Delta's A350 Premium Select Is Nearly Perfect
Standout catering, thoughtful service, and an impressive range of amenities, paired with a comfortable seat that enhances the long-haul experience.
It's no secret that US airlines are a little subpar for long distance flying when compared to their international rivals. The US's main legacy carriers have developed a reputation for inconsistent service, questionable catering, and unremarkable seats. Delta Airline's like to refer to itself as America's premium airline, while thriving to set itself apart from the competition by claiming it offers a better passenger experience. However, is this upgraded passenger experience actually competitive on long haul international routes?
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
Premium Economy Menu 🍽️
• Jose Andres Catalan Chicken (braised chicken thigh, celeriac-potato puree, roasted carrots, and pearl onions.)
• Three Cheese Manicotti (creamy tomato sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes, and nut-free basil pesto.)
• Braised Beef Short Rib (green bell pepper, soy sauce, carrots, snow peas, and steamed white rice.)
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
.
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.
So thorough! I enjoyed this