If there’s one thing to be learned from this entire review, it’s that Delta 737-900 first class is hard to write about.
The seats? They’re wide enough. Legroom? It’ll be sufficient for most people. In-flight entertainment? Yeah, it’s good (but not any better than what you would get in economy class).
I think it was the food that was the most noteworthy part of my experience (in a good way). I wrote that section first. Loading myself up on caffeine was required for everything else.
DL413
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Aircraft: 737-932/ER
Registration: N811DZ
Duration: 2 hours 59 minutes
Seat: 4A (First Class)
Delta Air Lines 737-900/ER (N811DZ) side view illustration by NorebboStock.comOur route from Los Angeles to Minneapolis today as DL413.
My full review of Delta 737-900 first class from Los Angeles to Minneapolis
Delta has 163 Boeing 737-900/ERs in their fleet at the time of this writing. Despite that, it was surprisingly difficult to find a way to get on one for this trip to Minneapolis. Yes, I did this on purpose. I needed this for my growing archive of airline reviews!
Arrival at LAX
My journey today actually started in San Diego, which required flying up from SAN In United Embraer 175 first class. Well, it wasn’t exactly required – but it was a fairly decent option to position myself for this flight to MSP.
It took about 15 minutes to walk from Terminal 8 to Terminal 3. It is possible to do this without leaving the secure area by the way (just follow the signs).
Coming up with a catchy way to start a Delta 737-900 first class review is a lot harder than it sounds! I actually had to pause for a moment and collect my thoughts while walking through the corridor connecting Terminal B to Terminal 3. “Um…uh…”Kicking things off with a demonstration of how crowded Terminal 3 is seemed like a good (though probably not all that catchy) solution.*gives up on trying to be catchy* BTW, Delta has really nice gate space here at LAX – but it’s hard to enjoy it when you know that everyone can see you browsing sanspotter.com (and judge you accordingly). How embarrassing!The 737-900/ER taking me to Minneapolis this afternoon looks about as ready as a plane can be to fly between LAX and MSP I guess. In reality, it was probably thinking “wtf…again???!?”If you didn’t catch it in the last pic, gate 38 is where this flight will be departing from. Again.
The boarding process for flight number 413 to Minneapolis
I really like Terminal 3 at LAX, but it’s too small for Delta’s LAX operation in my opinion. The gate agents did the best they could trying to get everyone organized for the boarding process, but in the end, it was a complete zoo. At least they were on time.
A quick check of my mobile boarding pass reveals that (whether I like it or not) it looks like I’m going to Minneapolis today.Here we go. They sure didn’t waste any time moving from the First Class to Diamond boarding group. I haven’t even been able to wedge myself into the queue yet for chrissakes!Oh well. It was fun to feel like a fancy pants Diamond Medallion for a brief moment as I approached the boarding door. “Howdy! Do you freaking know who I am?!”
My first impressions of the first class seats on the Delta 737-900
Remember the seats in my Delta A321 first class review? What about my Delta 757-300 first class review? Basically all I’m saying is that the seats here in first class on the 737-900 aren’t any different. Everything from the width, to the video screens, to the leg room (seat pitch) is identical. My seatmate was different though. That counts as something noteworthy I guess.
You clicked on this review to see what Delta 737-900 first class looks like. I live to serve.These first class seats what familiar, don’t they? It’s almost as if you could imagine that lady sitting in 5A thinking “hey, this is almost exactly the same as Delta 757-200 first class!”And you know what? She wouldn’t be wrong. Leg room is excellent here as well!Did the company who makes these videos screens strike gold when they signed Delta on as a partner, or what? They’re installed on nearly every mainline domestic aircraft in the fleet – so at the very least, I hope the employees of that company are living large on a tropical island somewhere.It appears as if the Dasani contract has ended though, because the only bottled water they serve in Delta first class these days is this Pure Life stuff. Yes – it tastes as cheap as it looks.His and her power outlets are located down beneath (and between) the seats.Or, in this particular instance, “his and his.” Anyway, not only does this pic give you a good idea of what the seat pitch is like, it’s a good representation of the pre-departure drink situation as well. Is this a thorough review, or what?Speaking of thorough, check out the runs in the paint on that armrest! I can only assume that was the result of someone’s last day on the job (or one hour before quittin’ time on a Friday afternoon).Dang it. Now I can’t help but to worry that the wings of this plane were bolted on at 4 PM on a Friday afternoon as well. This could be it, folks.Honestly, I hope we at least make it to Nebraska before losing a wing. These are fairly decent first class seats, and it would be a real shame not to be able to enjoy them for a bit.
