Join me today as I fly Delta Airline's A350 in Premium Select (Premium Economy) from Seattle to Taipei.

Flight Information

Airline: Delta Airlines
Flight #: DL 69
Route: Seattle (SEA) 🇺🇸 — Taipei (TPE) 🇹🇼
Seat: 23B (Premium Select/Premium Economy)
Date: March 2026
Duration: 12hr 42min (6,063mi)
Aircraft: A350-900 (N575DZ) (6 years old)

Elevated Seattle Ground Experience

Today's journey began at a crowded Seattle Tacoma International Airport. Delta Premium Select passengers receive Sky Priority access on the ground, which gives travelers a slew of perks such as expedited check-in and security. I was arriving from a connecting flight and did not experience this first hand, but I know from prior experiences that Sky Priority can be an absolute game changer. Unlike many other airlines around the world, I'm glad to see Delta granting fliers with an upgraded premium economy ground experience compared to economy.

Delta mainly uses A and B gates in Seattle, which is convenient for connecting passengers. I arrived into a B gate and was able to walk to my A gate in less than 5 minutes. The A concourse has a somewhat mediocre selection when it comes to food and shopping. If you are looking to eat, I recommend doing so in the rotunda style restaurant and seating and area between the B and C concourses.

The A concourse has somewhat of a "retro" vibe, which comes along with some charm and some annoyance. The A gates themselves struck me as fairly small, especially for large international flights. I did appreciate the large windows which let a lot of light into what was otherwise a fairly barren concourse.

Today’s flight was operated by one of Delta’s A350-900’s, which many would say is the airlines’ flagship aircraft. The A350 is a quiet and smooth joy to fly on and I’m really glad Delta operates them for their long-haul trans-pacific routes. Delta is the sole North American carrier to operate the A350, with the only other carrier to have any on order being Air Canada.

Boarding & Initial Impressions

Delta boards with a zone based system, with Zone 2 being the exclusive group for Premium Select. Zone 2 is only behind Diamond Medallions and Business Class Customers and ahead of pretty much everyone else including most Delta elites.

The boarding process was nothing short of a disaster. I’m not kidding when I say out of all the flights I’ve been on, this was one of the most chaotic boarding processes to date. The small gate area led to a ton of people congregating by the boarding lines eagerly waiting to get on, which was met by Delta agents yelling at them to move so that they didn’t block the terminal path for passengers walking by. Boarding began with pre-boarding which many passengers seemed to take as a free for all opportunity to board, pushing a lot of waiting passengers out of the way. By the time Group 2 came around, it seemed as if half the plane had already boarded. This lack of order was nicely complemented by a small group of passengers bickering over what group was supposed to board near the start of the lines, which ironically enough resulted in the lines being blocked for every else.

Once on-board, I was greeted by Delta’s lovely looking Premium Select Cabin arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration. There’s no denying that from a looks standpont, this cabin makes a strong first impression. The seats were spcaious and stocked with a boatload of amenties. The blue triangle pattern on the backrest gave tis cabin a distinc Delta flair. I was grateful when I discovered that I wouldn’t have a seat neighbor for this nearly 13 hour journey.

The seats were fairly clean and appeared to be in good condition, aside from some sort of leftover meal residue on my tray table.

Flight attendants came around before pushback to take meal orders, which is a level of service only usually seen in business and first class. Boarding miraculously finished on time before we took off through the rainy Seattle skies.

Seat Analysis

Overall, while I was pretty impressed with Delta’s Premium Select seat, it didn’t come without it’s fair share of quirks. There is no doubting that the seat’s are markedly different from economy. On the A350, have over six inches more pitch than economy making them feel much roomier. Unfortunately, my legroom was disrupted by an IFE/electrical box below the seat in-front of me.

Even though the sides were wider than economy, they still felt a bit narrow overall. To be technical, the seats 18.5 inches wide, which is only about an inch wider than economy. There was narrow table area between seats that worked well for drinks and phones.

There were three seat controls located on the center console of the seat for seat recline, the leg rest extension, and the footrest (that flipped out from the legrest). I found both the leg rest and footrest to be comfortable throughout the duration of the flight. The seats had a generous amount of recline, which unfortunately is a two person game, with my seat long a lot of space when the person in-front of me chose to participate.

