Delta 767-300 economy review: how very dare you for being skeptical

If you’re the type of person who recoils in fear upon seeing older aircraft types showing up when searching for flights, I’ve got good news: the Delta 767-300 isn’t one you have to worry about.

Even when seated in economy class (while scarfing down your Biscoff Cookie and ginger ale), you’d never know that these airplanes were designed in the 1970s.

The interiors are modern. Clean. Leg room is decent, and there are video screens at every seat.

It’s one of the best disco era airplanes ever.

DL712
Atlanta, GA (ATL) – San Diego, CA (SAN)
Monday, December 30, 2024
Aircraft: 767-332/ER
Registration: N199DN
Duration: 4 hours 29 minutes
Seat: 46G (Economy)

Delta 767-300/ER (N299DN) side view illustration by NorebboStock.com.

DL712 flight track — Our route from Atlanta to San Diego this evening as DL712.

My full review of Delta 767-300 economy class from Atlanta to San Diego

There are many reasons why I like Delta. One of the biggest reasons is that they have a long history of sending widebody aircraft to my home airport (SAN). Basically, widebody aircraft are way cooler than narrowbody aircraft. This is fact. There is no disputing this.

Arrival at ATL

I arrived at ATL on Delta 1527 from West Palm Beach approximately 2 1/2 hours before this flight to San Diego. I didn’t necessarily need 2 1/2 hours to go from concourse B to T, but I appreciated having enough time to loiter anywhere other than the T gates. I’m just not a fan, OK?

SANspotter going up the escalator to the T gates ATL — That look of deep concentration as I prepare myself for Concourse T. I’m more of a Concourse E kinda guy.

Inside of the delta T concourse ATL — Concourse T is where all the *other* airlines reside at ATL. Delta still occupies half of it though (because I assume they thought it would be embarrassing to not occupy every F’n terminal at their biggest hub).

This 767-300, ladies and gentlemen, is the reason why I trekked my a** all the way to the nether regions of ATL. Proof that I’d do almost anything for a ride on a 767.

Gate T2 Atlanta Hartsfield international airport — I guess one of the advantages of walking this far west is the fact that it’ll shorten our overall flight time. Gate T2 can’t be all that far from the Alabama state line I reckon.

The boarding process

Boarding was delayed slightly. They didn’t say why, but I can only assume it was a minor issue considering that the weather was absolutely perfect (and the plane had been at the gate for hours). I wasn’t perturbed enough to seek out an answer. Going with the flow makes things so much easier!

Delta Atlanta to San Diego mobile boarding pass — **Boarding time on my boarding pass:** 4 PM. **Current time on my iPhone:** 4:06 PM. Just sayin’.

Boarding flight to San Diego gate T2 ATL — They’re at boarding group 6 now, and I’m still not even in the jet bridge yet. Basic economy reviews are fun!

As you’re about to see, the interior of this plane is slightly different than the interior you saw in my review of Delta 767-300 Comfort Plus. That plane looked to be a domestic configuration (with only three classes of service). This plane featured four classes (Delta One / business, Premium Select / premium economy, Comfort Plus, and economy).

Whoa. I actually forgot that they care about these 767-300s that much. This is, like, a modern(ish) airplane.

Delta 767-300 first class aisle — Skirtin’ by the Delta One seats (and an awfully hairy set of knees) at a pretty good clip. Those of you curious to see what these seats are like (without the knees) can read my Delta 767-300 first class review.

Delta 767-300 comfort plus aisle — It’s a bit slower going (and far less hairy) here in the Premium Select / premium economy section. As we wait for the congestion to clear, I recommend checking out my Delta A350-900 Premium Select review (because these things can take a while).

Delta 767-300 economy class cabin — Welcome back! You’ve arrived just in time for some riveting Delta 767-300 economy class action.

Seat overview

It’s hard not to wrinkle your nose at the spacious 2-3-2 seating configuration of the Boeing 767. As a matter of fact, I think you’ll be more tempted to give someone a high five than you will be to wrinkle your nose. Leg room is halfway decent.

Delta 767-300 economy class seats row 46 — Row 46, baby! I mean, if I’m gonna do an economy class review, I’m goin’ *deep*.

Delta 767-300 economy leg room — Leg room is very Delta A330-200 economy like (which I quite liked).

Delta 767-300 economy in seat video screen — Much like the leg room that I just liked, I’m liking the existence of this video screen.

Delta 767-300 economy power outlet and USB port — Is it even necessary to tell you my opinions of this electrical outlet and USB-A port located beneath the seats? I’ll just say this: it rhymes with “biked.”

Delta 767-300 economy 2-3-2 seating configuration — Yup, the 2-3-2 seating configuration is pretty much the best thing ever (I mean other than a purring kitten in your lap or a cup of hot cocoa after an afternoon of playing in the snow).

