By Shawn Gallagher
Hello, internet from Tokyo Haneda Airport‘s terminal 3! I recently flew Delta Premium Select to Detroit on their flagship Airbus A350. This was scheduled to be a 12 hour flight, so the extra room and comfort of Delta Premium Select were a help.
I’ve previously reviewed their economy class and Comfort Plus products; be sure to read those as well. Keep reading here to see what Delta has to offer for Premium Select.
Departure From Haneda Airport
Delta Premium Select passengers get Sky Priority. This is a nice perk as you’ll be able to skip the longer main cabin lines at check-in and security.
Check-in was sort of self service. I printed my boarding pass and bag tags by myself, and I went up to the bag drop where an agent assisted me with putting the bag tag on and dropping off the bag.
The whole process was quick. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes.
During the time I was there, Delta had 2 check-in areas open. Despite being on the other side of the world, I could feel Delta’s strong operational presence they have in Tokyo.
I cleared security and made the long walk to gate 141, which is all the way at the end of the terminal.
This seemed to be a newer part of the terminal. It was nice and spacious, but there were no stores or restaurants remotely close to this gate or any of the 140 gates. Be sure to grab food and other necessities before making the walk if you have a flight leaving from one of these spots.
Unfortunately, this was the best I could get of the plane before leaving. My aircraft was N505DN, an Airbus A350-900 delivered to Delta Airlines back in December 2017 (I believe I’ve flown this before).
Soon enough, it was time to board. Delta Premium Select passengers board in Zone 2, which is nice and early.
Related: Delta Airlines Boarding Zones, Explained (2024)
First Impressions Of Delta Premium Select
I was impressed by this seat. It’s a very nice design, although not as spacious as my recent Premium Economy experience on the Japan Airlines 787. However, legroom was plentiful as I had the bulkhead seat. I sat on the window, at 20A.
The cabin was arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration on this Airbus A350. The Airbus A330neo has one less seat with a 2-3-2 configuration.
There were a lot of things waiting for me at my seat. Among them were a pillow, a blanket, and a bottle of water.
Another item at the seat was a nice amenity kit by Someone Somewhere. In it were an eyemask, a toothbrush, lip balm, earplugs, and a pair of socks.
Also at my seat was a pair of headphones. I thought these were average, but were much better than the awful pair I had in business class on Japan Airlines.
I always appreciate slippers. Delta provides slippers for all economy class passengers as well, but these pairs in Premium Select were a bit better quality.
Boarding took some time, but it didn’t bother me as I was busy exploring the seat. We were on our way soon enough.
I don’t know when the next time I’ll be back in Japan. It could be a while. Goodbye, Tokyo!
Meal Service
Meal service began with a very hot towel.
They then followed that with a beverage service along with some nuts.
Here’s a look at the menu from the flight. There were 3 options for the main: chicken piccata, lasagna, or the beef short rib. I went with the short rib.
This was a very delicious meal and the quality was on par with Delta One. Delta briefly reverted to economy class meals for Premium Select during the pandemic, but Delta One meals are back now in 2024.
I enjoyed every part of this meal. Great job Delta!
Exploring The Seat
The legroom was great on this bulkhead seat. I’m 6’1/183cm and my feet barely touched the wall. There was also enough space that I could get out of my seat to the aisle without my seatmate having to stand up and get out of my way.
There was a leg rest that extended to about 30 degrees. A footrest was at the bottom of this seat which I found to be pretty comfortable. The height of the footrest was adjustable.
Because this is a bulkhead seat, the IFE screen had to be stored during taxi, takeoff, and landing. Aside from that though, it was pretty nice. If you read my other Delta reviews you’ll see that I like their IFE system.
A universal power outlet and the IFE remote were to my right.
The seat controls were next to the remote. There was a small storage cubby to the right of this, which I used for smaller items.
Premium Select passengers use the restrooms between the Premium Select cabin and Delta One cabins. There weren’t any special amenities in them, but they remained clean throughout the flight.
Settling In For The Night
The sun began to set as we flew over the North Pacific Ocean.
The cabin lights were turned off, and I settled in for the night.
I got some great photos of the starry sky with my iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Mid-Flight
The flight attendants came around and passed out a mid-flight snack with about 5 and a half hours to go. It was their usual pizza snack, which I’ve had many times on Delta.
In the meantime, the sun began to rise again.
Views like this are why I always prefer the window seat.
Related: Aisle vs Window Seats, The Pros And Cons
Pre-Arrival
We were approaching Detroit and it was time for our pre-arrival meal. The lights turned on soon after this.
I went with the Japanese meal for breakfast. The food service overall on this flight was fantastic!
I finished off the flight with a chocolate, then I got ready for landing.
Concluding Thoughts
I had a great time flying Delta Premium Select. The food service was great, the flight attendants were fantastic, and the seat was comfortable. Of course, it’s not a lie-flat bed, but the deeper recline and more space make all the difference. This 12 hour flight didn’t feel long at all.
I would say, however, that buying the full Premium Select fare might not be worth it. If you want to splurge, just go all in for the Delta One Suites. Getting Premium Select through an upgrade is much more worth it for what you get.
Want to know what happened after I arrived in Detroit? Read here about my nightmarish experience trying to get home to New York City.
All photos taken by the author.