The departure
How lame would it have been to connect through LAX to MSP (when I could’ve easily flown there direct from SAN) only to be delayed? Thankfully I didn’t have to deal with any of that nonsense today. We pushed off the gate right on time.
And we’re off! I like how the LAX Operations Center is giving absolutely zero f**cks about the fact that there’s a Delta 737-800 (and a JAL 787) directly behind us. We gotta go now!Taxiing to runway 24R from Terminal 3 can be a bit anticlimactic when you’re seated on the left-hand side of the aircraft. It’s about as exciting as taxiing to the runway at FNT in American Eagle Embraer 145 economy class.Clarification: it looks like we’ll be going off on 24L (and not 24R) today. I’m only mentioning this to fend off any “God you’re an idiot!” comments. I get enough of those as it is.“Please hold together until Nebraska…please hold together until Nebraska…”What a view!Shoutout to anyone down there watching as we fly overhead. I do realize that Delta 737-900s aren’t all that interesting, but come on – there’s just gotta be at least *one* person in LA nerdy enough to care.
In-flight entertainment
Of all the major US airlines, the Delta in-flight entertainment product (Delta Studio) is the easiest to use. Translation: the user interface is simple and easy to navigate. Not only that, the catalog of content is always up-to-date and top-notch.
What is there to say about Delta Studio that I didn’t already say in my review of Delta 737-800 first class? Probably not a lot, but I’ll do my best to put a somewhat different spin on it. Here we go…One moment please. “Putting a different spin on it” requires checking to see if there’s anything different about Delta Studio since the last 15 times that I’ve reviewed it.Nope, other than the catalog of content, not a gosh darn thing has changed (and that’s a good thing considering how much of a fan of Delta Studio I am).
It’s worth noting that screen size is excellent (though slightly smaller than the screens in Delta A321neo first class). They’re big enough IMHO.
Live TV, podcasts, games, and a darn good selection of movies. Not bad considering that it wasn’t all that long ago when diarrhea, dysentery, and arrow wounds were all you could expect on a journey across North America.We’ve come a long way since the 1850s. Not only will Delta Studio tell me the registration number of the aircraft that I’m on, it can also tell me (right down to the minute) when the state of Minnesota has to start putting up with my bulls**t.“Connect to fast, free Wi-Fi.” Right on. I took them up on their offer, and I learned that the Wi-Fi isn’t exactly free. Messaging (and being able to stream the full catalog of TV shows and movies to a personal device) is free, but being able to browse the Internet is most certainly not.FYI, both the 3.5mm audio jack and USB-A ports were “hotdog in a hallway” kind of loose. You’ve been warned.
One final note about in-flight entertainment: noise-canceling headphones are not provided. They do provide cheap little earbuds though. I do recommend bringing your own if that’s just not gonna do it for you.
The food
Warning: what I’m about to show you is not representative of all Delta 737-900 first class experiences. Meals are only served on flights 2 1/2 hours and longer. If your flight is shorter than that, you will only be served a drink and a snack.
Total flying time between Los Angeles and Minneapolis today was exactly 3 hours. We were served a full lunch (from a menu consisting of five different choices). I highly recommend making your choice ahead of time via the Delta website or mobile app to ensure that you get exactly what you want!
Care to have a look at all the options for today’s lunch (which will assuredly no longer be available because you forgot to reserve your choice ahead of time)? Just scan the QR code on the screen.FYI, you’ll have to fly American Airlines if you want a snack to go with that pre-departure drink. Delta ain’t got time for that sort of thing apparently.I pre-ordered the chicken kale salad (despite Thai meatballs being on the menu). These are the kinds of idiotic things you’ll do as you get older!Then again, considering how processed (and salty) that chicken is, the meatballs couldn’t have been any worse I guess.Processed or not, it was darn good stuff. The feta cheese saved it!Now I know why they switched to cheap-a** bottled water! This in-flight meal partnership with Caramelized Productions can’t be cheap.Fruit. There’s always fruit.This cookie was my reward for scarfing down that dry chicken salad. And a mighty fine reward it was (even though it easily canceled out all that kale).
