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We recently examined all the premium seats on American Airlines, and while the carrier may have the most diverse fleet of premium products, Delta has a large variety all its own. I’ve had the chance to fly all of its different products, with the exception of course being the upcoming Delta One Suite. Here’s our guide to the best of the best, and the worst of the worst.
1. Delta One Suite
Although it hasn’t officially taken flight yet, we can anticipate that this will be the best product Delta will fly for a long time. The seats are set up in a 1-2-1 configuration, look spacious and are extremely private thanks to a sliding door. The Delta One suites will face stiff competition from Qatar Airways’ QSuite product.
Where to Find Them: On flights from Detroit (DTW) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) starting Oct. 30, 2017; from Detroit to Seoul Incheon (ICN) starting on Nov. 16, 2017; and from Detroit to Beijing (PEK) starting Jan. 17, 2018.
2. Reverse Herringbone
The reverse herringbone seat is the best option Delta currently has in the sky. It’s private and offers a ton of personal space and ample storage — you’ll get even more storage space if you’re seated on the upper deck of the 747-400. These seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration on the A330 and, depending on where you sit on a 747-400, it could be configured in a 1-1 (upper deck), 1-1-1 (nose), or a 1-2-1 (mid-cabin) layout. The one downside of this product is that the IFE screen is a little small and old, but that seems to be a common theme for all the current Delta seats.
Where to Find Them: On Delta’s 747-400, A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft. There are only a few 747-400s currently left in the fleet, as they are set to be retired by the end of 2017. You can find this product by flying routes from Detroit or Seattle to Asia as well as on some transcontinental routes from Atlanta (ATL) to Los Angeles (LAX) — and occasionally on a rare hop from Atlanta to Detroit.
3. Thompson Vantage
The Delta Thompson Vantage seat is nearly identical to the American Airlines Thompson Vantage seat — Delta’s are set up in a 1-2-1 configuration. Just like its American counterpart, the Delta seat is not very private and when the bed is fully flat, you feel very close to the floor of the plane, however it does offer direct-aisle access for every passenger and there is a fair amount of storage space. The main difference between this seat and AA’s version is that Delta opted to put in a built-in IFE system.
Where to Find Them: Delta operates nearly 80 aircraft with these seats, making it the most widely used product in its premium fleet. You can expect to see them on many routes to Europe and on transcontinental flights from Atlanta and New York JFK to San Francisco (SFO) and LAX.
4. Transcontinental 757
The Delta transcontinental 757 seat falls in line with the rest of the legacy airlines. Set up in a 2-2 configuration, the seat goes fully flat, and sports an in-flight entertainment screen, USB ports and power outlets. While the seats are not private in any way and there is limited storage, they are perfectly acceptable — and even deservedly coveted — on transcontinental routes.
Where to Find Them: On specific transcontinental routes, which can be found here.They have also been spotted on some international routes, such as Boston (BOS) to Paris (CDG) in the slower winter season.
5. Herringbone
The herringbone seat is the worst long-haul product Delta flies and is usually found on the longest-haul flights it has, such as Los Angeles to Sydney (SYD) and Atlanta to Johannesburg (JNB). It’s an old product and the carrier already has plans to replace it with the upcoming Delta One Suite starting in 2018. Every seat faces toward the aisle and is set up in a 1-2-1 configuration. They all lack any form of personal storage space, have small IFE screens and are so packed together you’ll feel like you’re sitting on the lap of the person next to you.
Where to Find Them: These seats are luckily only aboard the 777, on routes to Asia from Minneapolis (MSP), Seattle and LAX and from LAX to SYD, ATL to JNB and JFK to Tel Aviv (TLV). While Delta has announced that the 777 is the first aircraft to get the Delta One Suite refurbishment, the carrier has only said it will begin in 2018 and hasn’t yet released a timeline for completion.
6. Delta Premium Select
Along with the Delta One Suite, Delta announced a new cabin — premium economy, or as the carrier likes to call it, Premium Select. Based on the rendering, it looks like each seat will come with its own footrest, power port, adjustable headrest and a large IFE screen. These seats are set up in a dense 2-4-2 configuration — to compare, the American Airlines 787 is set up in a 2-3-2 configuration and the A350 and 787 have an almost identical cabin width. One interesting thing to note: When you’re redeeming miles for a Premium Select seat, your domestic connection will be in first class rather than coach.
Where to Find Them: This product will be available on the A350 starting as soon as October 2017. The seats are also being fitted onto the 777 starting in 2018.
7. Delta Domestic First Class
While Delta’s domestic first class is nothing to be desired, it’s perfectly acceptable on short hops. The airline offers many different premium products that sometimes find their way onto some domestic routes. If you can, I would try to avoid a standard product, but in a pinch, there’s nothing wrong with it.
Where to Find Them: On most routes within the US as well as some shorter international routes to Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada.
Bottom Line
Delta’s hard products don’t all live up to the competition, but where it lacks, the carrier more than makes up for it in terms of onboard service. The food options and Westin Heavenly bedding are far superior to what American Airlines offers, and Delta can definitely stand its ground against United’s food and Saks Fifth Avenue bedding. I look forward to trying the Delta One Suite and hope it lives up to all the hype.
Source: thepointsguy.com