Delta 767-300 economy class passengers — **What we hear:** *“Ladies and gentlemen, it is our pleasure to welcome you onboard Delta Air Lines this afternoon…”* **What they really mean:** *“Sit your a** down, shut up, and hang on!”*

The departure

I don’t know how they did it, but they got us pushed off the gate exactly on time (4:45pm). I didn’t think there was any chance of that due to the delayed boarding process.

Delta 767-300 paint peeling on wing — * looks out of his window and sees this *

* fastens his seatbelt low and really freakin’ tight across his lap *

Delta 767-300 taxiing past a Delta 757-200

Crystal clear late evening (or early morning) departures out of ATL are the best. Not only does the Delta livery look great in sunset / sunrise light, there’s always interesting things to see when taxiing around ATL.

Delta 767-300 economy seat recline — I normally save the commentary about seat recline for later in the review, but…she couldn’t wait (and I can’t resist). It’s not that bad actually!

SANspotter looking out the window of Delta 767-300 economy

Delta 767-300 taxiing by the terminal on the way to the runway at ATL

One of the best parts about taxiing to runways 26 R and L is rolling past the Delta Tech Ops building. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to see today.

Rolling past Delta Tech Ops building in a Delta 767-300 — You know it’s cold in Atlanta when the Delta Tech Ops Team won’t even open the doors. I don’t blame them. It had to have been 62°!

Delta 767-300 taxiing into position on runway

Delta 767-300 rolling down runway 26L ATL

Departure off of runway 26L occurred four minutes late at 4:59 PM. Them’s the facts.

Delta 767-300 climbing out I have to takeoff from ATL

View of downtown Atlanta from a distance — Ever look at a city from a distance and wonder how many people in your line of sight are pooping at that exact moment? Asking for a friend.

In-flight entertainment

Delta Studio has always been great, but I’m really liking the newly added ability to be able to sign in (using my SkyMiles account) to access the playlists I’ve worked so hard setting up during past flights.

Delta 767-300 economy in-flight entertainment movie selection screen — You know you’re old when the only thing you can think about when scrolling through the catalog of movies is how awesome it would has been to do this back in the 1980s (when the Boeing 767 was still the hottest new thing). Oh gawd.

Delta 767-300 economy in-flight entertainment movie details scream

Delta 767-300 economy in-flight entertainment Spotify

Maybe you’d rather doom scroll on social media instead? You can now do that on all Delta flights within the US. Internet access / Wi-Fi is completely free for everyone. Personally, I’d rather watch a movie (or stare at the map watching our pixel by pixel progress).

SANspotter scrolling through the options of the in-flight entertainment in Delta 767-300 economy — (Trying to decide between A Christmas Story, Die Hard, or the interactive map)

3.5mm audio jack and USB-A port under video screen in Delta 767-300 economy — Audio and USB power ports too! I tip my hat to the Delta Tech Ops team for figuring out how to wire this stuff into an old seven-six.

Complementary earbuds in Delta 767-300 economy — “REUSE ME” (well, if you insist…)

Snacks and drinks

You gotta hand it to Delta – when they decide to feature a certain snack, they feature the absolute sh*t out of it. Case in point: the little bag of Garden Salsa Sun Chips that I’ve had on every Delta flight recently. They push that stuff hard.

Delta 767-300 economy free snack — This being my fourth Delta flight in three days, let’s just say that I’ve about had enough of Garden Salsa Sun Chips for a while.

Complementary drink in Delta 767-300 economy — I’ll never get tired of Diet Coke though. And it was fizzy this time!

SANspotter drinking Diet Coke in Delta 767-300 economy — Can’t stop won’t stop.

Long story short: you’ll get a choice of a complementary snack and a free nonalcoholic drink in economy class. Yes, Biscoff Cookies are still available.

Delta 767-300 economy tray table — Although the in-flight entertainment would’ve been pretty lousy on the 767-300 back in the 1980s, I can pretty much guarantee there would’ve been a slab of sirloin steak and a pile of mashed potatoes here on this tray table. You win some, you lose some I guess.

More substantial food items (snack boxes and sandwiches) are available for purchase. Alcohol too.

Seat and cabin comfort

I ain’t never gonna say a bad thing about economy class on a Boeing 767-300. Of course I’d rather be sitting in premium economy (or business class), but the 2-3-2 seating configuration is just about perfect. There aren’t many middle seats on this airplane.

Delta 767-300 economy adjustable headrest — Shoutout to this fine gentleman for demonstrating the adjustable headrest for me. Not only does it move up-and-down, it has wings.

