Review: Delta One JFK to BOG
Route: JFK -> BOG
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Aircraft: Boeing 767-300 ER
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Seat: 1 C
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Summary
Seat One A Score
Delta, for the most part, does a great job of keeping older planes feeling new, but the 767-300 fleet is really starting to show its age. I know I’ll miss them when they are gone, but the 76Ks simply didn’t get the same love and care from Delta as the larger 764s did when they retrofitted the fleet with Delta One. Regardless of this, the crew on this flight was truly outstanding, as Delta crew so often are, which made this business class experience to Bogota incredibly pleasant.
At The Airport
It’s always exciting getting to fly Delta One out of JFK, even in the days before the D1 Lounge opened (this flight was only a few days before the grand opening event). We made our way to Terminal 4 and got through TSA in a breeze – if you haven’t opted into Delta’s digital ID yet, you should, it’s faster than Clear. Once through we got a good look at the still under construction D1 Lounge, but weren’t too bummed we wouldn’t be going in today because:
- The Sky Clubs at JFK are both pretty solid
- We had an invite for the grand opening event a few weeks later (spoiler, it’s truly an amazing space worth checking out)
I originally made the right hand turn at the bottom of the TSA escalator bank to head to the newer of the two Sky Clubs located at gate A8, but when I saw my plane was so close to the main club in the B gates I made a 180 and headed down to the older of the clubs.
On the way I passed our ride, a 2000 built Boeing 767-300, tail number N178DZ. While Delta does a very good job keeping their older fleet in fighting condition, the 763’s are really starting to show their age, even the retrofitted ones like our ride tonight would be.
We ended up staying in the lounge for an hour or two having a few cocktails and a bite to eat. Shortly before boarding I hopped in the shower, an amenity that is severely underrated amongst travelers in my humblest of opinions. There’s nothing like cleaning up and feeling fresh before a flight, especially one that’s around 5 hours long.
In Flight
Before we knew it it was time to board. Again, the 76K isn’t my favorite Delta seat and definitely even close to what I’d consider a high end business class product in 2024, but I never take for granted how lucky we are to be able to get to sit up in the pointy end of the plane (even if the bed on the 764 or 339 is much more comfortable). That said, they really do need to update the entertainment screens and swap out the D1 pods if they are going to continue flying this on premium routes.
Our routing tonight had us heading nearly straight south from JFK in theory, but we ended up swinging east and passing in between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico before landing in South America
For dinner we went with the burrata ravioli (4/5 stars) and of course, the short rib (5/5) which didn’t disappoint (#AlwaysShort Rib). Again my highest compliments to the purser and crew on this route today, they went above and beyond, anticipating drink refills and handing out snacks before we even knew we needed or wanted them.
Just like that we were landing into El Dorado Airport in Bogota….or perhaps it’s more accurate to say we met the runway in the air? This is easily one of the highest airports I’ve ever flown into, with Bogota sitting at over 2600 m high (8600 feet), a third higher than Denver.
Friends, altitude sickness is a thing, take it easy the first few days and drink loads of water. More to come about this in our Bogota review soon.
Cost & Final Thoughts
I ended up paying around 400$ per person for main cabin for this trip, then upgrading us via a flight change for an absurdly low price of 500$ round trip each. Delta One for 900$ round trip is truly a steal, and I will say that I will miss it on this route as it seems it’s gone for good.
For what its worth, It certainly wasn’t a load factor on either of these flights as both MC, C+ and D1 were nearly or completely sold out. My only guess is that the revenue generated just wasn’t enough to justify the route and that Delta may be better served flying these widebodies on a route that will bring in a few more sky pesos for them.
About the author
Chuck is a New York City based certified AV geek who sometimes gets on a plane just to check out new products and routes. He typically flies more than 50 segments a year, and is currently around half way to his first million miles with Delta.
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