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Premium Select: A tale of two planes

Greetings,

We recently returned from a two-week trip to Spain, including the RS Barcelona/Madrid tour. When I booked flights months ago, I was able to get a good price on Delta's Premium Select cabin, flying out of a small airport close to us in central Illinois rather than driving to Chicago, paying for parking, etc., albeit at the cost of long layovers in Atlanta.

Our first flight to Barcelona was on an Airbus A330-300. To say I was disappointed in the experience would be an understatement. The seats themselves were indeed similar to Delta's domestic first class cabin, but similarities ended there. Overhead bins were extremely small and many people struggled to get their carry-ons stowed. I also had my RS Euro Flight Bag, which I use to carry my CPAP and items I want to access on the plane, which I had to put at my feet. Even when it's pretty full, I can generally squish this bag down to fit all the way under the seat in front of me. Not this time. I couldn't get more than half the bag under the seat, Not sure if there was an entertainment system box or if it was just the clearance under the seat, but this cut down on legroom that was already much less than I had been expecting. I can't report on whether the incorporated foot-rests were worth using, because the limited space made it impossible to try them. To top it all off, the power outlets in front of us didn't work. Were the relatively comfortable seats better than the back of the plane for a nine-hour flight? You bet, but overall it was far from a "premium" experience.

Our flight back from Madrid was on a Boeing 767-400. Night and day difference. Same seats but with generous legroom, ample overhead bins and functioning power outlets on a plane that felt newly refurbished. The woman in front of my wife reclined her seat all the way back without impinging greatly on my wife's space. All in all, worth the premium price for 9 1/2 hours of comfort with attentive service. And Delta flight attendants always seem generous with the wine pours!

Moral of story, I guess, is simply that the "same" cabin on different planes can vary greatly. This class of service has been retro-fitted into Delta's fleet and the results aren't necessarily similar from cabin to cabin. If I choose this option again, I'll definitely try to avoid the A330.

Posted by
4071 posts

I just returned from Frankfurt on Delta A330-200s in Premium Select. On both transatlantic flights, there was plenty of legroom and room for my Pullman & Le Sportsac large weekend duffle in the overhead compartment. I never put anything in the seat in front of me because that’s where my legs go. The meals were so-so & I agree about the generosity of drinks. The snacks were great. I needed the leg room and comfort of the seat and I got both. The entertainment system was fantastic as there were what seemed to be endless choices of movies from all eras and TV series including two of my favorites, “Mad Men” and “The Sopranos”. I’m glad to hear that the 767–400 has a decent Premium Select cabin. I’ve always preferred the A330s Delta One cabin over any 767 Delta One cabin as the seats, space, and a tv were so much better on the A330s. I no longer fly on D1 so I’m pretty happy with Premium Select.

Posted by
2790 posts

. If you will not use the space under the seat in front of you, you need to bring on only one item. Try to be considerate.

And hope you don’t fly Delta next to me because I have actually called people like you out. When someone can’t find their space for their luggage I said “oh that person put both bags in the overhead they should move one for you”

Posted by
14725 posts

Interesting about the differences in Select seats. I flew home from Amsterdam last May in Premium Select and what I didn't like was the tray table in the armrest. To me that just makes the seat smaller in width.... I do not remember what kind of plane I was on.

Posted by
796 posts

When Delta first introduced the A350's in 2018 we purchased promotional "Premium Select" tickets to Amsterdam in the 2-seat section and haven't been able to tolerate any other option since. It's "night and day" between the Delta's ancient Northwest A330's and the A350. The A350 premium select surpasses our Boeing experiences as well. It seems to us that the air is not as dry which helps keep people comfortable and relaxed. The many technological advances really do make the experience better. The food was better the first two years in premium select but I understand that Delta started some improvement in September 2022. The entertainment screen is larger and more functional on the A350. We like that last row with the bulkhead behind us - it's like our own little bubble. It does have the tray stored in the armrest but we still find the seats a little wider anyway. The trays are large enough and sturdy enough to hold a large laptop for those who might carry them (my days of lugging that around are gone). We don't really need wide seats as much as we need legroom, leg rests and foot rests. Everyone can recline without impacting the people behind them. The overhead storage is completely sufficient and reserved. You are allowed your carry on and personal bag - no need to call anyone out. Anything that keeps my long legged tall partner happy keeps me happy too. Fortunately for us the A350 is Delta's flagship for DTW-AMS flights.

Posted by
796 posts

A350s aren’t used by Delta between JFK & Western Europe unfortunately.

I've seen recently that Delta has 8 A350s on back order. Who knows when or where they may be assigned?
They've also started acquiring some used ones from LATAM that some are considering "downgrades".

Posted by
892 posts

so even if Seatguru is worthless now, I would still check for seat layout, etc., and I also use Youtube for trip reports, esp of the class I'm flying in. I'm on a A350 out of YUL in April to CDG, but a B777 back, not thrilled that AF's A350s have no power outlets for economy, but the USB should be fine for my phone. But I knew this before i bought.

Posted by
800 posts

Lots of interesting and informative replies here. Thanks! I did check Seat Guru and YouTube reports about these seats. Just got surprised on one plane, but very satisfied on another. I didn't mention meal service because I honestly don't remember a thing about it other than it was food and it was fine, but certainly not special.

Too bad one person seized the chance to turn yet another thread into an opportunity to be judgmental.

EDIT: I just saw the posts about the apparent death of Seat Guru. :-(

Cheers!