Flight Review: Delta 737-900 Main Cabin Economy Last Row ATL-DTW

Let’s fly a pretty mediocre product on a very boring route. Today I’m riding with Delta on their 737-900 in the Main Economy Cabin. What’s even worse, Val and I are in the very last row on the plane. At least it’s not the 717 and the worst seat in the Delta Fleet. We were scheduled to fly yesterday from GSP-DTW, but that flight was cancelled so we got re-routed via ATL the next morning. Instead of getting a nice evening direct flight, we had to wake up at 4:15 in the morning and make an connection.

I’ve made it pretty clear I don’t like the Delta 737-900 very much, it’s been a while since I’ve ridden and reviewed the main cabin economy product so I figured it would be worth it. If you want to see a comparison of all the different seating on the Delta 737-900, I have a guide.

Bottom Line: I still don’t like the Delta 737-900 very much. The economy seats are very tight and the last row is particularly bad with being next to the bathroom. It also takes forever to de-plane when you arrive. At least there’s in seat entertainment.

Delta 737-900 Main Cabin Economy Boarding

We spent a few minutes in the Delta Skyclub and grabbed some breakfast before heading down to the gate to board our Delta 737-900 flight up to Detroit. Atlanta is an easy airport to make a connection at(Guide if you’re interested).

Our 737 was waiting to take us up to Detroit. We arrived here at the gate just as the boarding process was starting.

Boarding was the usual process here at Delta starting with pre-boards, then First Class, etc…We’re in Sky Priority the 5th group to board.

The weather down here in Atlanta is great, up in Detroit they’ve had a ton of snow, that’s why our flight yesterday got cancelled.

Delta 737-900 Main Economy Cabin Seating

We’re heading to the very last row of the Delta 737-900 Main Cabin. Only seats left, at least we’re seated together. The Delta 737 uses standard 3-3 seating in the Main Economy Cabin. My biggest complaint is how long the 739 is, it only uses the very forward boarding door so boarding and de-planeing takes forever.

Delta 737-900 Economy Seats.

Delta 737-900 Economy Seats. Looks like someone left their ear buds.

Here’s our seats in the very last row on the Delta 739. No only do they not recline, but they are also right next to the bathroom.

Delta 737-900 Main Economy Cabin Comfort

The Delta 739 is pretty tight in the economy cabin. These are not very spacious seats but I fit, again, I’m not very tall. I don’t find these seats very comfortable, but at least this flight is less than 2 hours.

Delta 737-900 In Seat Entertainment

One area that Delta really excels is their in seat entertainment offerings. The Delta 737-900 has very modern in seat system that has a large selection. It’s responsive and more than large enough.

There’s also in seat power for every seat. Down at shin height there’s a 110v universal port and then in the head rest there’s a USB port.

Delta 737-900 Departure and Take-off

With the boarding process continuing the sun was rising. On most morning North-bound flights, I prefer to sit on the other side of the plane, then I can avoid looking into the sun.

The total boarding process took about 45 minutes. Again, an issue with the 737-900, it’s very long. The safety video was shown on the monitors and we pushed back from the gate.

Just a few minutes later we took off towards the West.

Delta 737-900 Main Cabin Economy In Flight

Outside just a few clouds and a nice, smooth flight.

We made the turn towards the North and I put the moving map onto the screen. These don’t use Bluetooth like some other ones, just an old school and reliable 3.5mm jack.

I didn’t watch anything on the in-seat entertainment, just the map. I used the free in flight Wifi, another area that Delta is ahead of most of their competitors.

As we continued north there was a good amount of cloud cover, like I said before, there’s a pretty bad storm over the Midwest. The flight was a little bumpy at this point so the seatbelt sign was left on.

Delta 737-900 Main Cabin Economy Drinks and Snacks

In the Economy Cabin Delta does a snack and drink service. On the 737 it runs front to back so if you’re in the last row, it will be a few minutes before they get back here.

I’m very boring so I went with Biscoff and water. It’s also 9 in the morning and don’t really want anything else.

The flight is moving pretty quickly and by this point we’re only about 20 minutes from landing. The pilots gave their briefing and and asked the flight attendants to prepare for landing.

Delta 737-900 Landing and Arrival

The flight attendants made their sweet through the cabin to collect garbage.

We descended below the clouds and got a good look at all the snow on the ground here in Michigan. More is forecast for the next few days too.

And on the ground here in Detroit. We’re a few minutes early so that’s always a good thing.

Delta 737-900 Main Economy Cabin Final Thoughts

Overall the experience is fine. I don’t really like the 737 as an aircraft, it’s just not as comfortable as the A320, but I won’t avoid it. I like that Delta is usually on-time and offers snacks and drinks.

So a few pros and cons about the Delta 737-900 in Economy.

Pros: The Delta 737-900 has great in seat entertainment, free wifi, in seat power, and was ontime.

Cons: Delta’s 737-900s are not comfortable in the Main Economy Cabin. The seats are just too tight. The last row is particularly bad with no recline and the proximity to the bathroom.