Storage at these seats was underwhelming, with only a seat-back pocket and small storage compartment on the side of the seat being available. Considering how many amenities Delta provides, the limited storage can quickly become a challenge. Some premium economy seats on other carriers come with a larger side storage bin as opposed to the narrow barely usable one on these Premium Select seats. The small water-bottle holder in the center console was a fun touch, but for some reason, I struggled a lot with getting to bottle in and out with the height of the seat cushion.

Delta's Premium Select seats feature a large and bright seat-back screen that was responsive and fast. This screen, coupled with Delta's expansive IFE content selection, ended up being a major highlight of the seat for me. There was a conveniently located power outlet with a USB-C port for charging personal devices. Flight attendants announced before push-back that Wi-Fi would be unavailable during the flight which is sadly the norm for Delta flights across the Atlantic.

Amenity Analysis

Delta provides an abundance of amenities for premium select passengers, the following of which greeted me the moment I arrived to my seat: An Amenity Kit Pouch, Bottle of Water, Pillow, Blanket, Headphones, Menu/Seat Info Card, and Slippers.

As someone who knows how dirty air travel can be, I was happy to see the pillow wrapped in plastic before being presented to passengers Unfortunately, there was what appeared to be a human hair trapped under the plastic which sort of defeats the point.

Aside from the questionable pillow cleanliness, the selection of amenities provided to Premium Select passengers was extremely impressive. I've genuinely received less amenities in business class on many airlines. This collection highlights Delta's efforts to make the cabin feel distinct and separate from economy.

Main Meal Service

Flight attendants began service quickly after take off, starting with hot towels and following up with tablecloths, drinks (in glassware), and a small snack. This pre-meal service was again something I'd be happy to see in business class, much less premium economy.

The flight attendant servicing my row noticed how quickly I ate the cheese biscuit snack and quickly brought me another one. He was pro-active and caring during the entire service, delivering that warm and slightly relaxed US airline service culture that many of us know well. Unlike most other airlines who bundle economy and premium economy service together, Delta specifically allots two cabin crew members to exclusively work Premium Select. This practice leads to quicker more attentive service, creating a more exclusive feeling experience.

I selected the Braised Beef Short Rip for my main course which was unexpectedly the best beef I've ever had on a plane. It was incredibly soft and tender. The accompanying rice and vegetables were also quite tasty. The only letdown on the tray was the bone dry pretzel roll

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Aside from the pretzel roll, all of the food on the tray was delicious and felt like something that could've been served in a more premium cabin. Combine that with the fact the meal was served on actual dishes with metal cutlery, Delta had me wondering if I'd accidentally been served a business class meal.

Mid-Flight Experience

I kicked back after the meal while admiring Delta's stunning cabin ambiance. There is no denying that when it comes to mood lighting in the sky, Delta is one of the world's key players. The exclusive feeling (and well lit) Premium Select cabin was quiet throughout the entire flight with minimal foot traffic passing through.

Premium Select's exclusivity takes a bit of a hit in the lavatory department. All non-business class passengers shared six lavatories that were located in the middle and rear of the plane. They were kept clean throughout the flight and impressively enough, also had fun mood lighting. Despite the fact these six lavatories were catering to over 200 passengers, I found there be little to no wait when I went.

Even after the lights went down and passengers started to rest, the crew still came around frequently with water cups and snacks. I was extremely impressed by their continued service during a period of the flight in which many crews check-out.

Around halfway through the flight, flight attendants around with a breakfast calzone mid-flight snack. It was alright but nothing to write home about.

The crew also setup an impressive galley snack/drink array for passengers to take advantage of between meal services.

Second Meal Service

The lights in the cabin came back up with 1.5 hours left in the flight and the crew quickly spun into action beginning the final meal service. Similar to the first meal, table cloth's and real glassware were provided.

I selected the Beef and Noodle soup which was warm and comforting after a long flight. The noodles and beef were soft but severely lacking flavor. I wish Delta provided some sort of spicy sauce to accompany the dish. The meal service concluded with my fantastic flight attendant bringing over a mini chocolate square.

Summary & Final Verdict

Delta's A350 Premium Select cabin was a joy to fly in. Delta made a distinct effort to separate the cabin from economy, which was evident from the plentiful amenities and the upgraded meal services. The service on-board from our dedicated flight attendants was thoughtful and polished, furthering the cabin's premium feeling. The seat itself was spacious and comfortable, meeting industry standards. Nevertheless, Delta's Premium Long-Haul Select provided a highly impressive experience that I'd be happy to fly on again.

