Best Ways to Book Delta One Business Class Using Points [Step-by-Step]
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Considered a leader among U.S. legacy carriers, Delta has developed a wonderful premium cabin product in Delta One. While it’s not a true first class product like the out-of-this-world experience you’ll find on Emirates or Etihad, you can expect great service and a nice seat in this luxury international business class product.
Table of contents
Table of Contents
A Look Inside Delta Business Class: Delta One
For long-haul international flights, Delta has combined business class and first class into a single cabin they call Delta One.
Direct aisle access is one of the leading perks of flying Delta One, since it gives you the freedom to easily get up and move around. It is available on almost every flight where Delta One is offered, and you’ll find it on all of the airline’s long-haul international flights.
The only Delta One seats that don’t have direct aisle access are on Delta’s smaller Boeing 757 aircraft. However, these narrow-body 757s are not used on long-haul flights.
Delta One has premium inflight dining with seasonal menus tailored to your destination. Flying Delta One, you’ll be able to try a regional dish from your destination before you land. Don’t forget to have your flight attendant bring you a nice glass of wine with your meal!
As a Delta One passenger, you’ll also have access to Delta Sky Club lounges and SkyTeam lounges overseas where you can get complimentary food, drinks, Wi-Fi, entertainment, and even a shower.
Hot Tip: Don’t miss our dedicated overview of all things Delta here: Delta Air Lines Review – Seats, Amenities, Customer Service, Baggage Fees, & More.
How to Fly Delta One (Business Class) Using Miles
Delta One flights can be booked with Delta’s own SkyMiles program or through one of their SkyTeam partners’ loyalty programs. We’ll discuss the best options for booking Delta One below.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Virgin Atlantic is not a member of any alliance; rather, it has a lot of partners across the world. One of them is Delta!
We love using Virgin Atlantic to book Delta rewards for 4 big reasons:
- Best award availability, arguably even better than Delta itself!
- Excellent sweet spots to different parts of the world
- Huge transfer bonuses from transferable currencies (upwards of 35% bonus miles)
- Can book Delta awards completely online
Before we get started, let’s just put out there that fuel surcharges are a huge elephant in the room. The good news is that you will only pay fuel surcharges on flights originating in Europe for travel on Delta.
Here’s the award chart for spending Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles on Delta flights:
Here are some fantastic redemptions of Virgin Atlantic miles on Delta flights:
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Shanghai (PVG) round-trip for 120,000 miles + ~$35 in taxes and fees to fly on Delta One A350 suites. With a 30% transfer bonus, the points cost drops down to ~92,307 points!
- Detroit (DTW) – Amsterdam (AMS) round-trip for 100,000 miles + ~$12 in taxes and fees to fly on Delta One A350 suites. With a 30% transfer bonus, the points cost drops down to ~76,923 points!
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Sydney (SYD) round-trip for 150,000 miles + ~$12 in taxes and fees to fly on Delta One business class. With a 30% transfer bonus, the points cost drops down to 115,385 points!
Even though Virgin Atlantic’s award availability on Delta is reliable, it’s not as straightforward to find it online.
First, you will need to change the default region from United States – English to United Kingdom – English. To do this, refer to the image below:
Click the United Kingdom, and it will automatically redirect you to a page that looks like this:
Now, follow these steps to book your Delta One Business Class flights:
- Type in your destination and return cities, flight type, dates, number of passengers, and select Upper Class. Be sure to pay with Miles.
- Click the red arrow to search.
- The award availability calendar will show up for you to select your flights. Click your flights, confirm your reservation, and pay for taxes and fees.
Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner with all the 4 major transferable currencies: Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex, Chase, and Citi each transfer to Virgin Atlantic at a 1:1 ratio. Marriott transfers at a 3:1 ratio, in addition to a transfer bonus of 5,000 extra miles for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred. In all, transferring 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points will net you exactly 25,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles.
To make things better, Amex and Citi often have transfer bonuses of anywhere from 25%-35% bonus Virgin Atlantic miles! You absolutely need to wait for those, as this can make for absolutely stellar award redemptions flying Delta.
Chase, Citi, and Amex all transfer instantaneously to Virgin Atlantic, while Marriott takes up to 24 hours to transfer.
If you are interested in earning Virgin Atlantic miles directly, consider the Bank of America co-branded Virgin Atlantic MasterCard.
Bottom Line: Virgin Atlantic is probably the go-to method: it doesn’t have confusing variable award pricing like Delta, offers the ability to flexibly search for 5 weeks at a time, has amazing redemption rates, tons of transfer partners, and transfer bonuses of up to 30% that make redemptions a no-brainer!
Delta SkyMiles
The most direct way to book a Delta One ticket is with Delta SkyMiles. Unfortunately, Delta does not always make this easy since they stopped publishing their award chart. Based on the best available data, this chart shows the saver level cost of Delta One award flights to and from the U.S.
