni dopp kit, and co-branded Bombas sleep socks. On the practical side, entrees can be pre-ordered up to 18 hours before departure to cut down on mid-flight disruptions, and anyone who skips dinner entirely gets a freshly baked croissant on landing.
This is all part of Delta's bigger bet on Los Angeles: by 2028 the airline's LAX lounge footprint grows to 60,000 square feet across four spaces, including two dedicated Delta One Lounges. That's aimed at a curb-to-cloud premium experience from check-in to touchdown.
Why it matters: if you're considering a long-haul business class fare — or eyeing points redemption on Delta's Pacific routes from LAX — the timing works in your favour. The Tokyo, Sydney and transatlantic departures out of LAX get the new menu, cellar and sleep kit first, so booking a Delta One seat on those routes this winter means getting the refreshed product rather than the old one. Worth comparing against competitors before you lock in.
