Delta Airlines introduced cushioned flat-bed BusinessElite seats on its flights from New York to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

The change in first class accommodations is a component of the company’s USD3 billion investment plan for modernizing its facilities, improving its products, and enhancing its services. The funds are allocated to be spent in 2013. According to the senior vice president of Delta Airlines for Europe, Middle East, and Africa Mr. Perry Cantarutti, the airline’s business travelers have emphasized to the air carrier that flat-bed seating with a direct access to the aisle is an absolute requirement for transatlantic flights. According to Mr. Cantarutti, the design of Delta’s new BusinessElite seats allows each passenger to optimize his or her own space, allowing the travelers the privacy to work or relax and arrive at the destination ready for the day’s business.

Passengers traveling in BusinessElite on Delta flights connecting Moscow and the U.S. will occupy forward-facing seats that convert to a 180-degree full flat-bed and offer direct aisle access. The seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each seating area features a 10.6-inch screen and on demand entertainment. The electronic circuitry also includes a 110V AC power source and a USB port.

Among additional product upgrades undertaken at Delta for international routes is the increased availability of wireless internet starting in 2013. As such, passengers will be able to access the worldwide web when travelling. Further, Delta Airlines is expanding and renovating Terminal four at New York’s JFK airport. The company intends to spend USD1.2 billion on refitting and expanding the terminal, which will serve as the airline’s international gateway into the U.S.

According to the commercial director of Delta for Russia Mr. Leonid Tarasov, Moscow and New York have significant commercial ties, and premium travel on that particular transatlantic route is in high demand. “These product improvements will further enhance the overall customer experience for business travelers across Delta’s core business markets, including Moscow,” Mr. Tarasov concluded.