Is Delta Air Strains premium financial system value it between New York and London?

How to book premium economy on Delta Air Lines

Checking in to premium economy on Delta Air Lines

A ticket in Delta Air Lines Premium Select (whether booked with cash, Delta SkyMiles or via partners like Air France-KLM Flying Blue) includes free seat selection and two checked bags of up to 50 pounds in weight each.

How comfortable was premium economy on Delta Air Lines?

Although the experiences on both my flights were very similar, there were some differences due to the fact that I was on two different aircraft types. For my outbound flight from New York to London, I was aboard a Boeing 767-400.

767-400

The Premium Select cabin aboard Delta’s 767-400 is separated from the Delta One cabin by a galley area with one lavatory. It sits just ahead of the Comfort+ and main cabin sections of the aircraft. There are 20 seats total, with three rows along each side of the cabin and four running down the middle, in a 2-2-2 layout.

I chose Seat 22F, which was the last window seat on the left side of the cabin. I measured it to be 18 1/2 inches wide between the armrests, not much bigger than an economy seat despite the fact there there is one fewer seat per row.

The window is misaligned in this particular row, so it’s not the best place for good views.

The seats have a lot more legroom than in coach, however, with 38 inches of pitch compared to just 31-32 inches.

The seats are definitely a step up from economy, but not impressively so for long journeys. The limited recline, which is supposed to be as much as 7 inches, just doesn’t go deep enough to allow for restful sleep. Still, I’ll take the 7 inches over the 5 inches of recline in the airline’s main cabin.

Each Premium Select seat comes with a retractable legrest and footrest, but they don’t seem ergonomically aligned. That led to aching hips for me. The other option is to keep the footrest undeployed and angle your legs into the seat back in front of you.

You can adjust the legrest and footrest with buttons that sit at your waist in the seat. They were simple and easy to use.

Underseat storage is limited, especially when your seatmate puts stuff in the middle section, as mine did. It feels tight for a premium product.

The adjustable headrests have wings that offer additional support. They do help a bit, but I find it’s not enough support to actually relax my head on. It’s also not really possible to put a pillow against the windows of the plane since the distance between the seat and the wall is too far for the pillow to bridge.

There were two universal charging outlets between the seats in the preceding row, along with two USB ports. On the 767, there was another USB port under the inflight entertainment screen.

There was a small storage compartment built into the center space between the seats, along with a cup holder for a water bottle.

Small seatback pockets were fine to hold passports and magazines but not much else.

A bi-fold tray table slid out of the window-side armrest or the aisle-side armrest, depending on which seat you were in. They measured 17 by 10 inches when fully extended.

A330-300

The A330-900neo I had booked for the return was swapped out at the last moment for a 19-year-old A330-300. That was a real disappointment since I would have liked to fly the newer plane.

Here’s how the seats on the A330 are apportioned.

There are just 21 Premium Select seats total in three rows. I chose Seat 21B, an aisle seat in the second row, for the flight home and felt like I’d won the lottery when no one ended up sitting in the window seat next to me.

The coach cabin was in a 2-4-2 configuration, compared to rows of 2-3-2 in Premium Select. If you could grab one of the seats in the rows of two, it could be a more comfortable flight for you.

Unfortunately, the Premium Select seats on the Airbus are slightly narrower than on the 767-400. Delta has them measuring 18 1/2 inches, which is just a half-inch wider than economy seats on the same plane.

Like on the A330-300, the center console between the preceding seats had two universal power ports with two USB ports.

Unlike on the 767-400, though, there were no other USB ports beneath the entertainment screens.

On both airplane types, you’ll need to go to the coach section for the restrooms. Premium Select passengers are not supposed to use the bathrooms in the Delta One cabin. In fact, on the A330, there is a galley between the business-class and premium economy cabins, and the flight attendants put up curtains and policed the area pretty well.

Bathrooms were kept clean during the flights, and I never had to wait in line to use the ones in coach.