In summary, I found the quality (and quantity) of the food to be excellent. Delta has always done well with their first class meals, And this was no exception.
Seat comfort
The main benefit of these first class seats is how wide they are. If all you need is legroom, you’d probably be better off saving a few bucks and going for a Comfort + seat instead.
Look. If I can sleep in these seats (or at least pretend to sleep well I take a selfie), it means that it’s comfortable(ish).
Sat recline is just OK IMHO. It’s not all that steep, but at least it prevents the person in front of you from reclining their seat right into your lap.
Maybe it’s just because most of the people here in first class weren’t total a**holes today, but being on the receiving end of a reclined seat wasn’t all that bad.Yup. This was every bit as comfortable as any other domestic Delta first class experience I’ve had in the past five years.
The descent and arrival into MSP
The flight attendant came through the cabin an hour prior to landing with the snack basket. Why the hell did I choose potato chips??
Crap. Between this pre-landing snack and my post-lunch cookie, any benefit of that kale salad has been lost. Why does being unhealthy have to taste so dang good?
At least the scenery into the Minneapolis St. Paul area was pretty enough to distract me from the fact that I just scarfed down an entire bag of greasy potato chips. I love fall in the upper Midwest!
Minneapolis in sight! St. Paul? Still looking for that mofo…The whereabouts of St. Paul not withstanding, it looks to be a beautiful Fall afternoon here in central Minnesota.Welcome to Minneapolis St. Paul!We’ve arrived a full 17 minutes early by the way.What’s the opposite of fashionably late? Annoyingly early? Whatever it is, that’s what we were as we pulled up to gate F3.“To unbuckle your seatbelt, lift the flap and insert the metal end into the tube while pulling tight across your chest.”At least I think that’s what she said. I was too excited about being 17 minutes early to pay attention!I’m outta here!Not that I would’ve been upset to spend 17 more minutes here or anything. This was a very decent domestic first class experience – which once again proves that Delta is pretty okay most of the time.
Pros and cons of Delta 737-900 first class
Despite what I said at the top of this review about this being a really hard first class product to write about, I enjoyed it. What can I say? Delta domestic first class is consistent. More specifically: consistently pretty good. It’s worth it if you’ve got the scratch.
Pros
There are five rows of first class seats on the DL 737-900. This means that your chances of an upgrade from economy class are higher than they would be on a smaller aircraft.
Seat width (and leg room) is pretty good. At the very least, it’s consistent with first class on other mainline domestic Delta aircraft.
The food! Who cares if you hate the 737 when the food is that good?
Cons
The fact that it’s such a large first-class cabin means that it’s going take a long time to be served if you’re seated in the very last row.
Noise canceling headphones would be nice. Just sayin’.
The 737-900 is an older generation aircraft, which means that the in-seat power and audio ports are well used (and loose). There’s no guarantee that the ones in your seat will work.
I once flew on a Minneapolis to SFO flight (coming home from an Indianapolis job interview) when I was in college. It was January 1998 and I just remember lifting off from MNO and the entire ground below being a sea of white. Being from CA, I’d never seen anything like that before…and it was freezing! Walking down the jetbridge was like entering a deep freeze, despite the feeble attempts at climate control on the jetbridge itself.
And I must say, it was the longest flight. It could not have been more than 3.5 hours but it seemed like an eternity. Probably because it was an evening flight and I just wanted to get home. Anyway, this was back in the day of the “bistro meal”. Do you recall how, if you were seated in coach, you walked down the jet bridge and there was this big bin with blue bags and a sign telling you to grab a “bistro meal”? In retrospect, it was good to be fed on a coach flight that was only 3 hours long, but the quality then seemed similar to what you got now in first class. However, it was definitely not as good as an actual meal from a few years earlier.
It seems as if you and I have had very similar experiences JCC! Except mine was in the opposite direction. I’m originally from Michigan, and seeing California for the first time in my early 20s completely blew my mind. That first visit was also in January, so being able to step off that plane California (in somewhat warm air) was the best feeling ever.