Delta 767-300 economy passenger comfort — Thinking back on it, overall comfort isn’t any better or worse than it was in Delta 767-400 economy. It’s the same experience but with fewer seats (and different people).

Delta 767-300 economy cabin looking forward from the back — Gotta love that spacious 2-3-2 seating layout. You just gotta!

Speaking of spacious, it’s worth noting that the rear economy class lavatories here on the 767-300 aren’t that. They’re certainly nice (and fairly modern), but good luck doing anything other than standing arrow straight or sitting down.

The descent and arrival into San Diego

The cabin crew came by with one more snack and drink service about an hour and 10 minutes prior landing. It felt a bit rushed, but I managed to get everything down the hatch just as we began the descent over El Centro.

Complementary beverage service in Delta 767-300 economy — A toast the fine people of Phoenix as we cruise overhead at 500mph. Cheers!

Overflowing Phoenix at night — I don’t think they heard me.

Pink mood lighting in Delta 767-300 cabin — *“Wha?? They even figured out how to wire in hot pink mood lighting!”* Although I suppose it wasn’t all that difficult once they got the USB thing figured out.

Approaching San Diego in a Delta 767-300 at night

Overflying the air and space Museum San Diego in a Delta 767-300 at night

Christmas was four days in the rearview mirror by this point, but you’d never know it by seeing all the festive lights during the final approach into SAN. We San Diegians know how to Christmas!

Delta 767-300 landing the San Diego international airport at night — wElCoMe tO sAn dIeGo! (the runway is a little bumpy here at SAN)

Delta 767-300 taxiing to gate at San Diego at night

Delta 767-300 pulling up to the gate at SAN at night

Those of you hoping to see interesting things during the taxi to the gate are no doubt annoyed by this abysmal collection of pics. Sorry, but the area between the end of runway 27 and the Delta gates in T2W is pretty much the black hole of SAN.

Delta 767-300 arrival at the gate at SAN — Row 46 life – where there’s absolutely no point in standing up after the seatbelt sign is turned off (because it’s gonna be a while).

Exiting Delta 767-300 economy class — Yup, it was indeed a while. It sure felt good to get those Sun Chips and that Diet Coke circulating through my lower extremities though!

Walking through the premium economy cabin

If you’re curious, the pictures above are of the following: Comfort Plus, premium economy (Premium Select), and business class (Delta One). They definitely send this mofo all over the world. Mostly to Europe probably.

Delta 767-300 forward boarding door frame — SANspotter out.

767-300 economy class pros and cons

The fact that I will happily choose a slightly more inconvenient flight time to get on a 767 over an A321 or 737 is all you gotta know. The extra little bit of legroom is nice, and I much appreciate the wider cabin. I wasn’t even kidding about the 767 being cooler than all of the other airplanes.

Pros

The extra little bit of legroom is nice (it’s worth repeating).
And I much appreciate the wider cabin (ditto).
It’s every bit as modern and comfortable as any of the newer Delta aircraft.

Cons

As much as I like the 2-3-2 seating layout, it’s probably going to be inconvenient for families of 4 or more.
This isn’t necessarily an economy class thing, but just know that cabin humidity levels are much lower in older aircraft such as the 767. RIP to your delicate sinuses.

6 Comments

TotalAviation says:

January 31, 2025 at 6:53 pm

Nice Review! Thanks for the refresh of the website! It was really getting dated!

1. Scott (SANspotter) says:
  
  February 1, 2025 at 3:43 pm
  
  Thanks! And you’re very welcome – yep, it was definitely time for a change.
  
  1. TotalAviation says:
    
    February 4, 2025 at 3:06 pm
    
    Hey Scott, I was wondering what settings you use for your YouTube videos on your GoPro? Thanks!
    
    1. Scott (SANspotter) says:
      
      February 4, 2025 at 7:59 pm
      
      4K / 60fps / Linear + Lock / Hypersmooth on / 10-Bit / Standard Bit Rate / Auto White Balance / Auto Shutter / Medium Sharpness
      
      Honestly, I’m pretty sure it would be easy to get better video quality with some experimentation of these settings.
      
Sylvan says:

February 3, 2025 at 7:48 am

Great review. I like the new layout better than the old one of this website, so good job with that. I thought that your 767-300 comfort plus experience looked a little less good than this one, but I don’t know. I have to say that Delta is doing a very good job keeping their old planes up to date. Like you said, it’s weird to think how old 767s are!

1. Scott (SANspotter) says:
  
  February 3, 2025 at 9:51 am
  
  Thanks! Yeah, when I flew comfort plus a couple years ago, that aircraft had a slightly different/older seating configuration. This one seemed to be the latest and greatest.

Delta 767-300 economy review: how very dare you for being skeptical