More business class, premium economy, and Comfort Plus seats are coming to more Delta Air Lines planes next year, the airline announced Wednesday, including an A350 that is half premium seating and half economy seating.
In its annual pitch to investors, Delta said it can increase its profit margins by continuing to lean into premium offerings (i.e. Comfort Plus, Premium Select, domestic first class, and Delta One). The airline said it plans to grow its “premium seat mix” in 2025, meaning the percentage of “premium” seats on the plane compared to basic economy and main cabin.
According to the airline, 85% of its additional seats in 2025 will be categorized as “premium.”
To do so, the airline is adding two premium-focused aircraft – one large Airbus A350 and one small Airbus A321 – that will continue to push the airline toward more fancy seats and fewer economy offerings.
More Premium Seating on New Premium Planes
According to an Investor Day presentation released by the airline, Delta projects that its premium cabin revenue (i.e. Comfort plus, Premium select, first class, or Delta One) will eclipse its main cabin and basic economy revenue by 2027. And in an effort to boost premium profits even more, the airline is introducing new aircraft with more premium seating.
Delta said it plans to introduce a A350-1000 aircraft that is about 50% premium seating on a yet-to-be-named long-haul routes as well as a narrow-body A321neo plane with lie-flat Delta One seats as well.
While few details were released about the rest of the fleet, Delta's presentation said more “cabin modification programs” will “increase premium offerings” across its fleet.
The announcement that more of its planes will get premium seating is big news, because as Delta travelers know, not all Delta One seats are created equal…not even close. In fact, most of Delta's up front seats are total relics. And if you're shelling out thousands of dollars or hundreds of thousands of Delta SkyMiles for one of these seats, you should at least know what you're getting.
Overall, the Delta One seats on all of Delta's planes are comfortable, but the A330-200s and A330-300s are relics compared to Delta One Suites on the A350 and A330-900neos.
The Delta One Suite onboard the airline's Airbus A350s and A330-900neos are as good as business class gets with Delta … and it should be in the conversation for among the best business class seats in the world, period.
Read our full review of flying Delta One suites from Tokyo-Haneda (HND) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP)!
But many of Delta's lie-flat seats look more like this…
The colors and finishes look out-of-date, to say the least. The seat back screens and controls feel ancient compared to Delta's newer jets. These are the Delta One seats you can find on many A330-200s and A330-300s right now, and are likely to be a focal point of this refurbishment.
Exactly where and when these updated premium offerings will exist has not been announced as of publication.
More Comfort Plus Seats Coming for Domestic Flights
Delta counts its Comfort Plus seats among its premium offerings. On domestic flights, these seats are essentially a souped up version of economy: you'll get priority boarding, a few extra inches of legroom, plus premium snacks and complimentary coffee, beer, wine, and spirits on most flights.
On Wednesday, Delta President Glen Hauenstein said the airline plans to “significantly” increase the number of Comfort Plus seats on domestic flights, saying these seats are sold out more often than not these days.
But the airline plans to do this without changing the total number of seats on the plane. That means we're likely to see Delta begin selling those exit row seats with more legroom as Comfort Plus – similar to how American markets its exit rows as “main cabin extra” fares.
Delta has clearly convinced its customers that these Comfort Plus seats are worth paying up for, even they're still technically in the economy cabin. It's what's kept average consumers chasing status year after year, in hopes of scoring these upgrades – even if that loyalty is likely costing them money in the long run.
Unbundling its Fares
For a few months now, Delta has not-so-subtly pointed to unbundling its premium cabins, meaning there would be several fare choices within Delta One, First Class, Premium Select, and Comfort Plus that segment out perks like lounge access, seat selection, and more.
In its presentation to investors on Wednesday, the airline said there will be “further segmentation aligning value to price” with fares in 2025.
Translation? Basic business class fares are coming … but maybe not as soon as originally thought.
Delta executives teased earlier this year that new fare types might be coming to the business class cabin, but Wednesday, the airline announced it will start its new unbundling efforts in economy first.
Hauenstein said the airline will add “good, better, and best” fare types in all of its cabins in the coming years, but that the economy and Comfort Plus cabins will start testing out the new unbundled offerings first, with main cabin and Comfort Plus tests beginning in 2025.
The airline is only, “experimenting with this,” Hauenstein said, but noted that travelers may see some of these fares in the new year. Delta is testing what consumers want in their bundles and will begin adding on additional attributes.
Either way, one thing is certain: More fare types will be coming to a Delta checkout page near you.
Read more: Delta to Test New Main Cabin & Comfort Plus Fares in 2025
This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.
Dear Delta,
No one likes economy plus. It serves absolutely no benefit to anyone and I certainly don’t want to be stuck in a middle seat in economy plus just because you think it’s an “upgrade”.
-Everyone