Flight Review: Delta A330-300 | Delta One Business Class | Honolulu to Atlanta (HNL-ATL) (2023)

Atlanta, Georgia — Our return leg from Hawaii was also on Delta’s older lie-flat business product, and while probably not as nice as the newer Delta One Suites, it was still not a bad way to spend an approximately 8-hour flight home.

Originally booked in Premium Select, I was able to upgrade our seats to Delta One a few months prior to the flight with Delta SkyMiles, which I will explain later in the post.

To see other reviews associated with this trip, check out these links below:
– Delta One business class from ATL to HNL inbound flight
– Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa
– Delta SkyClub Honolulu lounge review

Date Flown: 2023 September 27
Departure/Arrival Time: 1530 HST – 0530 EST
Flight Time: 8hr 25min
Aircraft Type: Airbus A330-300
Fare Class: Delta One
Elite Status: Silver Medallion

Flight Overview
Delta operated this flight with an Airbus A330-300, flight number DL836, nonstop from Honolulu to Atlanta, taking roughly 8.5 hours. Unlike Delta’s newer A330-900neo variants, this particular Airbus does not have the nicer Delta One Suites, though it did undergo a refresh around 2022 which added new Delta One upholstery among other upgrades.

The flight departed HNL on-time and arrived in ATL slightly ahead of schedule without issue. The scenery as we taxied around HNL to our runway was beautiful and a tad bittersweet as we bid farewell to our tropical paradise.

The cabin crew was courteous and professional, and the attendant on our side of the cabin was particularly proactive with service (I regretfully cannot recall their name, sorry!).

We landed roughly on-time in Atlanta about 8.5 hours later. Having arrived before sunrise, it was still dark outside when we pulled into our gate. Overall it was a very uneventful flight.

Seat Overview
After the 2022 retrofit, Delta’s A330-300s now sport four cabins including a new Premium Select cabin. There are now 34 Delta One lay-flat seats, 21 Premium Select seats, 24 Comfort Plus seats, and 203 regular economy seats on these aircraft at the time of this post.

The non-Suite A330 Delta One seats have an advertised width of approximately 19.7in (50cm) and pitch of 80in (203cm) in lay-flat mode. For comparison, the Premium Select (premium economy) seats are 18.5in (47cm) wide with 38in (97cm) of pitch.

Economy seats are a typical industry average of 18in (46cm) wide with 31-32in (79-81cm) of pitch, adding a few more inches of pitch if riding in Comfort Plus.

One notable thing about these A330s is the 2-4-2 seating arrangement in Economy and Comfort Plus which is more comfortable than the 3-3-3 seating arrangement sometimes crammed into widebody aircraft.

This makes the outer window-aisle doublets particularly desirable for couples, while the inner 4-seat arrangement may be ideal for a 4-person family.

Each Delta One seat has direct aisle access but no door like the newer Suite seats. Despite this, I felt the seats were relatively private since each seat was angled away from the aisle which reduced any awkward eye contact with fellow passengers.

There is a ledge beside each seat large enough for a few drinks or small items. Directly above this ledge is a universal power outlet and USB-A socket. Here you’ll also find the plug for your included headphones which were waiting for us on the reading light.

Below the ledge you will find a swing-out folding tray table which was spacious enough do some laptop work comfortably.

Further towards the front of the pod is a small space above foot level which houses the safety card and airsickness bag. There is enough space here for small flat items such as phones and tablets as well.

Opposite of this storage space is another small space near the floor which can also hold smaller items. I ended up sticking my amenity kit in this space for most of the flight.

As you go towards the front, the pod narrows a bit. Here there was space for the bedding kit as well as my small personal item. While it was not an issue for me while lying flat, taller passengers may find the footwell a little tight.

Directly above the footwell is the inflight entertainment (IFE) screen, which swings open to face you with a push of the square button next to it. Here you will also find a remote control for the IFE screen which can be pulled out and retracted as needed.

Next to the IFE remote, you will find the seat controls which allows you to adjust each section of the seat independently. There are also presets for upright take-off/landing mode, half-way down lounging mode (my favorite), and fully lie-flat. The adjustable leg rest was particularly nice to have and helped minimize my leg fatigue across the Pacific.

Amenities and Amenity Kit
Delta One passengers were provided a Westin Heavenly bedding kit containing a fairly plush pillow and nice comforter. No bed covers were provided on this flight.

A handmade Someone Somewhere amenity kit was also provided to Delta One passengers. Interestingly, each kit was labeled with the name of the person who made the kit pouch.

The kit contained Grown Alchemist hand cream and lip balm, Humble Brush toothbrush and toothpaste, a pen, ear plugs, and eye mask. Most of the items were marketed as eco-friendly.

Meal Services
Waiting at our seats were bottles of water, and flight attendants came around with our choice of pre-departure orange juice or sparking white wine.

Shortly after take-off, attendants came by again with more drinks, a ramekin of warmed mixed nuts, and our choice of any other snacks on offer.

Roughly an hour into the flight, I was offered a warm towel, had my tray table set with a tablecloth, and had my drink topped off.

I was then offered a choice of beef tenderloin, roasted chicken thigh, or a vegetarian mushroom ravioli main dish.

I went for the beef tenderloin, which was very tender and perfectly seasoned. The roasted vegetables and peppers paired well with the beef, and I did not need to season the dish any further.

My partner opted for the chicken dish which, due to a catering swap in Honolulu, was different than the teriyaki chicken thigh listed on the menu. She ended up receiving a roasted chicken breast with caramelized onions, roasted broccolini, and macaroni and cheese which was also reportedly pretty good.

All dishes were accompanied by a poached pineapple shrimp appetizer, a fresh salad, and a warmed taro bread roll with butter.

We both chose the coconut cake for dessert to wrap up our meals. It was generously portioned, moist and not too sweet.

About 1.5 hours before landing in Atlanta, flight attendants started the breakfast service with a round of drinks. I opted for my customary breakfast black coffee.

A choice of breakfast egg frittata or sweet chia seed oatmeal bowl was then offered. Note the sweet dish was different from the acai bowl listed on the menu due to a catering swap in Honolulu.

We both chose the chia seed oatmeal which was served with some fresh fruit, sliced almonds and macadamia nuts, guava jelly, and another warm bread roll. While we were a little sad to miss out on the acai bowl, the oatmeal dish was still delicious.

Because this was an overnight flight and most passengers ended up sleeping after the main meal service, flight attendants opted not to come through with snacks or water as often as our first flight. I noticed, however, that copious snacks and some bottles of water were left available in the forward galley throughout the flight for Delta One passengers.

Lavatory
Delta One passengers on Delta’s A330-300s have access to two dedicated lavatories in the front of the cabin. The new blue mood lighting added during the recent refresh was a nice touch.

Attendants kept the lavatories relatively clean throughout the flight. The lavatories were stocked with Grown Alchemist soap and hand cream.

How We Booked
This flight was originally booked in February 2023 in Premium Select class for 93,400 Delta Skymiles plus $11.20 roundtrip per person. The award pricing was steep but given Delta’s aggressive devaluation of Skymiles over the years and the fact that I was flush with miles at the time, I figured a trip to Hawaii was worth burning miles on.

Several months leading up to the trip, I found and jumped on an upgrade offer into Delta One business class for $965.35 on the Delta website. For less than $100 per flight hour, I decided it was worth the cash upgrade.

All in, this trip in Delta One business class costed me 93,400 Skymiles plus $976.55 roundtrip per person.

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