Remember, saver level awards provide the cheapest cost in miles.
| To/From North America | One-Way Saver Award |
| North America | 25,000 SkyMiles |
| Hawaii | 40,000 SkyMiles |
| Mexico | 30,000 SkyMiles |
| Caribbean | 30,000 SkyMiles |
| Central America | 30,000 SkyMiles |
| Northern South America | 30,000 SkyMiles |
| Southern South America | 75,000 SkyMiles |
| Europe | 105,000 SkyMiles |
| Middle East | 85,000 SkyMiles |
| North Africa | 70,000 SkyMiles |
| Central Africa | 80,000 SkyMiles |
| South Africa | 95,000 SkyMiles |
| South Asia | 97,500 SkyMiles |
| Southeast Asia | 80,000 SkyMiles |
| North Asia | 80,000 SkyMiles |
| Japan | 80,000 SkyMiles |
| Southwest Pacific | 110,000 SkyMiles |
If you can find the saver level award space, the booking process is pretty simple:
- Go to Delta’s website
- Log in to your SkyMiles account
- Select “Book A Trip”
- Enter your origin and destination
- Enter your travel dates choose “Exact Dates” or “Flexible Dates”
- You can also use “Advanced Search” to search by month
- Select to show the price in “Miles”
- Select your flights
- Review your itinerary
- Enter passenger information, then select your seat and pay the taxes/fees
If you need more SkyMiles to complete your booking, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points. Membership Rewards points transfer almost instantly.
As you can see, the entire booking process can be handled online. Here are a few key points to remember when booking with SkyMiles:
- Stopovers are not allowed
- Sort your search results by price to find saver level awards
- Search one-way or segment by segment
- Delta will not hold award seats
If you’re looking for some more inspiration, check out our article on the Best Ways to Redeem Delta SkyMiles For Max Value or our post on 11 Best Ways to Redeem 100,000 Delta SkyMiles For Max Value.
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
Air France/KLM’s Flying Blue program also allows you to book Delta One award tickets online. Just follow the below instructions for an easy booking process.
The award prices for using Flying Blue miles on Delta One Business class start from the following prices:
| To/From North America | One-Way Delta One Award |
| North America | 36,000 Flying Blue miles |
| Central America, Caribbean, Hawaii | 43,000 Flying Blue miles |
| Latin America 1 | 50,500 Flying Blue miles |
| Latin America 2 | 72,000 Flying Blue miles |
| Europe | 67,500 Flying Blue miles |
| Middle East, Central Asia, Central Russia | 100,000 Flying Blue miles |
| Central, East, and West Africa | 100,000 Flying Blue miles |
| Southern Africa and Indian Ocean | 85,000 Flying Blue miles |
| India | 85,000 Flying Blue miles |
| Asia 1 | 85,000 Flying Blue miles |
| Asia 2 | 93,000 Flying Blue miles |
| Tahiti, New Caledonia | 64,000 Flying Blue miles |
| Oceania | 144,000 Flying Blue miles |
- Go to Air France’s website
- Select “Use Your Miles”
- Sign in to your Flying Blue account
- Select your origin and destination
- Select your travel dates
- If your travel dates are flexible, check the box next to “You are looking for flights around these dates”
- Select “Business” so the search shows Delta One options
- Select the appropriate flight, then fill in passenger information
- To complete the booking, pay the necessary taxes and fees
If you need more Flying Blue miles to complete your booking, you can transfer from any of the transferable points programs (with varying transfer times):
- Chase Ultimate Rewards: transfers almost instantly
- American Express Membership Rewards: transfers almost instantly
- Citi ThankYou Points: transfers take up to 2 days
For some destinations, booking with Flying Blue miles might actually be a better deal than booking with SkyMiles. Compare the miles cost before you book, and you may be able to book the same Delta One experience for fewer miles!
Korean Air SkyPass
Korean Air has recently begun to allow SkyTeam award flight searches online, allowing you to search for award space yourself rather than calling the airline. This is great news if you want to book a Delta One flight with your Korean Air SkyPass miles online!
Follow these easy steps to book your next Delta One flight online using Korean Air SkyPass miles:
- Go to Korean Air’s website
- Select “Redeem Miles”
- Log in with your User ID or SkyPass number
- Select “SkyTeam Award”
- Select your origin and destination
- Select your travel dates
- Select “Prestige Class” to find Delta One space
- Select your flights
- Find flights that are operated by Delta Air Lines
- Click the “Calculate” button to see the miles required and the taxes/fees
- Click “Continue” to enter your information to complete the booking
Korean Air no longer allows you to put awards on hold.
Keep in mind you are only allowed to book award flights for yourself and eligible family members. Eligible family members include your spouse, children, sibling, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, and in-laws.
