Photo of the Day – Delta’s New Economy Comfort
Delta's New Economy Comfort
Since the first 24 hours of my trip were spent in transit between Atlanta and Chamonix, it’s only fitting that the first post should focus on air travel. I hope that those of you completely uninterested in this sort of stuff will humor me for the sake of my business traveler friends who have asked for a full report. This month, Delta launched a new international service called “Economy Comfort” and last night I had the chance to try it out.
New branding
When you enter the newly-revamped cabin, it’s hard to miss the ”Economy Comfort” branding on each seat. Online a few weeks back I had scored the window seat in the bulkhead row just behind Business Elite. This is my preferred seat for all international flights when I am stuck in coach (yes, it happens) and I once flew in this very seat – or one similar – on my longest ever flight (LAX to Sydney) last summer. It’s generally accepted by the business traveler set as one of the best coach seats on the plane for a long-haul.
Having already selected what I knew was a decent seat, I wasn’t sure how much difference the extended leg-room promised by Economy Comfort would provide. I was pleasantly surprised. When I sat down and extended my legs out in front of me all the way to my tippy toes – I still couldn’t touch the bulkhead wall, impressive! Of course, in-flight I realized there was a downside to this; you also can’t reach the TV controls without substantial effort. File that under good problems to have.
In-flight
Once in the air, I was curious to see just how far “50% extended recline” would get me. Again a pleasant surprise as I pushed in the recline button and felt the seat fall back significantly farther than usual. In fact, I’d say the recline was more generous than a first class seat on a domestic aircraft. Grade that as a PASS.
Additional legroom
In addition to the extended legroom and recline, Economy Comfort also offers free cocktails as well as the beer and wine that are complimentary for all coach passengers. As a wine drinker I didn’t take advantage of that perk but several others around me certainly did.
The Bottom Line
Overall, the Economy Comfort product is a nice addition to Delta’s international in-flight offerings. I’ve always taken issue with the fact that it’s nearly impossible to upgrade based on status on international flights – you either book a prohibitively expensive upgradeable fare or you don’t. But with Economy Comfort seats complimentary for Diamond and Platinum levels and offered at a reduced rate for Gold and Silver, I’d say this is a step in the right direction on Delta’s part.
The cardiologist from Orlando seated next to me on my flight to Paris had purchased his upgrade for $80 while checking in online the day before. I wan’t sure how much they were charging but that’s an extremely reasonable amount for the additional space provided so I wouldn’t expect to find too many empty seats in the Economy Comfort section anytime soon.
After a mostly-pleasant 8-hour flight to Paris I had to connect to Barcelona and then again to Geneva before finally making it to my chalet in Chamonix. It has been an extremely long day and since it’s almost 11pm over here, I’m ready for bed.
P.S. What I saw of Chamonix and the Alps on the drive in was absolutely gorgeous. More pictures to follow tomorrow!
First Impressions
