After enjoying assorted drinks and food, it was time to board. This time, I experienced Delta One – the airline’s take on business class for long-haul international flights with guest-selected meals, mindful flight attendant service and more.

Learn more about Delta One at delta.com.

Although it was my second time in my numerous travels abroad to have a business-class seat, it came with a particularly elevated experience. My previous travels out of Accra were less pleasant than what I experienced on Delta.

The entertainment was superb with the wide selection of music, movies and sports, including broadcasts of my favorite football team (Manchester City of the English Premier League). When I wasn’t sleeping, the spacious fold-out tray inside the armrest made it easy to be productive on my laptop.

The comfortable lie-flat seat, the constant availability of my favorite red wine (Baron Romero) and the courtesy of the smartly dressed, ever- smiling cabin attendants made the lengthy flight both seamless and memorable.

Ten hours later, we landed in New York. I couldn’t help feeling nostalgic since it was my first time being in the U.S. in over 20 years.

Soon, it was time to board the connecting flight to Atlanta. In less than three hours, we made it to the busiest airport in the world - Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

We arrived the next morning at Delta Headquarters at 8:30 am. 

After some security and protocol checks, we were ushered into the Delta Flight Museum. The former airplane hangar was filled with interesting artifacts of the airline’s past. Within the museum, a conference room in the form of a plane was where we began our first day. 

We then were greeted by various officials representing corporate communications and network planning to learn more about Delta’s commitment to maintaining customer satisfaction. 

We were then escorted to the airline’s Operations Control Center (OCC), the heartbeat of the entire operation. OCC Flight Controller Robert Oberstar briefed us about how Delta has its own meteorology team and uses its own high-tech, proprietary software to make decisions about inclement weather, threatening events and more.

Operations

Behind the scenes with a Delta Air Lines meteorologist

Warren Weston, one of Delta’s lead meteorologists, gives an inside look at every role Delta’s in-house meteorology team plays, from updating the Weather Information Tool and helping flight crews avoid turbulence to forecasting the weather both around major airports and up to 40,000 feet.

After some meetings with teams ranging from specialty sales, reservations and customer care and brand experience, we wrapped our briefing day with a hearty meal from South City Kitchen in Midtown Atlanta.

The next day began bright and early at Delta Technical Operations (affectionately called Delta TechOps), the largest airline maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider in North America. Along with providing service for its own fleet, it also high-quality service to more than 150 other commercial and private customers around the world.

However, my favorite experience was flying in the simulator and going down the emergency landing slide at the Pilot Training Center. 

Overall, my experience with Delta was fascinating, warm and elevated.