Thank you Delta

Just one note since every so often on Flyertalk there's "hysteria" when they the overhead space is full.

Dedicated does not = guaranteed. If the overhead is full, it's full.

That is true, there's only so much space on the plane. However there are now stickers inside the bins saying get lost peon if you don't sit here, so you could seek recourse from a FA.

Turkish Air doesnt have the named section, but has equivelent seats identified when you buy your seat assignment. A Standard seat on a long haul has generally been $34 IAH to IST, while the more leg room ones are twice that. So a $605 RT ticket (what I got for march) really costs:

With legroom on the long haul portion $741
With your choice of standard seat $673
With them sticking you where they want $605

Everyone got smoked salmon for lunch no matter where they sat.

I am one of those people that freak others out occasionally because I put my carryon in the overhead bin one row forward and across the aisle. Makes it easier to get it out as I get off the plane. One trip some guy stood there screaming "who took my storage room", i pretended to sleep and let the flight attendant deal with him.

The food isn't any better,

It used to be, but was cut back in Premium Select at the beginning of Covid, when preventing touch-points was a big thing. The fact better meals haven't been brought back by Delta in Premium Select (or real, hot meals on most domestic First flights) is straight-up cost-savings at this point.

That is true, there's only so much space on the plane. However there are now stickers inside the bins saying get lost peon if you don't sit here, so you could seek recourse from a FA.

Well maybe. As an elite level Delta Frequent Flyer I can tell you that while my fellow travelers like to blame the "peons" the truth is that the elite travelers are the ones taking up all the overhead. After all if you are "Diamond" on Delta the rules don't apply, you get all the carry on you want and NONE of them have to go under the seat in front of you.

(Seriously, some of them do appear to believe this, just watch. You will see some DYKWIA getting on with 4 bags and for some reason the gate agent allows it. Or they shove it all into two bags and unpack in the jetway so they now have a large assortment of junke to spread out in the bin! And I have been "fussed" at by other first class passengers because I was bothering to put my smaller bag under the seat in front of me because "You know you don't have to do that" LOL!)

Bin space is my pet peeve. I was on a Delta flight once, paying for Comfort Plus (with "dedicated" bin space) and it was a crew member who came (bypassing first class) and filled a whole bin over my seat with his multiple bags.

Boarding in an early group does really help with bin space. My husband is Diamond and both of us totally obey the carryon rules. And despite my husband's aggravation with Delta, I must say I enjoyed my upgrades to First on two really short flights lately. People don't pay for First on those flights, so when coach is full, they upgrade people in coach who have status so they can sell their coach seats.
Carol if other First Class passengers fuss at you for putting a bag under the seat, you should tell them that you're being considerate of other passengers who need the bin space. Obviously, you can't say this, but their comments to you go way beyond entitlement. I hope they have the opportunity to enjoy the "main cabin" experience in the near future.

Premium economy is what makes long haul air travel an option for me, really. My back is bad enough that the prospect of sitting in a regular economy seat for a 6+ hour flight to cross an ocean is entirely unappealing, and would involve recovery time once landed. I’d be suffering through most of the flight, and suffering for a day or two once on the ground. That little bit of extra space, and the added ability to move around some and adjust my seating position some in premium economy is all it takes to make a long flight not just tolerable but even pleasant. And it’s usually priced in a way that makes it all the more enjoyable given how much of a step above economy it is for me and my back.

Of course, business is next-level pampering but unless I come across some special pricing I’m rarely willing to justify that.

In terms of overhead bin space, thankfully newer planes are so much better about it so hopefully as more older planes are retired and newer ones take their place the situation will get a bit better. Fingers crossed.

Oh when you travel a lot you get used to the DYKWIA group.

They are also the one's yelling at me in the line for security "you don't have to take your shoes off" (Oh yes, I do. I happened to know that the shoes I had on have a metal stay or something that always sets off the alarm) Of course, generally when the "yeller" gets to the screening point the 10,000 pieces of metal in his pocket set off the alarm. LOL!

Of course my all time favorite was YEARS ago in London. I was in business and Delta called for boarding. This very "charming" woman stepped in front of me and yelled at me "THEY ARE ONLY BOARDING BUSINESS GET BACK IN LINE" I smiled at her and said "that's where I am sitting would you like to see my boarding pass? She actually then complained to the gate agent that I got her upgrade (Uh, no I paid for that seat with my miles!)

Travel does tend to bring out the worst in people who are right on the edge anyway.

As for food, here are the meals I remember from my recent flights - an edible "chicken marsala," a tasty bouef bourgninon, a weird spicy pizza twist hot pocket thing for breakfast, an inedible Egg McMuffin-type contraption.

And just to keep this lively, on my JFK-LAX flight in the early evening we naturally thought we'd get a meal. Surprise! We got a bag of chips and a Coke. I knew we should have bought food inside the airport.