Amenities in Delta Air Lines’ premium economy

The so-called soft products on both my flights were the same.

How was the food in Delta Air Lines’ premium economy?

Delta Premium Select passengers receive menus distinct from those served in coach. There was no predeparture beverage service on either of my flights.

New York to London

After takeoff on the flight from New York, passengers were handed a Grown Alchemist oshibori towel, though that service wasn’t included on the return flight.

On my outbound flight from New York to London, passengers were offered a choice of flat or sparkling water and Mionetto prosecco in a plastic cup. About 20 minutes later, the flight attendants brought out white tablecloths, napkins with real flatware and Cooper’s Gourmet small-batch cheese biscuits with white cheddar and chive.

Dinner was served about 10 minutes after this (flight attendants hustle on these short overnight flights) and was presented all on a single plate.

While we did get tablecloths and real cutlery, the food was served on a plastic tray and did not appear much elevated from coach fare. There wasn’t even bread and butter, and only a choice of two entrees plus one dessert:

• Roasted chicken thigh with miso demi-glace and cauliflower and potato puree.
• Spinach and artichoke rotolo with pomodorini sauce.
• Lemon blondie for dessert.

I chose the chicken, which was juicy but slightly greasy and overly sauced. The side of couscous with tomatoes was very bland.

About two hours before landing, flight attendants came through with an assortment of sweet and savory snacks, including Hershey’s milk chocolate bars and Thinsters CookieThins chocolate chip cookies in an 80-calorie snack bag. Then, just over an hour before landing, the cabin lights came on and flight attendants served a simple breakfast of an egg and English muffin sandwich plus a choice of juice, tea or coffee.

Before landing, a flight attendant also passed out Tony’s Chocolonely chocolates.

Overall, I was disappointed with the food and drinks on the flight to London. Fortunately, the return flight was much better.

London to New York

Dinner was served about 40 minutes after takeoff. There were two main options plus a side, some crackers and dessert, all served on a single tray again.

• Chicken tikka masala with basmati rice, kale and bean stew and paratha bread.
• Mushroom, red wine and tarragon pie with vegetable gravy and mashed potatoes and garden vegetables.
• Acacia Gourmet cream crackers.
• Side of couscous with cheese and sundried tomato.
• Beckleberry’s salted caramel ice cream for dessert.

The tikka masala and paratha bread were filling but unmemorable.

I got to try the mushroom pie, too, thanks to a friendly flight attendant named Carmen, and it was good. The crust was tasty and the peas inside were cooked perfectly. The mashed potatoes were pureed very well and tasted good with carrots and peas.

I asked a flight attendant about the differences in the catering and she insisted London catering is always better than what they serve out of New York.

About 2 1/2 hours before arrival, flight attendants handed out snacks from a basket, which included Savoursmiths truffle and rosemary potato crisps, Lily O’Brien’s dark chocolate and Paterson’s Scottish cream shortbread fingers.

One of the attendants also offered to brew me a fresh cup of coffee and was the only other truly friendly crew member I interacted with (aside from Carmen).

Unfortunately, the other flight attendants I interacted with seemed rushed and brusque, almost to the point of being surly.

An hour before landing in New York, flight attendants came through with a beverage service and began serving a late supper with the following entree choices:

• Asian chicken spring roll with fried cabbage and sweet chili sauce.
• Spinach and feta pastry.

The spring roll was delicious, with tender chicken in a surprisingly spicy sauce, and the wrap was fresh and soft. This was the best dish of all my meals on the trip.

A fellow passenger and I both noted that the premium economy meals seemed to be the same ones being served in coach, just with better presentation, which felt like a letdown, especially considering the upsell in airfare.

Was Delta Air Lines’ premium economy worth it?

For a bigger seat and slightly elevated meals, Delta Premium Select is definitely a better cabin than economy. The seats are somewhat easier to sleep in than coach seats, but the lack of a full recline means sleep quality is, just like in regular economy, hard to achieve.