Delta Air Lines is adding lie-flat seats to its BusinessElite premium cabin on flights from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. American and United are also adding lie-flat seating on some JFK routes.
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Delta will introduce the full flat-bed seats beginning in March 2013 on itsBoeing767 aircraft flying between JFK and Los Angeles. Additional 767s and 757 aircraft with the new seats will be introduced during the following 24 months on the San Francisco and Seattle routes.
By June 2013, four of Delta's seven daily nonstop flights between JFK and Los Angeles, and one of five daily nonstops to Seattle, will operate with the upgraded seats, according to the release.
BusinessElite Cabin Amenities
Delta's Boeing 767 aircraft will feature 26 of the lie-flat seats, each offering direct aisle access in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each seat is 21 inches wide and an average 79 inches long when stretched out as a bed. The 757 fleet will be arranged in a 2-2 configuration and offer sixteen 20-inch wide seats with an average bed length of 79 inches.
Additional features of the BusinessElite cabin include gourmet three-course meals, premium pillows, quilted duvets, on-demand video, 110v power at every seat and Wi-Fi access. The overhauled 757s will also feature 18 channels of live satellite TV.
Other Airlines Offering Lie-Flat Seating From JFK
In July, American Airlines announced its plans to offer lie-flat seating on flights from JFK to both Los Angeles and San Francisco. The carrier intends to introduce the seats when it takes delivery of new Airbus A321s in late 2013. (Read more: Lie Down! American to Offer More Fully Flat Seating)
And United Airlines is also doing a complete nose-to-tail renovation of its aircraft flying exclusively from JFK to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Renovations of its fleet to include lie-flat seats are underway with a completion expected in 2013, according to a release. United's parent is United Continental Holdings .
