Premium Economy is the newest class of travel, having only been introduced in the early 1990s by EVA Air. However, ever since, it’s slowly become mainstream as passengers have become more familiar with the value proposition offered by a cabin slotted between the crammed economy section and expensive business class seats. Premium economy is now offered by virtually all large full-service European carriers, most full-service Asian airlines, as well as all three US legacy carriers.

Premium economy is priced between economy and business, although the experience is more similar to economy. There are no lie-flat seats or privacy doors, and no seats feature direct aisle access. Instead, you get a larger seat with more recline, more legroom, a wider screen, and larger storage pockets. In addition, you also receive improved catering and upgraded amenities. As a whole, it’s tremendously appealing to passengers and lucrative for airlines. Today, we’re going to explore when Delta Air Lines introduced premium economy, as well as what it offers and its strategy with this cabin.

Overview Of Delta Premium Select

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Delta Premium Select is the premium economy product offered by Delta Air Lines. It slots underneath DeltaOne (the carrier’s international business class) and above Delta Comfort. Delta Comfort is the branding for the carrier’s extra legroom economy section, and this offering has been around for decades under a variety of different names (most recently, Comfort+). Delta Premium Select is a newer offering, and it’s a proper premium economy product, complete with different seats in a dedicated cabin.

Delta Premium Select is offered on nearly all of Delta’s widebody aircraft, save for a handful of soon-to-be-retired Boeing 767-300ERs. On all of its widebodies, Delta uses the Collins Aerospace MiQ, a common seat model for regional first/business class and international business class. This seat model is also used by United Airlines for Premium Plus and American Airlines for its premium economy, while American also uses the MiQ for its domestic first class product. Delta, however, does not use the Collins MiQ for Delta First, although the seats are similar.

Delta Premium Select comes with 38 inches (96.52 centimeters) of legroom and wider seats. The cabin is configured six-abreast on the Boeing 767, seven-abreast on the Airbus A330, and eight-abreast on the Airbus A350. Delta installs 18 Premium Select seats on the 767-300ER, 20 Premium Select seats on the 767-400ER, 21 Premium Select seats on the A330-200 and A330-300, 28 Premium Select seats on the A330-900, and either 40 or 48 Premium Select seats on the A350-900.

The Roll-Out Of Delta Premium Select

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Delta Air Lines first introduced Premium Select in late 2017, when it began taking delivery of the Airbus A350-900. These aircraft not only debuted Premium Select, but they also introduced the DeltaOne Suites, based on the Thompson Vantage XL+. Delta was the second US airline to introduce premium economy, after American Airlines. When American debuted premium economy with its Boeing 787-9 in 2016, it only installed 21 seats. Delta, however, debuted Premium Select with 48 seats on the A350-900.

The next type in Delta’s fleet to receive Premium Select was the (now-retired) Boeing 777-200ER and Boeing 777-200LR fleets in 2018, also configured with 48 Premium Select seats. In 2019, Delta began taking delivery of Airbus A330-900s equipped with Premium Select from the factory, featuring 28 seats. The Boeing 767-400ER, meanwhile, began receiving Premium Select seats in 2019, as part of a project that lasted until 2020. These planes now feature 20 Premium Select seats and have also received updated DeltaOne seats.

The Airbus A330 fleet was next to be retrofitted with Premium Select in 2021. All A330-200s and A330-300s were refurbished with Premium Select, and both aircraft now feature 21 Premium Select seats. However, unlike the Boeing 767-400ERs or Boeing 777s, these aircraft did not receive updates to the DeltaOne cabin. At the same time, the carrier also began installing Premium Select on its Boeing 767-300ER fleet, with 18 seats in total. Only five 767s have yet to receive Premium Select, but these aircraft are nearing or exceeding 35 years and will soon be retired.

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What’s The Benefit Of Premium Economy For Passengers And Airlines?

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Airlines are continuing to squeeze inches out of economy class legroom, and while seat width has generally remained the same, armrests have decreased in size, reducing shoulder space. A business class seat provides a completely different experience from economy, where passengers essentially have their own private “pod” with a bed. A premium economy seat is essentially the same as that in economy, but larger with more legroom. This is enough for many passengers.

Some airlines are now reporting that premium economy is their most profitable cabin on a square footage basis. Premium economy seats typically feature a slightly lower seat pitch than business class seats (historically, airlines’ most profitable cabin), but feature more seats per row as direct aisle access is now an expectation in business class. Meanwhile, premium economy commands a significant price premium over economy. This is more true today than ever before because of current industry trends.

The 2020s have seen a rise in “premium leisure,” in which leisure travelers are booking premium cabins on long-haul flights rather than economy. While these passengers are paying significant sums of money to upgrade from economy, they remain more price sensitive than business travelers. Premium economy is tremendously profitable for airlines, and it offers choices for passengers who may not be willing to pay for business class. Without premium economy, these passengers may choose to instead book economy, which is less profitable for airlines.

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Delta intends to remove all of its Boeing 767-300ERs from international service by 2028, and to fully retire the type by 2030. These aircraft are already slowly being removed from the Atlanta-based carrier’s long-haul network, and the carrier is instead deploying them on premium transcontinental routes. This network essentially consists of routes between New York and Boston to California, along with a single route between Los Angeles International Airport and Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport.

The routes to and from Boston are using a mix of Boeing 757-200 and Airbus A321neo aircraft. The 757s feature lie-flat seating, while the A321neos currently used are in a standard domestic layout. However, the routes from New York to LAX and SFO primarily use the Boeing 767-300ER, equipped with DeltaOne lie-flat seats and Premium Select. Delta has been proactive in rolling out Premium Select to these transcontinental markets and offers more premium economy seats than its competitors on these routes.

Delta’s 757-200 subfleet with lie-flat seating is meant to be replaced with a new Airbus A321neo subfleet, dubbed the 3NF. The 3NF aircraft will feature the Safran Vue for DeltaOne, a direct aisle access reverse herringbone seat with privacy doors, along with 12 Premium Select seats. These aircraft have been delayed substantially due to seat certification issues, but once they are certified and the aircraft are widely deployed, essentially every one of Delta’s premium transcontinental routes will offer Premium Select.

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Comparing Delta Premium Select To The Competition

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American Airlines was the first US carrier to introduce premium economy, with its Boeing 787-9 in 2016. The 787-9s were delivered with 21 premium economy seats, while the 787-8 fleet was retrofitted with 28 premium economy seats. The Boeing 777-200ER fleet was refurbished with 24 premium economy seats, while the 777-300ER fleet was retrofitted to feature 28 premium economy seats. American also uses the Collins MiQ, but has been more conservative with the sizes of its premium economy cabins.

United Airlines first introduced its Premium Plus cabin in 2019, onboard new Boeing 787-10s and retrofitted Boeing 777-200ERs. All Boeing 777s were later retrofitted with 24 Premium Plus seats, while all Boeing 787s now feature 21 Premium Plus seats. The Boeing 767 fleet, meanwhile, is configured with either 22 or 24 Premium Plus seats. While United’s 767s feature more premium economy seats than those operated by Delta, the carrier is otherwise more conservative than Delta. United Airlines also uses the Collins MiQ.

American Airlines is now taking delivery of new Boeing 787-9s with updated interiors and a larger premium economy cabin (32 seats). In addition, it’s also taking delivery of new Airbus A321XLR aircraft to be used for transatlantic and transcontinental services, equipped with 12 premium economy seats. United Airlines will soon begin taking delivery of new Boeing 787-9s equipped with 35 Premium Plus seats, along with 50 A321XLRs and 40 A321neos that will feature lie-flat seating and 12 Premium Plus seats.