Something that unfortunately isn’t straightforward is selecting what cabin to sit in on China Southern. You could splurge for Business Class or save money with Economy Class. If neither of those options suits your fancy, you could choose to sit in Premium Economy, a cabin often shrouded in mystery. These seats offer a notable upgrade over Economy, though they remain inferior to Business.

Join me as I review China Southern’s 787-9 in Premium Economy on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Guangzhou.

Flight Information

Airline: China Southern Airlines
Flight #: CZ 350
Route: Kuala Lumpur (KUL) 🇲🇾 — Guangzhou (CAN) 🇨🇳
Seat: 27A (Premium Economy)
Date: January 2026
Duration: 3hr 48min (1,624 mi)
Aircraft: 787-9 (B-1168) (7 years old)
Price I Paid: MYR 991 (247$) (One Way)

Kuala Lumpur Ground Experience

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is a little confusing for first-timers. There are technically two airports on one site, the main KLIA (full service carriers) and KLIA 2 (low cost carriers). China Southern flights depart from the former. KLIA is certainly not a bad airport, but it's also not one of those ones that blows you away with its architecture or design. I personally find the check-in area to be a bit dark.

I arrived roughly two hours before departure to find a small line at China Southern check-in. There was an economy and business/priority queue with no indication of where premium economy should go. I ended up going through the economy line, which took about 10 minutes.

The agent weighed my suitcase to ensure it was under the limit, and after finding out it was overweight, she told me it would need to be checked. However, once I handed over my onward ticket out of China (which needed verification for transit visa purposes), she noticed I had a short transfer and graciously allowed me to keep my bag.

Passport Control was fairly quick, and I was soon met with a signature KLIA experience. The main airport has both a central and satellite terminal with a train ride required to get between them. The train itself is infamous for frequently not working and/or being down for maintenance. I had to take a bus from the satellite terminal when I arrived the previous night because the train was inoperative.

Luckily, the train was fully operational this afternoon, which was a welcome sight considering the buses require a lot more walking and are way less comfortable.

The satellite terminal is quite nice with lots of food and shopping options. The main attraction however, is the garden in the center, which brings some much-needed greenery into an otherwise stressful environment. After arriving by train, I headed straight to my gate, since China Southern premium economy passengers do not receive any sort of lounge access.

Boarding and Initial Impressions

Today’s flight departed from gate C35, where I was greeted with another KLIA Classic: Gate Security. Instead of screening passengers before they enter the terminal, Kuala Lumpur conducts security checks before letting passengers into each individual gate area. I’m a little mixed on security at the gate, but I generally find it to be more of a negative. You often have to arrive way earlier at the gate and you can’t bring any liquids you bought in the terminal onto the plane.

Once through, I was rewarded with stunning views of the 787-9 that would be taking us up to Guangzhou.

Boarding began 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time, with gate agents calling for priority passengers. There were no signs informing passengers about boarding groups. Similar to check-in, it was unclear when premium economy passengers were allowed to board. The priority boarding ended up turning into a free-for-all with 50-60 people walking into the boarding line. I ended up boarding alongside the mob, which was mostly economy class passengers. It was one of those every-man-for-himself boarding processes.

I stepped on the plane and was given a nice greeting by several flight attendants at the door who pointed me toward my seat. China Southern's Premium Economy cabin was arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration and had a nice vibe created by the upbeat boarding music and bright cabin finishes.

The seats felt spacious and were a clear upgrade from regular Economy. Aside from the hair on the center table and some minimal signs of use, the cabin appeared clean and in good condition. In an era of airlines opting for muted colors, the bright blue and orange on the seat cushions was refreshing. The cabin was roughly half full for today's flight.

There was a pillow, blanket, pair of headphones, and a bottle of water already placed at my seat. The water was especially thoughtful since we all had to dump liquids before entering the gate area. The blanket was thin, but the pillow was nice and plush.

Some carriers do a quick Pre-Departure Beverage Service in premium economy, but China Southern opted not to. There also weren't any amenity kits provided, which I'd guess are reserved for long-haul flights.

