In Flight Reviews, Flung writers provide key information about flights they take in order to leave the flying public better informed in an age of frustration, obfuscation and increasingly unfriendly skies.

NRT —> SEA on Delta Flight 166

Flight: DELTA 166 in the airline’s new Premium Select Cabin. Scheduled Date and Time: Jul 22, 2019 at 4:25pm.

Check In and Security: Transferring in Tokyo from Singapore, I had to go through security again directly upon landing, during which I had to dump out my water. That said, it went quickly and I didn’t have far to walk to get into the terminal itself.

The Terminal: Narita’s Terminal 1 itself is fine but not exciting, with the usual assortment of shops and some duty-free options. I didn’t see anywhere to refill my water bottle.

Boarding and Departure: Delta One (the airline’s first class on long-haul flights) and Platinum Medallion members were called to board the new Airbus A350 first. Premium Select passengers came next. It went smoothly enough, and departure was on time.

The Seat: I have to think that most people booking this class–launched by Delta in late 2017 as a halfway point between economy and first class–are doing so primarily for a more sleep-friendly seat than what’s on offer in the Main Cabin. For me, this means enough recline to comfortably rest my head. And in this regard, I was disappointed. The seats reclined a little more than in the main cabin, but not enough to take the weight off my neck. The foot rest was a welcome addition, and proved most effective when I propped my feet on top of it instead of in it.

Delta chose bigger armrests over wider seats, and they provided a more dignified distance between me and the neighbor I was sharing close quarters with for nine hours. They were wide enough to rest a drink or cell phone on, a little thing that makes a big difference. A nice pocket under the armrest held my phone and glasses when I wasn’t wearing them.

Amenities: My Tumi toiletry bag contained some super thin socks, Malin & Goetz lip balm, a hand towelette, an eye mask, and a toothbrush and toothpaste. I was also provided with nice, cushy slippers.

The LSTN noise canceling headphones didn’t cancel much noise, but they were comfortable, and sound-wise they were far superior to what you get in coach.

The blanket provided was the same as in coach, while the pillow was better but still small.

Food and Drink: I was offered a welcome glass of water or bubbly before takeoff. I chose bubbly, which was served in a plastic cup, and definitely not the good champagne I had in Delta One on the way over to Tokyo. Just after takeoff they came around with a good sized bottle of water for each passenger.

The dinner was legit good, up to the standard of Delta One. I had spinach and cheese lasagna, a nice small salad with ranch dressing and lots of cherry tomatoes, a shrimp side that I didn’t touch, and a custard dessert, all served on ceramic dishware with real silverware over a tablecloth. The primary difference between this dinner and that in Delta One seems to be that in Premium Select, all courses arrive together on a tray, rather than getting served one after another. As in Delta One, I got a tablecloth. But the plastic cups kept on coming.

After dinner, I ordered a neat Woodford Reserve, which they turned out to be out of, so I settled for a Jack Daniels. It also came in a plastic cup, which was a little bit of a bummer.

My mushroom frittata for breakfast was great, too.

Bathrooms: Although an announcement was made that each cabin, including Premium Select, had dedicated bathrooms not available to other cabins, people in coach were freely coming up to use the Premium Select one, resulting in long lines at times. Side note: Delta’s bathrooms seem to be getting smaller and smaller every year.

Entertainment: Delta excels in its entertainment offerings, with plenty of new release films to choose from. The screens in Premium Select were a bit bigger than those in the Main Cabin.

Staff: As people were settling into their seats, I was looking for a good place to stow my open-top tote bag, but no flight attendant was present in the cabin despite the airline’s claim that Premium Select has a dedicated attendant. I had to seek one out up front, who gave condescending answers to my questions, in the process of not being helpful.

The flight attendant who served me on the flight, on the other hand, was delightful, friendly and accommodating.

Misc: Considering the premium paid for a Premium Select seat, a couple of things felt stingy—that the ticket did not come with access to Delta’s Sky Lounge in Tokyo, and that on both of the connecting legs of my trip (Singapore to Tokyo and Seattle to New York), I was placed in Comfort Plus instead of business or first (until last summer, Delta placed Premium Select passengers in first class on their connecting domestic legs). Even with just Silver Medallion, the airline’s lowest elite status, I almost always get upgraded to Comfort Plus on domestic flights for free, so I was in effect paying a lot for a better cabin on just one nine-hour leg of a 26-hour trip.

Landing: Landing was on time and uneventful. My flight attendant came to me beforehand to let me know where I’d need to head once on the ground.