Back in 2017, Delta introduced a new cabin on their international routes called Premium Select. This product slots in between their Delta One and Comfort Plus cabins, offering an elevated service but no flat beds. On our trip to Boston, we were lucky enough to enjoy Premium Select and wanted to share our experience. Read on for our full review of Delta Premium Select.
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Airport Experience
Delta and Virgin both check in at Terminal 3, Zone A at London Heathrow. Look for the big Virgin Atlantic sign on your left as you look at the terminal. It would be tough for me to rate this part of the trip as I work for Virgin Atlantic and they handle Delta at London Heathrow so obviously, I am exceedingly biased.
…but it was all amazing, 10/10. The staff are the best in the business!!
Check out our 7 Super Heathrow Hacks – Top tips to make travelling a breeze
The Premium Select Interior
Though the Delta 330-200s are quite old, the cabin refresh has done wonders.
Delta Premium Select Seats
The seats were really modern with some clever little additions. They were covered in Delta’s signature blue leather and full of memory foam. In Premium Select you are going to get:
- Width – 19in / 48cm
- Pitch – 38in / 96cm
- Recline – 7in / 17cm
This is almost identical to Virgin Atlantic’s Premium offering and is 1 inch wider, 7 inches more pitch and 3 inches more recline than the seats in economy.
Every seat had a USB plug in the back of the armrest of the seat in front, which is always appreciated. In one of our armrests was the table. It took me a minute to work out how to get it out, but once I got it (embarrassing) it popped out really smoothly. It was slightly magnetic so felt very secure both when it was folded for drinks, or open for dinner.
On the other armrest were three buttons for adjusting the seat. You could recline and bring up a lovely leg rest (this makes such a difference to us shorties that can’t rest our feet comfortably on the floor).
I tend to use the recline in a rather unusual fashion when I am lucky enough to be seated next to an empty spot. I recline my chair as far as it will go whilst wedging my pillow up against the unreclined seat next to me. As a real featal sleeper, this is the only way I can curl up effectively without a lie-flat seat. This is tricky when the seat next to me isn’t free but it worked perfectly on this flight. I think all the people who can use the headrest in its intended manner would be fine but my short 5 foot stature means I can never quite reach the flappy bits on the side.
The Storage
As the cabin was designed for four seats in the central area, the storage space under my middle seat was vastly different from that of my neighbour in the aisle. Luckily, there was plenty of room in the overhead lockers. Although they were not the biggest, the reduced number of people in the cabin made it perfectly fine.
The seatback had two sections for storage. The top was a solid plastic sleeve where our safety card and magazine sat. Below was a small seatback pocket. I am not a fan of using these material pockets as they are very hard to clean and I have seen and heard about some nasty things left behind here.
Our Amenities
On every seat was a fleecy blanket and a lovely memory foam pillow. While the blanket was nothing special, the travel pillow was the best we have had for a long while.
In the armrest was a bottle holder. We each had a bottle of water in here as we boarded. This was a very nice touch, highly practical and it was nice to have that drink waiting for us. Then, further back in the armrest were headphones. I emptied mine quickly, popping the headphones in the overhead locker, and kept my essential bits and bobs in here in a pouch.
In our ‘Someone Somewhere’ amenity kit were all the favourites. The pouches are all from Mexican artisanal producers and very high quality. We got:
- Socks – Trainer socks which were too big for me but fit Mr Fluskey. (I think this is the exception to the artisan rule).
- An Eyemask – Needed for a good night’s (or day’s) sleep.
- Bamboo Toothbrush and Toothpaste – I didn’t look at this at all…
- Lip Balm – …as we had our own toothbrush and toothpaste. I am visually impaired and throught that the black tube was toothpaste. I nearly used it as such but decided to use my own product instead and keep this unopened for the future. It was only later in the trip, when I opened the toothbrush provided that I realised my near miss.
The pouch was really pretty and we gifted them to Mother Fluskey when we got back. Inside was everything we needed apart from moisturiser, so don’t forget to bring some.
For more tips on surviving long haul flights, check out our guide here.
Delta’s Entertainment
Delta has an excellent inflight entertainment system called Delta Studio. This is true across their international and domestic flights so we always know we are in for a good flight’s entertainment. We could pick from loads of films and whole box sets too. There were new releases, the year’s biggest blockbusters and some old classics. I enjoyed Theatre Camp (2023) and Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) before deciding to have a nap.
My only gripe with Delta’s set up is the old fashioned, two pronged headphone socket. I know they provide headphones but I always prefer to use my in-ear ones for a more comfortable fit. It involved popping the 3.5mm jack into one of the receptors and wiggling it until the sound came from both ears. If it was knocked, the loose connection was lost. In a world where everyone has headphones (and even the wireless adaptor things only have one 3.5mm jack plug), surely they shouldn’t still be building seats with this antiquated connection!?
Delta Premium Select’s Food & Drinks
Bubbles and Bites
Delta doesn’t offer a welcome drink on boarding for its Premium Select passengers. We were expecting one as Virgin provides one and I think we thought they would match it. However, as soon as we were in the air and the crew could move around freely, there was the first service known as “bubbles and bites”. We were gasping by now and eargerly watched the trolley making its way down the aisle. We both opted for the bubbles and it was a rather nice sparkling wine. Very fruity, medium sweet I reckon. We also grabbed a couple of the fancy snacks and stashed them for later. (Flashpackers all the way).
Main Service
Our flight left at 9:20 in the morning, which was about 15 minutes before the change over to the lunch menu. This meant we had two options of main dish for breakfast. There was an omelette or apple filled pancakes which we both opted for. The pancakes were very delicious, served with a creamy sauce. They weren’t too sweet and with recognisable pieces of cooked apple. (I was very worried it would be the kind of super-sweet sludge you get in fast food pies but this was much, much better).
The entree came as part of a rather large breakfast. It also included fruit, a slightly oblierated criossant and a pot of ice cream. I was tempted to put the ice cream on the pancakes. However, they were so nice and warm that I thought better of it. Oh, and it was all washed down with a can of Une Femme sparkling wine. It was not half as nice as the previous variety from the bottle.
Once the trays were cleared, we were offered another drink. I opted for the Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream which I had never tried. It was similar to Amarula and rum cream, nowhere near as harsh as Baileys. It slipped down a treat. Mr Fluskey went for rum and ginger ale, one of his favourites.
There was meant to be another drink and light snack service later on but we hit rough air and the seatbeelt signs were on for over two hours. It wasn’t possible and I thanked goodness I skipped drinking my bottle of water. Yes, it is terrible to dehydrate on a flight but on the other hand, I avoided peeing my pants on descent.
Final Thoughts for Our Review of Delta Premium Select
Comparing the Delta Premium Select product to Virgin’s Premium Economy, I think Delta may have the edge. Not getting a boarding drink was a noticeable difference, but not the end of the world, especially if you aren’t accustomed in the way we are. If you can afford it, perhaps consider Delta One. Check out our review of Delta One / Delta Business Class from London Heathrow. As ever with Delta, I couldn’t fault the service which was extremely friendly, and the entire crew made us feel totally relaxed and taken care of. If you are thinking about whther it is worth paying the extra from Delta Comfort Plus, go ahead and do it. You will feel the difference for sure.
Rosie xx
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