Shockingly Bad DELTA Flight — Disgusting Seats & Poor Crew Attitude!

• Airline: Delta Airlines
• Class: Business
• Route: Atlanta (ATL) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• Aircraft: Airbus A350-900

You guys always wanted me to try Delta Air Lines, “America’s finest airline.” So, I took a trip on the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta to see what they are really like. The result? Shockingly bad. Dirty, old, and broken seats, a cabin crew casually chilling with a Starbucks in her hand while boarding, and a cold service culture that made me question how good they really are.

Here is my honest, self-funded review of Delta’s flagship Airbus A350 in Delta One.

My journey started in Atlanta. At the automated check-in machine, it asked me whether I wanted to upgrade to Delta One for $350. Since it’s a 4.5-hour transcontinental flight to Los Angeles, I thought, why not?

What’s bizarre is that the system listed the seat as “Delta One Classic,” but upgrading to Premium Economy was priced at $860—more than double the price! I’m not sure what kind of pricing logic Delta is using here, but I grabbed seat 1C and headed toward security.

On the bright side, TSA was incredibly efficient today. It only took me 5 minutes to clear security. Just three weeks ago at JFK, it took four hours because agents weren’t getting paid. In Atlanta, friendly ICE police agents were running things, making for a smooth start.

First Impressions: Starbucks and “Silent Protests”

The Airbus A350 is without a doubt Delta’s flagship aircraft. I was excited to get on board and see how it compares to the 250+ other airlines I have flown around the world. But my excitement vanished the second I reached the aircraft door.

Leaning against the doorframe was a cabin crew member, casually enjoying an iced Starbucks beverage while greeting guests.

My Take: I find this highly disrespectful to paying customers and a total lack of professionalism. You would never see this in the Middle East, Asia, or Europe. I’ve seen it once before on Frontier, but that’s an ultra-low-cost carrier where you expect a different vibe. When I asked some friends about it, they told me it might be a “silent protest” because the crew doesn’t get paid while on the ground. Still, bringing that attitude to the aircraft door is not a great first impression for a full-service airline’s flagship product.

Disgusting Seats and Safety Hazards

The state of the cabin was heartbreaking. This exact plane landed four hours ago from Johannesburg, South Africa. That is more than enough time to give the cabin a deep clean, but it clearly didn’t get one. There were food crumbs everywhere, greasy fingerprints on the panels, dust, and broken plastic molding.

Delta provides a decent selection of amenities for a domestic flight—slippers, an amenity kit, noise-canceling headphones, a pillow, and a blanket. But if you have to sit among crumbs and dirt, the premium feel disappears.

Then came a major safety hazard that would be illegal in almost any other country: closed window shades.

During taxi, I noticed almost every single window shade in the cabin was pulled down. In the US, keeping them open for takeoff and landing isn’t required, which leaves passengers with zero situational awareness. If there’s an aborted takeoff or an engine fire, you have no idea what’s happening outside before you evacuate. It’s baffling why the US refuses to follow global safety rules on this.

Once we took off, the crew handed out hot towels. Instead of using mine on my face, I had to use it to frantically wipe down my filthy tray table and seat.

Great Food, Cold Culture

About an hour into the flight, lunch was served on a single tray.

The meal consisted of a fresh salad, a main dish with both salmon and beef, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and a bread roll. I have to give credit where it’s due: the food was great. The execution was spot on, and the dessert was a real standout.

Unfortunately, the food was served without a single ounce of passion. The service culture on Delta is cold and robotic. The crew seemed visibly annoyed to be there. They never followed up after serving the meal, and they didn’t even bother to offer a basic coffee or tea service.

On top of that, the crew was incredibly bossy, commanding passengers around in a really rude tone. To be honest, I enjoyed the crew attitude on budget airlines like Frontier or Southwest a lot more than this.When I checked out the lavatory, it was the same story,completely neglected, unclean, and left in a terrible condition.

Americans are some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I know, so it’s always a shock when the human factor on their “best” airline is this disappointing.

When it comes to cleanliness, most African airlines I fly have better-maintained seats than what Delta is offering on their flagship A350. If you don’t mind crumbs, broken panels, and a bossy crew, the hard product is okay for a few hours. But on a global scale, Delta wouldn’t even enter my top 50 list. Today, it simply wasn’t worth the money.

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This is it guys, wherever you’re off to, have a safe trip!