Another caveat: Korean Air only allows round-trip award bookings for their partners. If you want to book Delta One, make sure you book round-trip.
While these restrictions can be annoying, they’re worth putting up with because Korean Air miles can be a great option for booking Delta One flights.
Korean Air also has several other great redemption options, so give our 10 favorites a look!
Hot Tip: Korean Air SkyPass provides some amazing redemptions and is very flexible with holding awards. If you need some time to transfer points, this is a go-to program.
Other Options for Booking Delta One
If you feel like getting creative, Delta One can be booked through several other partners. You can use Alitalia and Virgin Australia’s programs, but they are generally not the best options.
Great Delta One Redemptions
Now that you know the best ways to book Delta One, let’s check out some of our favorite flights to book!
Virgin Atlantic
- Detroit to Beijing in Delta One suites round-trip for 120,000 miles
- Los Angeles to Shanghai in Delta One suites round-trip for 120,000 miles
- Detroit to Amsterdam in Delta One suites round-trip for 100,000 miles
- Minneapolis to Tokyo-Haneda in Delta One suites (from Nov 16, 2018) round-trip for 120,000 miles
- Los Angeles to Sydney in Delta One round-trip for 150,000 miles
Delta SkyMiles
- Atlanta to Johannesburg in Delta One one-way for 95,000 miles (one of the top 10 longest nonstop flights worldwide!)
Air France/KLM FlyingBlue
- New York City to Tel Aviv in Delta One one-way for 53,000 miles
- With a round-trip booking for 106,000 miles, you can also build in a stopover and an open jaw
Korean Air SkyPass
- Los Angeles to Honolulu round-trip in domestic first class for 45,000 miles
- New York City to Paris round-trip in Delta One for 80,000 miles
Bottom Line: Make sure you check each program before booking to ensure you get the best deal when flying Delta One.
How to Earn Enough Miles for Delta One
If you’re ready to book your Delta One flight but aren’t sure how to earn enough miles, you’ll be happy to know there are many ways to do so.
Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Citi ThankYou all transfer to Air France Flying Blue at a rate of 1:1.
For transfers to Delta, you can use Amex at a rate of 1:1, or Marriott at a rate of 3:1.
Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - This is our favorite beginners travel rewards card which has a 60,000 point bonus (highest ever) after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This sign up bonus is worth $750 in travel purchases (flights, hotels, car rentals etc) when you redeem your points through Chase's travel portal, which works like Expedia. The bonus alone could get you multiple round-trip flights or hotel stays. |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Consider this premium card if you want to get into a lot of airport lounges. The current sign up bonus is 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll also get a $300 travel credit per year which wipes away a big chunk of the $450 annual fee. |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® - A simple, no annual fee card that earns you 3% cash-back on all purchases in your first year (up to $20,000 spent), then 1.5% on all purchases after that. Just know that you won't get any travel benefits or the ability to earn bonus points with this card. |
Recommended Chase Cards (Business)
| Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card - This is our #1 recommended business card and comes with a whopping 80,000 sign up bonus after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. This bonus is worth $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards for travel purchases (flights, hotels etc). Also, if you pay for your cell phone bill with this card, you can get up to $600 in cell phone insurance coverage per year. |
| Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card - earn $500 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. In addition, get up to 5% cash back on a range of business expenses. A simple, $0 annual fee card. |
Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)
| The Platinum Card® from American Express - There's currently a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $5,000 in your first 3 months. This is our favorite card for getting into 1,200+ airport lounges worldwide (including Priority Pass) and we get about $1,500+ in value from the card every year. Plus, get up to $200 in Uber credits annually ($15 per month and a $20 bonus in December) — and up to $200 in annual credit for airline incidental charges (e.g. baggage fees). For rates and fees of the Platinum Card, click here. |
| American Express® Gold Card - We love using this card as it earns 4x points at restaurants worldwide and 4x points at US supermarkets (up to $25,000; then 1x). There's no better card in our opinion if you eat out and/or shop at supermarkets regularly. With a welcome bonus of 35,000 points after you spend $2,000 in your first 3 months and a $100 airfare credit per year, for many this is an easy addition to your wallet. For rates and fees of the Gold Card, click here. |
Recommended Amex Cards (Business)
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express - Right now, there's a HUGE welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus points. We get ~$1,250+ in value per year by leveraging as many of the benefits/perks card which more than offsets the higher annual fee. It's also a card we use for larger transactions ($5k or more) as it earns unlimited 1.5X points. Get access to 1,200+ airport lounges worldwide, $200 in airline fee credits for incidentals (e.g. baggage fees) and more. For rates and fees of the Business Platinum, click here. |
| American Express® Business Gold Card - probably our favorite Amex business card because we earn 4x points across the top 2 select categories that we spend the most money in each month. The 4x points applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year. This means you'll max out at a (whopping) 600,000 points per year. After that, you earn 1x. For rates and fees of the Business Gold Card, click here. |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express - This is a real simple card that earns you 2x points on business purchases up to $50,000 annually (then 1x). There's no annual fee. For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus, click here. |
Recommended Delta Cards
| Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express - The current welcome bonus is earning 30,000 Bonus Miles after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases within your first 3 months and a $50 Statement Credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 3 months. Plus, with a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year (then $95), this is a solid Delta card. Click here for rates and fees of the Gold Delta. |
When Should You Search for Delta One Award Space?
