Why Delta Air Line’s premium economy is outstanding value
A generous reclining seat, delicious food and charming staff makes this a real alternative to costly business class.
We try out Delta’s premium economy class from Sydney to Los Angeles and find you get a lot of value for your money.
How other airlines shape up
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Review: Air NZ’s business class
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Review: Etihad Airways business class
Under a starry ceiling twinkling with LED lights, the Middle East carrier gets put through its paces.
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The new Club Suites promise comfort and privacy with cocoon-like pods and hidden design details. Here’s our verdict.
Route
- Sydney-Los Angeles, departing 9.25am, arriving 6.15am
Aircraft
- A350-900
Seat number
- Middle seat 21E
Flight time
- 13 hours, 50 minutes
All about the seat
If you’re not smugly turning left for a Delta One Suite, the next best option is Premium Select. These 48 seats are arranged 2-4-2; unfortunately, as a last-minute traveller, my only option is middle of the middle row.
My aisle-seat neighbour is a Big Unit Who Falls Asleep at the Drop of a Hat. On my other side is Mr Banter who, once he’s certain no-one’s filling the seat between us, quickly flips out its tray table as shared storage space.
This means I must wake up Mr Big whenever I need the toilet. Throughout the flight, I juggle timing and politeness to minimise the wake-up nudges.
The 18.5-inch-wide (47cm) seat, with a pitch (leg room) of 38 inches (97cm), offers seven inches of recline, an adjustable leg-rest and fold-out footrest.
Add a memory-foam pillow and plush blankie, and I really should have enjoyed more than two hours’ sleep. An amenity kit includes striped socks, toothbrush and paste, mouthwash, earplugs, eye mask, Le Labo lip balm and a pen.
Tech talk
The captain makes an early announcement: there won’t be any Wi-Fi on this flight. I top up my phone’s charge using the USB port and absorb the A350’s famously quiet cabin.
On the menu
After reaching cruising altitude, we’re served bubbles (in a plastic cup) and a snack (roasted almonds). For lunch/dinner, it’s a choice between chicken parmesan with mashed sweet potato and fried eggplant or the vegetarian paneer makhanwala (chickpea masala, cumin rice, kale and cashews).
Both come with an apple side salad and a tub of lemon sorbet.
The chicken, accompanied by a generous pour of white wine, is delicious. I’m wide awake for the mid-flight snack: a roast vegetable pide and Tim Tam “cookie”. Before landing, I breakfast on fluffy buttermilk pancakes with a mixed berry compote and mascarpone, yoghurt and diced fruit.
That’s entertainment
With new-release movies, TV series, games and Spotify playlists, there’s more than enough content to keep you occupied. The noise-cancelling headphones are so comfy they double as sleep aids.
At your service
With warm greetings from check-in through to disembarkation, the service is notably pleasant and upbeat. If Delta is pursuing a long-term charm offensive, its efforts are paying off. In 2021, it overtook American Airlines at LAX for passenger market share.
On the downside
In August, the final major phase of the $3.65bn Delta Sky Way at LAX project opened 18 months ahead of schedule. An indoor, airside walkway now connects Delta’s mega-terminal (Terminals 2/3) and Tom Bradley International, promising no more roadside, fume-inhaling transits between terminals. I search for this whiz-bang walkway but end up out on the road as usual. While waiting for my connecting flight, I discover the walkway does indeed exist.
In the bag
Premium select allows two checked bags weighing up to 23kg each (they can then be tracked through Delta’s app). You can also carry on one bag (limited only by size, not weight) and a small personal item.
On the ground
Premium Select doesn’t include lounge access but there is priority boarding.
In the know
Delta has recently announced it will tighten access to its Sky Clubs for Amex cardholders and change how elite status is earned. If you have to replenish at Delta’s LAX mega-terminal, try chef-driven eatery Native by Nyesha or rapper Ludacris’s Chicken + Beer.
The verdict
Premium Select packs enough perks to make you feel special – but at a fraction of Delta One’s price tag.
Katrina Lobley travelled as a guest of Delta.