Delta codeshare Virgin Premium Select
Mar 11, 2019, 10:24 am
#16
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
On most of the a/c I really, really think you would strongly prefer the Virgin product. It is almost universally considered better. Like I said in my post above, I think you just got unlucky and found yourself on an older aircraft. The 787's do have the leg rests like DL has, have a really nice snack bar wall (I think called the wonder wall or something), dedicated lavs. Personally I think VS has decent food, though DL may have a slight edge on this as they serve meals from the J class menu. Also remember that the DL seats are significantly more narrow, the DL PS cabin does not have dedicated lavs, nor does it have a snack bar.
Mar 11, 2019, 10:26 am
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: TYS
Programs: Delta Diamond 3MM, AMEX Delta Reserve, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite
Posts: 208
I was in Virgin’s “Premium” section and I have flown Delta’s Premium Select, and based on my experience, I thought Virgin’s hard and soft product was inferior.
I also can’t imagine in what world that Virgin’s Premium product is in the same stratosphere as Delta One!
I also can’t imagine in what world that Virgin’s Premium product is in the same stratosphere as Delta One!
I have to agree with others, I find Virgin’s Premium Economy to be a great hard/soft product. From a service perspective, it’s been as good as Delta One (obviously the hard product isn’t as good but the seat is wide/comfortable). I haven’t flown Premium Select but can’t conceive of it being demonstrably better than Virgin Premium Economy.
Now, Economy Delight is different. Economy Delight is the equivalent of Comfort+, albeit with better service in my experience. As an example, last year I did C+ from SEA to JFK and ED from JFK to LHR. Even accounting for the fact that I was seated next to two lap children in the C+ flight (an actual violation of FAA rules that the FAs only enforced after said children started standing on the tray tables...), I still would’ve paid a premium for the ED product/service over C+. Hell, European domestic would’ve been better.
On the return, LHR-SEA, I was in Premium Economy on VS and as I said, its service was comparable to D1 and the seat, while not lie flat, was great (certainly better than the standard domestic first seat Delta uses on most of its transcons, which aren’t *that* much shorter in length), and I was in a middle seat! Interestingly, that ticket actually terminated in DEN, and the Delta SEA to DEN segment was matched as first class, not C+.
So I guess I wonder how Delta is matching some of these segments with VS. It would make sense for Delta to do ED :: C+, PE :: PS, UD :: D1, but Delta doesn’t truly offer three truly distinct classes of service on most of its routes, so I wonder. The PE paired with first class domestic thing is what throws me...
It it seems like you may have had an Econmy Delight seat, which would definitely be a downgrade from Premium Select. If that isn’t the case and you really were in PE, I’m seriously doubtful a true PS experience would’ve been any better.
Now, Economy Delight is different. Economy Delight is the equivalent of Comfort+, albeit with better service in my experience. As an example, last year I did C+ from SEA to JFK and ED from JFK to LHR. Even accounting for the fact that I was seated next to two lap children in the C+ flight (an actual violation of FAA rules that the FAs only enforced after said children started standing on the tray tables...), I still would’ve paid a premium for the ED product/service over C+. Hell, European domestic would’ve been better.
On the return, LHR-SEA, I was in Premium Economy on VS and as I said, its service was comparable to D1 and the seat, while not lie flat, was great (certainly better than the standard domestic first seat Delta uses on most of its transcons, which aren’t *that* much shorter in length), and I was in a middle seat! Interestingly, that ticket actually terminated in DEN, and the Delta SEA to DEN segment was matched as first class, not C+.
So I guess I wonder how Delta is matching some of these segments with VS. It would make sense for Delta to do ED :: C+, PE :: PS, UD :: D1, but Delta doesn’t truly offer three truly distinct classes of service on most of its routes, so I wonder. The PE paired with first class domestic thing is what throws me...
It it seems like you may have had an Econmy Delight seat, which would definitely be a downgrade from Premium Select. If that isn’t the case and you really were in PE, I’m seriously doubtful a true PS experience would’ve been any better.
Mar 11, 2019, 10:51 am
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,192
The ‘Economy Delight’ product is their Premuim Economy.
Premium (whether it has 'Economy' written after it or not) is a separate cabin. Surely not a hard concept to understand
It's nothing to do with being an 'apologist' for VS (not that I am) but a statement of fact that you are wrong.
Mar 11, 2019, 11:22 am
#20
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: MSP
Programs: Delta PM, 1MM
Posts: 3,783
The fact that several of us disagree with you does not make us Virgin apologists. It just means we don’t agree with you or our experiences differed from yours. Yes, this post is on the Delta forum; if you look at the posts on this thread you will see that they come from Delta medallions, not people lurking on the Delta forum to defend VS.
I last flew VS in PE last October; in December I flew DL in PS on a MPS-HND-MSP itinerary. So I have recent experience on which I’ve based my comments.