This is the best business class seat across the Pacific (shame about the food)

The airline: Delta Air Lines

• Route Melbourne to Los Angeles, flight DL12
• Frequency Three return flights each week
• Aircraft Airbus A350-900
• Class Business; seat 11A (window with aisle access)
• Flight time 14 hours 34 minutes (we depart 20 minutes late but arrive 22 minutes early, as winds are in our favour)

Checking in

Melbourne Airport is quietly calm on Sunday morning … except for Delta One check-in where a family battles with enough luggage to fill a minivan. I’m helpfully waved towards an available economy counter, avoiding a hold-up.

The Marhaba Lounge is “nice and full”, its reception staff proudly share. That’s good for their bottom line, but not for passenger comfort. Hot buffet options here are respectable but no barista-made coffee is an odd omission for Melbourne.

Baggage

Two suitcases weighing up to 32 kilograms each, or three bags with Delta Medallion (Silver and above) or SkyTeam Elite/Elite Plus status. Bring one cabin bag plus one “personal item” (eg, a briefcase, backpack or laptop bag). Don’t stress about carry-on weights: if it fits, it flies.

Loyalty scheme

SkyMiles, SkyTeam. Membership is free – as is Delta’s inflight Wi-Fi for SkyMiles members. Less-frequent flyers, consider Air France/KLM Flying Blue as an alternative: Flying Blue points can be earned flying Delta and redeemed on Qantas flights closer to home.

The seat

Privacy is priority one in Delta One – there are closing doors for every seat. I get seven hours of shuteye on the 76-inch (193cm) bed, comfortably tucked into Missoni brand bedding. The cushion is comfortable at 20.5 inches (52cm) wide, and there’s a “do not disturb” light if you’re in the zone.

In this 1-2-1 layout, everybody gets aisle access, but the window seats ride cooler: the centre pairs lack adjustable air vents. Avoid seats 1B and 1C – they’re smack bang between the cabin’s two lavatories. Personal storage is limited; pyjamas are BYO.

Entertainment + tech

Thre are about 300 movies to watch on the 18-inch (45.7-centimetre) seatback screen, including up-to-date new releases plus TV selections from the streaming services Paramount+ and Crunchyroll. Delta also partners with YouTube to bring popular videos to its offline entertainment from creators such as MrBeast and The Diary of a CEO.

There’s one combined AC/USB-C outlet plus wireless charging. Wi-Fi works for about two hours after leaving Melbourne; download speeds average 15Mbps. Roughly 45 minutes before landing, it reboots to a speedy 120Mbps connection.

Service

Crew are surprisingly vibrant – no doubt, gaining extra energy from their extended Melbourne stopover given Delta’s thrice-weekly schedule. Drinks are promptly replenished, hot towels are proffered and a press of the call bell is answered within 10 seconds. We’ve landed Delta’s A-Team.

Food

Skip the nondescript sparkling wine during boarding: the Taittinger comes out after take-off, served with warmed nuts. The dill confit salmon starter is a highlight, and the mushroom soup side is flavourful. I’ve pre-selected my main course online to guarantee my preference: braised beef short ribs. I wasn’t expecting a triangular, boneless serve of beef, but the flavours are there.

I embrace my sweet tooth with the ice-cream sundae … why nominate one topping when you can have them all? Breakfast brings caramelised banana crepes with chocolate sauce: a sweet alternative to boring scrambled eggs. Today isn’t my lucky day with coffee – the milk frother is broken – so I enjoy a filtered brew before an espresso shot.

Sustainability

Delta minimises single-use plastics with business class blankets delivered in reusable fabric bags and headphones sealed using paper wraps. Travellers can also opt out of the main meal service online if they don’t plan to dine, helping to reduce food waste.*

One more thing

The Los Angeles Delta One Lounge is worth an early arrival on the return leg (bags are accepted six hours before departure). Use its secluded roadside entrance to sip bubbles as staff sort the formalities, then enjoy your own private security checkpoint before emerging straight into Delta’s most exclusive lounge.

The price

From about $7600 return for business class.**

The verdict

This is the best business class seat between Melbourne and LAX (I’ve tried them all), but plating meals on board – rather than reheating in the serving dish – would bring the dining into the same league as the seat itself.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer flew as a guest of Delta Air Lines. See delta.com

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.