Delta is notorious for inflating award prices the closer you get to flight dates, so you should start searching as soon as you have narrowed down your travel dates.
What Makes Delta One a Great Redemption?
When flying Delta One, you can expect a luxurious travel experience from start to finish. From comfortable inflight suites to amenity-filled lounges and priority status, Delta One offers an excellent way to use your SkyMiles.
SkyClub and SkyTeam Lounges
When flying Delta One, you will have access to Delta Sky Club locations as well as SkyTeam lounges when connecting or departing from abroad.
Delta One TUMI Amenity Kit
Delta has partnered with TUMI to make your Delta One experience more comfortable. For every Delta One passenger, Delta provides TUMI amenity kits that include Kiehl’s products, eyeshades, earplugs, socks, a dental kit, and tissues.
Priority Check-In, Security, And Boarding
No one likes waiting in line, whether checking in for a flight, at airport security, or while boarding your flight. When flying Delta One, you will have priority access at each of these points to make your journey smooth and efficient.
The New Delta One Suite
Delta is taking their premium cabin experience to a new level with the introduction of the Delta One suite. Each suite will come with direct aisle access and a full height door for maximum privacy.
Delta One suites are available on the brand-new A350, or on retrofitted 777s as follows:
A350 routes and flight dates:
- Detroit (DTW)-Tokyo Narita (NRT) — from October 30, 2017
- Detroit (DTW)-Seoul (ICN) — from November 18, 2017
- Detroit (DTW)-Beijing (PEK) — from January 17, 2018
- Detroit (DTW)-Amsterdam (AMS) — from March 2018
- Atlanta (ATL)-Seoul (ICN) — from March 24, 2018
- Atlanta (ATL) – Amsterdam (AMS)
- Detroit (DTW)-Shanghai (PVG) — from April 19, 2018
- Los Angeles (LAX)-Shanghai (PVG) — from July 2, 2018
- Seattle (SEA)-Tokyo Narita (NRT) — from March 1, 2019
- Los Angeles (LAX)-Tokyo Haneda (HND) — from March 31, 2019
777 routes and flight dates:
- Minneapolis (MSP) – Tokyo Haneda (HND) — from November 16, 2018
- Atlanta (ATL) – Paris (CDG) — from December 13, 2018
- Minneapolis (MSP) – Paris (CDG) — from December 13, 2018
- Atlanta (ATL) – Tokyo Narita (NRT) — from March 1, 2019
- Minneapolis (MSP) – Seoul (ICN) — from April 1, 2019
- Minneapolis (MSP) – Amsterdam (AMS)
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Sydney (SYD) — from April 19, 2019
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG)
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a comfortable flight with great service, try Delta’s Delta One product. From access to great lounges to a lie-flat bed on your flight and delicious food along the way, Delta One makes flying a luxurious and comfortable experience.
With 3 airline programs that make it easy to book Delta One, you’re just a click away from your next adventure!
Do you receive MQM if you use the Delta “miles+cash” purchase option?
Thanks for the question. A ticket you purchase with the Miles + Cash option you’re referring to does not earn MQMs as it is treated like an award ticket.
A couple of caveats to what you write that I’ve discovered in the process of trying to get SkyMiles award from Asia back to the USA in Delta One or partner business class.:
1) The call to book at the low level when there is no availability on DL one with partner flights only works when it is partner + partner.. if you have a DL flight(s) tagged on at the end/beginning it’s a nightmare and often can’t be done
2) DL has de facto increased the one way saver amount to 120K from 85k for any awards with at least one flight with Suites on their own metal. As they complete retrofits of all their 777s and introduce more A350s, that means you need to find a DL flight without suites (A330 or 767) to get the 85K price. As DL begins taking on A330NEO’s with suites, I expect that to become even harder.
Hey Arlington,
1) There are a number of readers and travelers, including myself, that have had no problem with booking DL One plus a partner segment.
2) Delta Airlines employs multiple pricing levels, and the award bucket levels have changed over time. What you’re most likely looking at is the second-cheapest award level. Thanks for reading!
This must be an old article. There’s no flag to click on their website anymore.
Hey Nathan,
Thanks for the feedback. Virgin Atlantic recently changed their interface. The directions have been revised.