Delta Airlines announced it will add a premium economy section to its international flights. With costs that vary between $80 and $160 each, the “Economy Comfort” seats will come with extra legroom and more recline.
These seats will be available for no extra charge to Platinum and Diamond fliers, while Gold-level fliers will receive a 50% discount and Silver-fliers a 25% discount.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says “passengers will get seats with up to four inches of extra legroom, beyond the roughly 31 inches of pitch in international economy. They also will get 50% more recline than regular international economy seats. Passengers in the new section … also will be able to board early and get free alcoholic beverages during the flight.”
According to Reuters, Delta’s Economy Comfort section will also include “in-seat power for electronic devices.”
The Business Courier of Cincinnati writes “the seats will be installed in the first few rows of the Economy cabin on more than 160 Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft by this summer, Delta said.”
In a press release, Delta says Economy Comfort will be offered on “long-haul intercontinental routes between the U.S. and Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East and South America (Lima, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Santiago only).”
Business Traveller magazine adds its take on the news, writing:
As the name suggests, the new offering is an upgraded economy product, rather than a fully blown premium economy seat. The offering is comparable with KLM’s Economy Comfort offering, which makes sense as Delta has a joint venture partnership with the Air France KLM group on transatlantic flights.
This makes Delta the latest member of a growing trend that sees seen airlines turn to “premium” coach seating as a way to boost revenues. United Continental’s United Airlines offers Economy Plus on both U.S and international flights, a section that offers about five extra inches of legroom. These seats are free of charge for the elite-level frequent-fliers Non-elite members can benefit from these seats for a price. United has not discussed the keeping of the seats after the merger with Continental.
Source: USA Today
By Olivia GrilHey Folks! I'm Olivia from California, United States. I'm a blogger, travel lover, I can travel anywhere, whether it's a new place or already visited. I love meeting new people, clicking photos of every movement, and documenting my adventure. I also, write about travel, travel movies, the best places to visit, etc. Read my stories.