And yeah, those bistro boxes were awesome! Then again, I was much younger at the time and not as much of a curmudgeon as I am now lol.
That reminds me of travelling back east when I was in Grad School a few years later. Christmas break was over and my parents took me to LAX for my flight to Philadelphia. It was 84 degrees in LA that morning (despite being January!), and my little brother was wearing shorts. When I landed in Philly, there was snow on the ground and it was 18 degrees. It didn’t help that when I got to my dorm room, it was cold, dark, and the only thing in the fridge was a box of fish sticks, and there was only one fish stick left. Good times!
At least that was still back in the era (2002?, 2003?) when they fed you on the plane.
Haha, yeah, anyone who has been to college (and lived in a dorm) knows the “one fish stick” thing all too well. I’ve been there / done that more times than I care to admit. 😀
And I totally agree with you about those flights back to cold weather destinations. They suck. Always have, always will…
Scott
It sounds like you are the type of person that would complain if you were hung with a new rope. I have flown on Delta first class and it was very enjoyable.
I mean, it’s not terrible. It’s just basic that’s all. Just like the first class products on every other US airline. Oops, there I go complaining again… 🙂
Nope…but yes! Other than the A321neo, all mainline Delta domestic first class seats are pretty much the same. I’ve noticed some differences (such as center console style/width, seat thickness, etc.) between different aircraft types – but overall it’s a very consistent product.
Hi Scott-Just wanted to say that this year I haven’t yet had the chance to give Delta a try, so I still can’t give any personal opinions on their in-flight product. Despite that, 2023 has been one of my best years for travel personally, so I’m not even mad.
Anyway, other than that, it seems like the best way to describe DL is to say that they’re a very “reliable” airline. Not only do they have good on-time performance, they offer a really solid product on every single flight.
Oh, and by the way, the DL 737-900 seems to have a bad reputation among frequent flyers. I’m curious to know why exactly is this? To me it seems like a perfectly normal aircraft to fly on.
A bad reputation? Really? I’m not sure what that’s all about, since the seats are exactly the same as they are on other domestic aircraft (except for the A321neo). If they are complaining about how old and crusty those aircraft are, then yeah – I agree. Ha!
Nice to hear that it’s been a good year of travel for you! I’m not sure how you’ve managed to avoid Delta through all of it – it’s hard not to go anywhere in the US without stepping foot on a widget-tailed aircraft.
Haha, it’s weird to think that a Boeing Sky Interior-equipped aircraft is already reaching old and crusty status! I’ve never heard any complaints about the interior being dated (yet), but I have heard complaints about the a/c. Anyway, I’m glad to hear that this flight was as good as any DL Domestic First experience.
As for my trips this year, the thing is, very little of it has been by air. I’ve “only” taken 4 flights, all of which were on one airline. As I said in my other comment, though, I’m not complaining, as it’s still been an interesting year of travel for me.
Yeah, travel is travel no matter if it’s via horseback or first class on an A380. I’d personally love to do more road trips if I had the time, but flying around doing all these dang airline reviews is keeping me busy. 🙂
I always look for “the line” in your blog. The one that consistently makes me snort hard, so I go easy on the coffee or weed while reading.
“Not bad considering that it wasn’t all that long ago when diarrhea, dysentery, and arrow wounds were all you could expect on a journey across North America.”
JCC
I once flew on a Minneapolis to SFO flight (coming home from an Indianapolis job interview) when I was in college. It was January 1998 and I just remember lifting off from MNO and the entire ground below being a sea of white. Being from CA, I’d never seen anything like that before…and it was freezing! Walking down the jetbridge was like entering a deep freeze, despite the feeble attempts at climate control on the jetbridge itself.
And I must say, it was the longest flight. It could not have been more than 3.5 hours but it seemed like an eternity. Probably because it was an evening flight and I just wanted to get home. Anyway, this was back in the day of the “bistro meal”. Do you recall how, if you were seated in coach, you walked down the jet bridge and there was this big bin with blue bags and a sign telling you to grab a “bistro meal”? In retrospect, it was good to be fed on a coach flight that was only 3 hours long, but the quality then seemed similar to what you got now in first class. However, it was definitely not as good as an actual meal from a few years earlier.