The on-board safety officer walked through the cabin and made his presence known after boarding was complete. This is certainly one of the more unique elements of flying on a Chinese Airline that you won't see in many other parts of the world.

Seat Analysis

When it comes to Premium Economy, the star of the show is undoubtedly the seat. With 2 fewer seats in a row compared to economy, each passenger gets a wider space. Part of the extra width is taken up by a wide center armrest that doubles as a table-like surface, big enough for both passengers to use simultaneously as an armrest.

This center area also opens up to expose a narrow storage compartment and an A/C power outlet. Unfortunately, as is common with this seat type, the narrow pocket was filthy due to how difficult it is to clean.

One of the other major upgrades with these seats is legroom. The space was large and wasn't blocked by any sort of IFE box. There was also a footrest, which I find people either love or hate. I generally find it works best for shorter people (like me).

Storage at these seats was typical for premium economy. The under-seat storage area was large enough to fit my large backpack, but as expected, this dramatically reduced leg room. Unless your bag is small, I'd recommend storing it in the overhead bins so you can take advantage of the extra space. The seat back pocket was flexible and large enough to also provide some additional storage

Unfortunately for China Southern (and me), my in-flight entertainment screen did not work during the flight. Mine seemed to be stuck as no touch input or any of the remote control buttons did anything. This is a shame since the screens themselves looked large and bright.

The cherry on-top of this was the fact the Wi-Fi was also inaccessible due to a faulty verification pop-up, which required that I slide some sort of bar from one side of my phone screen to the other. The only problem is that the bar never loaded, preventing me from using the Wi-Fi portal. I tried this on multiple browsers and ensured I didn't have any VPN's active. No luck.

Main Meal Service

Service typically starts slower on Chinese carriers, since the crew remain seated for 20-30 minutes after takeoff. Once they were permitted to begin service, things started quickly with mini towels and drinks. The most impressive thing here was discovering that China Southern has some of the prettiest-looking cups in the sky. If bright pink paper cups are your jam, this might just be your airline.

I was delighted when I saw the crew returning shortly after with a meal cart. For a flight of this length, a full meal in Premium Economy was not a given, and I was glad to see China Southern include one. Not sure if it's just me, but I always gravitate toward ordering chicken on board planes...for some reason.

My excitement about getting chicken dwindled slightly when I realized how small the portion was. This dish probably should be called Rice with Chicken due to the ratio between them. Nevertheless, the meal wasn't bad. The rice lacked flavor, but I'd take tasteless over a bad taste any day of the week. If you set the chicken aside, the rest of the tray was actually above average in food quantity. The meal was right about industry standard for this region of the world, and I was appreciative that China Southern did a full service on a sub-four-hour flight.

The crew provided multiple drink services throughout the meal and were quick to collect trays once passengers were finished. They were professional and delivered warm, but reserved, service.

Mid-Flight Experience

After the meal, I was exposed to another feature of these seats, which just happens to be both a great strength and weakness: seat recline.

These seats recline much farther then any economy seats, making them great for napping. However, the generous recline is all fun and games until the person in front of you does it too. The seats come back so far that its nearly impossible to get out of a window seat once the passengers in-front of you recline. Take note of the narrow space between the center table and the seat in front, as demonstrated by the photo below.

At one point during the flight, the crew came around and asked how I was charging my phone after they noticed it was plugged in. They were concerned I was using a power bank and were relieved to see me pull out my wall charger to prove I was charging 'legally,' since the use of power banks is prohibited on board China Southern.

As my presumed reward for following the power bank rules, the crew came around and handed out candy. I felt a lot less special when I realized everyone received these, though they were still a fun pre-landing touch. My friend loosely translated these to read "throat lozenges."

Aside from the power bank enforcement, I didn't see the crew at all after the initial meal service. This was a little disappointing since we still had multiple hours left in the flight. Leftover trash from the meal service piled up and went uncollected until just before landing. The crew was professional and caring when they were present, but they were by no means proactive.

Final Verdict

China Southern's Premium Economy is not a world-class experience, nor is it one of the world's better Premium Economy cabins. However, if the price is right (and it often seems to be), I wouldn't hesitate to fly China Southern's Premium Economy again on board the 787. The soft product wasn't anything to write home about, but the hard product was strong and represented a substantial upgrade in comfort compared to economy. That being said, for those seeking to save money, economy on China Southern offers a similar experience for much less money.