The Delta 737-800 is a very common aircraft. Delta has 77 of these flying around and I have ended up on several of them lately. I’m lucky enough that I’m flown every type of plane in Delta’s fleet, many of the aircraft I’ve flown in every cabin, then 737-800 is one of those. In the last few months I’ve had the pleasurer of flying in First, Comfort Plus, and Economy on the Delta 737-800 and thought I would give my opinion on the best Delta 737 seats.
I’d like to point out that I rarely purchase anything above Economy tickets. All of these flights are no different, I purchased Economy and then was upgraded to First or Comfort Plus. I’m a Delta Medallion member and while upgrades are never expected, they are always welcome. None of these flights are particularly long, the 737-800 has an endurance of about 6 hours(in Delta trim).
There are some cases that I will purchase an upgrade, but I’m plenty comfortable to sit in the back on these short daytime flights. If it’s an overnight flight or a long journey, then I’m much more likely to pay for an upgrade.
In This Review
1.1: Delta 737-800 Leg Room
1.2: Delta 737-800 Service
1.3: Delta 737-800 Entertainment
1.4: Delta 737-800 Amenities
1.5: Delta 737-800 Comfort
1.6: Delta 737-800 Final Thoughts
Delta 737-800 Leg Room
On domestic flights, the name of the game is getting to the destination. The seat isn’t usually special, it’s a means to an end. Delta(and other full service carriers) provide a nice level of comfort in all seats, but obviously some are better than others.
737-800 Delta First Class Seat
There is good leg room here in the Delta 737 first class. This is row 4 and and my backpack fits just fine under the seat and there’s room for my feet. I’m not particularly tall, but I suspect even tall people would have zero issues in this seat.
If you’re interested in seeing a full Delta 737-800 First class trip, our trip to Zion National Park is a good reference.737-800 Delta First Class Seat Bulkhead
If you end up in a bulk head, don’t fear, it’s not bad. There is no where to put a bag on the floor, but it’s not a bad seat. I’m not usually one for row one, but the Delta 737-800 First Class bulkhead isn’t bad.
737-800 Delta Comfort+ Seat
The Delta 737 Comfort Plus seats also have good leg room. It’s not as good as first class, but it’s very good.
If you’re interested in seeing a full Delta 737-800 Comfort Plus, our trip Home from Zion National Park is a good reference.737-800 Delta Economy Class Seat
Ok, this is a little bit cheating. But here is the economy seat, but it’s an exit row. As you can see there is an absolute pile of leg room here. There’s more here that in First Class. These are great seats, I’d rather be here than in Comfort Plus.
If you’re interested in seeing a full Delta 737-800 Economy trip, my trip home from Dallas/Arlington is a good reference.Delta 737-800 Service
The service that Delta provides is pretty common across the whole fleet. It likely doesn’t matter if you’re on a 737, 757, or 717, but this is about 737-800s so lets see what you get!
737-800 Delta First Class Service
On the medium length domestic flights, Delta serves a snack box in first class. It’s a snack, but filling enough for these flights.
There are also TipTop Cocktails available. I really love these, they are quite boozy so be careful, altitude and alcohol can be a powerful combination.
Water, drinks, and snacks are provided outside of the snack box. This is also the service that’s provided on flights between an hour and two. Anything shorter than 45 minutes doesn’t really get a service, maybe a water bottle.
737-800 Delta Comfort+ Service
Nothing too fancy here in Comfort Plus for service. A snack and soda is pretty normal, however as comfort Plus you do have the option of a free alcoholic drink.
737-800 Delta Economy Class Service
Here’s a good representation of an economy snack here on the Delta 737. Water, Cheezits, and Biscoff. Often on short flights there won’t be a full beverage service and just water is offered, longer flights will have a full soft drink option.
Delta 737-800 Entertainment
This is where the 737-800 can fall short or come out ahead. Half of the planes have nice new screens, others have older IFE that isn’t really competitive. I guess the good news is that many aircraft don’t have screens at all or other airlines are removing them. At least Delta keeps them and is upgrading them.
737-800 Delta First Class Entertainment
The Seat back entertainment here in First Class is very good. Nice big screens with lots of viewing options. The screens also slightly tip out if the person in front of you reclines. Many of these seats also have a headphone jack in the arm rest, a nice feature for when you have a short headphone cord.
737-800 Delta Comfort+ Entertainment
Some of Delta’s 737-800s have updated screens, others have these older resistive style screens. These are not great. They have a more limited selection and the screens can be a little finicky to use.
This is the updated screen. There are plenty of these floating around too and are very nice. Responsive, good visibility, and large selection.
737-800 Delta Economy Class Entertainment
The regular economy seats have the same screen as Comfort+. So on an updated plane you’ll have the exact same screen in both sets of seats.
Delta 737-800 Amenities
Delta has pretty good fleet commonality when it comes to in seat amenities, however each aircraft has some unique features. The 737 is no exception, I really like some of the quarks that are on the 737.
737-800 Delta First Class Amenities
Like all Delta planes, the 737 has power in First Class. This is great for charging your phone or laptop.
Delta 737 First Class also has USB ports and headphone jacks in the arm rest. This way you don’t have to stretch a cord across the row, big fan of this.
737-800 Delta Comfort+ Amenities
The Delta 737 Comfort+ also has power available in each row. Though it’s important to see that there are only 2 110v power ports per row so not every seat has one.
737-800 Delta Economy Class Amenities
The Economy section on the 737 has the same setup as Comfort+.
Delta 737-800 Comfort
The 737 is a nice ride. The Delta 737-900 while newer isn’t nearly as comfortable in any class. The 737-800 has nice plush seats and while it may be older, it’s a great ride.
737-800 Delta First Class Comfort
The best part of First Class is sitting back and enjoying a drink while relaxing in a big comfy seat. The 737-800 has nice plush seats and I’m a big fan.
737-800 Delta Comfort+
The Comfort Plus seats are plenty comfortable on the short legs these 737s fly. The extra few inches of leg room really make it feel spacious.
Of course getting an empty seat next to you is always welcome. This is basically poor mans first class. Lots of room to relax.
737-800 Delta Economy Class
Not to much to say here. These are economy seats on the most common aircraft in the world. The mood lights are nice on evening flights.
Delta 737-800 Final Thoughts
The Delta 737-800 is a good aircraft that I enjoy riding on. The 3 different classes on the plane are all comfortable but some are better than others. Obviously First Class is the most comfortable and has the best service. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to pay extra for it. I love when I get an upgrade and will gladly trade my seat in the back to sit up front.
The Delta Comfort Plus section has extra leg room that can be very nice on medium length flights. The economy section is about what you would expect on any narrow body flight.
Once Delta retired the MD88 and MD90 I’ve spent a lot more time on Delta 737s, while I miss the T-Tail, the 737 has some great features that I enjoy. The entertainment in each seat is a big bonus and the mood lights on the ceilings are welcome at night. 3+3 seating isn’t as good as 2+3 on the 717 or C-Series, but the seats are nice and soft. A
All in, I don’t mind flying on the 737-800 in any cabin. It’s a good ride.