Scott (SANspotter)
It seems as if you and I have had very similar experiences JCC! Except mine was in the opposite direction. I’m originally from Michigan, and seeing California for the first time in my early 20s completely blew my mind. That first visit was also in January, so being able to step off that plane California (in somewhat warm air) was the best feeling ever.
And yeah, those bistro boxes were awesome! Then again, I was much younger at the time and not as much of a curmudgeon as I am now lol.
JCC
That reminds me of travelling back east when I was in Grad School a few years later. Christmas break was over and my parents took me to LAX for my flight to Philadelphia. It was 84 degrees in LA that morning (despite being January!), and my little brother was wearing shorts. When I landed in Philly, there was snow on the ground and it was 18 degrees. It didn’t help that when I got to my dorm room, it was cold, dark, and the only thing in the fridge was a box of fish sticks, and there was only one fish stick left. Good times!
At least that was still back in the era (2002?, 2003?) when they fed you on the plane.
Scott (SANspotter)
Haha, yeah, anyone who has been to college (and lived in a dorm) knows the “one fish stick” thing all too well. I’ve been there / done that more times than I care to admit. 😀
And I totally agree with you about those flights back to cold weather destinations. They suck. Always have, always will…
CG
Scott
It sounds like you are the type of person that would complain if you were hung with a new rope. I have flown on Delta first class and it was very enjoyable.
Scott (SANspotter)
I mean, it’s not terrible. It’s just basic that’s all. Just like the first class products on every other US airline. Oops, there I go complaining again… 🙂
Luca
Is there a single seat on delta outside of DL1 and A321neo first that is different?
I am genuinely questioning if there is
Scott (SANspotter)
Nope…but yes! Other than the A321neo, all mainline Delta domestic first class seats are pretty much the same. I’ve noticed some differences (such as center console style/width, seat thickness, etc.) between different aircraft types – but overall it’s a very consistent product.
Peter
Hi Scott-Just wanted to say that this year I haven’t yet had the chance to give Delta a try, so I still can’t give any personal opinions on their in-flight product. Despite that, 2023 has been one of my best years for travel personally, so I’m not even mad.
Anyway, other than that, it seems like the best way to describe DL is to say that they’re a very “reliable” airline. Not only do they have good on-time performance, they offer a really solid product on every single flight.
Oh, and by the way, the DL 737-900 seems to have a bad reputation among frequent flyers. I’m curious to know why exactly is this? To me it seems like a perfectly normal aircraft to fly on.
Scott (SANspotter)
A bad reputation? Really? I’m not sure what that’s all about, since the seats are exactly the same as they are on other domestic aircraft (except for the A321neo). If they are complaining about how old and crusty those aircraft are, then yeah – I agree. Ha!
Nice to hear that it’s been a good year of travel for you! I’m not sure how you’ve managed to avoid Delta through all of it – it’s hard not to go anywhere in the US without stepping foot on a widget-tailed aircraft.
Peter
Haha, it’s weird to think that a Boeing Sky Interior-equipped aircraft is already reaching old and crusty status! I’ve never heard any complaints about the interior being dated (yet), but I have heard complaints about the a/c. Anyway, I’m glad to hear that this flight was as good as any DL Domestic First experience.
As for my trips this year, the thing is, very little of it has been by air. I’ve “only” taken 4 flights, all of which were on one airline. As I said in my other comment, though, I’m not complaining, as it’s still been an interesting year of travel for me.
Scott (SANspotter)
Yeah, travel is travel no matter if it’s via horseback or first class on an A380. I’d personally love to do more road trips if I had the time, but flying around doing all these dang airline reviews is keeping me busy. 🙂
Glad you’ve been getting out there!
Christy
I always look for “the line” in your blog. The one that consistently makes me snort hard, so I go easy on the coffee or weed while reading.
“Not bad considering that it wasn’t all that long ago when diarrhea, dysentery, and arrow wounds were all you could expect on a journey across North America.”
That was it.
Scott (SANspotter)
You should hear the stuff that actually goes on in my head! Basically, it’s harder to keep myself from crossing lines than it is to cross them. 😀
Christy
Lol *WATER. NOT WEED. I never go easy on that. Jk.
Scott (SANspotter)
Correction noted. The water/weed misspelling is more common than you’d think lol.