√ seats have been a mainstay in the airline's fleet for years, offering a bit more legroom to the otherwise standard economy seats. From short domestic hops to overnight international flights, they're impossible to miss.
And yet they disappeared from some of Delta's newest planes, the Airbus A350. Without Comfort Plus seating, the airline could squeeze in more regular economy seats, not to mention its great Premium Select seats – a true premium economy seat – plus the flashy new Delta One suites.
But the airline has apparently changed plans just since getting its first A350 in mid-July. Comfort Plus is making a comeback on Delta's long-haul planes.Â
SFGate reports that Delta is including Comfort Plus seats as it revamps its fleet of Boeing 777s. Not only that, but the airline will eventually go back and install Comfort Plus seats on the Airbus A350s that don't currently have them. So Delta flyers will have a choice between economy, Comfort Plus, Premium Select, and Delta One.
“Our goal is for every widebody in Delta's fleet to be fitted with all four seat products by 2021 – including the A350s,” a spokesperson said. “While Delta Premium Select continues to be very popular, we recognize that offering Delta Comfort+ in addition to Delta Premium Select will meet a greater number of customer needs.”
Where to Find Comfort Plus
The four-cabin setup will be available on flights beginning March 1, including Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND), MSP to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Atlanta (ATL) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT), and ATL to CDG. The upcoming launch of MSP to Seoul-Incheon (ICN) will also get a retrofitted 777 complete with Comfort Plus come April 1, as will Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD) starting April 5.
Delta said these seats should be available for purchase online now. But unfortunately, the seats aren't showing up quite yet.
Our Analysis
Comfort Plus is generally nothing to write home about. It's a glorified economy seat, with a bit more space to stretch your legs but no extra seat width or amenities beyond the typical economy experience.
But there's no denying it has some allure to the average traveler. Who doesn't want a few extra inches of legroom?
Delta has clearly decided there's money in offering that extra space to passengers. So much so that they can justify ripping out seats in some of their newest planes to install Comfort Plus.
The biggest win here is for Delta Medallion Status members – specifically, those with Platinum and Diamond. Both tiers can automatically move into Comfort Plus at the time of booking. But the disappearance of Comfort Plus on the A350 meant those passengers no longer had that option.
By 2021, that should change across Delta's international fleet.
Bottom Line
With the rise of Delta's Premium Select, Comfort Plus appeared doomed. But plans have changed, and it appears this extra-legroom seat is here to stay.