Earlier in the month I booked a last minute trip from Honolulu to Tokyo. There are a number of airlines which fly this route given how popular Hawaii is as a vacation destination for the Japanese. While business class and miles fares were way too expensive, sitting in the back of the bus did not seem appealing either and I started to compare premium economy fares. Japan Airlines is known form to have a wonderful premium economy product, but the prices are often more than business class fares for other airlines. While Delta’s Boeing 767s are ancient, they have recently been refurbished and include a premium economy cabin called Premium Select. How was it? Read on!
The Premium Select seat on the Delta Boeing 767-300ER
It seems like Delta may have had someone shorter than six set in mind when designing the leg and footrest in Premium Select on the Boeing 767-300. While the recline is quite substantial (and doesn’t seem to bother the person behind you either), the leg rest and footrest can only extend so much, making it quite cramped when a tall person is trying to sleep. When using it, I had to bend my legs and stick them out toward the aisle, which wasn’t particularly comfortable to do. It was difficult getting comfortable when trying to sleep no matter what position I chose because my butt kept getting sore. The most comfortable position I found was stacking two of the thick memory foam pillows on top of the tray table and leaning forward on them.
The blanket doesn’t seem to be much of an upgrade from blankets in economy but the pillow is made out of some sort of memory foam material. There was a nice amenity kit with some Grown Alchemist lip balm (I got two for some reason) and the other standards you usually find in a business class amenity kit. I particularly enjoy the Delta socks! A menu with the food choices was handed out and on the flip side is a helpful guide on how to work the back, leg and foot recline of the seat.
Another upgrade is the headset which is much closer to the headsets you find in business class than the ones you find in economy. Still, whether it was the headphones themselves or the extremely loud 767 engines, watching a movie was tough without subtitles. There is also a bottle of water at every seat, which is another nice business class-style touch.
As with many of the Delta flights I’ve been on recently, the cabin was freezing, which I love. It was so cold that I had to turn off the air vents above my seat which I almost never do. I can imagine that Delta occasionally gets some complaints about the chilly temperature but they don’t seem to be showing any sings of changing yet.
Also, there are only three rows in Premium Select which give the cabin a very intimate feel, again much closer to business class (or actually, domestic first) than economy.
The food and beverage in Delta Premium Select
Shortly after takeoff, the flight attendants came through offering beverages.I love the fact that flights to Asia often have bottles of Ito-en green tea and I had my fair share. We were given a snack as well – some very salty and tart cheddar cheese biscuits.
A couple of days before the flight, Delta sent an email asking whether I would like to preselect the lunch option on the flight. I chose the vegetarian noodle option and it was fine – perfectly acceptable as airplane food and the tasty coconut cake was a nice way to finish. I later saw the coconut cake being served also to passengers in Delta One (Delta’s business class cabin), which is a good sign. There were also a wide offering of alcoholic beverages including beer, wine and spirits. Someone across the aisle from me had four double vodka tonics so the flight attendants were certainly not stingy!
I was sleeping for the snack handed out just before landing but that was all well and good as I was able to enjoy some sushi shortly after landing.
The service in Delta Premium Select
The flight was one of the emptiest I’ve seen in a long time. The standby screen at the gate reported that 123 seats were available, which I thought was a mistake. Turns out, it wasn’t and it was the emptiest flight I have been on since the middle of 2021. While Delta One and Premium Select were mostly full, there were entire rows of economy (all seven seats across) that were empty. It was a pretty wild sight. Given how empty it was, it gave the flight attendants a little extra time to interact with fliers. And major props to them, they did. Instead of playing Candy Crush in the galley, they came around to chat and to offer snacks and water close to a half-dozen times throughout the flight which kept everyone hydrated and happy. One flight attendant embarked on a long monologue about why she couldn’t seem to come around on iced green tea even given its health benefits.
She also was happy to answer my question about why she thought the load was so low, explaining that she thought it was because we were flying during an “in-between week after the US’s spring break but before Japan’s Golden Week.”
The only criticism I have is that upon takeoff, someone sitting across the aisle from me discovered that the in-flight WiFi was not working. he brought it to the attention of a flight attendant who informed him that it would indeed not be in service for the duration of the whole flight. She smiled and told him to enjoy not having to work. I know it was likely a joke but sometimes when there’s a problem with a service you’ve paid for, a joke is not what you want to hear.
The bottom line
Flying on a smooth daytime flight is one of my favorite pastimes. I just wish that there wasn’t such a taboo against opening your window shade on a long flight like this.
We arrived an hour earlier than scheduled and breezed through border control and customs. Flying Delta’s Premium Select on the Boeing 767-300ER was an enjoyable way to cross the Atlantic with plenty of legroom, attentive service staff and all the accoutrements that are associated with business class rather than economy.
At a competitive price, Premium Select is a wonderful option for a long-haul daytime flight. Trying to sleep would be trickier for someone like myself who is not a great plane sleeper, even when I have a flat seat.
I would not hesitate to fly the Premium Select product again and am itching to try it on another of Delta’s wide body jets.
