Three courses of plant-based dining, lie-flat seats and free access to the Oscar nominees I’d forgotten I wanted to see is exactly what the doctor ordered when stuck in the air for 6+ hours.

Flying between JFK and west coast hubs LAX and SFO is no longer an opportunity for an easy comp upgrade to Biz Elite for medallions. Diamonds and platinums can use a regional upgrade certificate for the bump, but it’s no longer an automatic move, even if space is available. Based on the last-minute popularity of business class with the NY-based, black card-booking jetset, JFK no longer feels the need to give them away to coach-paying frequent fliers. That said, the new-ish Delta One cabin seats, amenities and meals that come with them are totally worth the 12.5k miles for a one way upgrade.

The set up is lovely - Westin’s Heavenly comforter and pillow set and the bottomless bubbles are a welcome touch on nighttime flights. Aside from privacy when applying face sheet masks, at least for adventurous and dietary restriction-free among us, dining can be the most important part of any in-flight experience. So, how did Delta do working a vegan meal into their Michael Chiarello-designed BusinessElite menu?

Aside from not having a printed card of what was actually served, pretty great.

The Meal:

No vegan dessert so I went for a glass of wine instead

All in all, I returned home not starving, rested and with zero back pain. Delta One is a lovely way to unload a few miles in exchange for comfortable travel between coasts.