Flying in Comfort+ on Delta Air Lines not only gets you extra legroom: it now offers you the option of pre-reserving your meals on many longhaul flights.
Delta Air Lines Now Allows Meal Pre-Selections In Comfort+ Class
Clint Henderson of TPG reports that passengers booked in Comfort+ on intercontinental and longhaul Hawaii flights with a meal service will be able to preselect from a choice of meal options (there are a few exceptions I outline below). Comfort+ is a subsection of economy class that offers extra legroom.
One week before departure, an email will go out to Comfort+ passengers with meal options, which can be reserved up to 24 hours before departure.
The only exceptions are “shorter flights” to destinations like Reykjavik (KEF) or Bogota (BOG) which offer a modified meal service onboard for economy class passengers.
Stephanie Laster, Managing Director of Onboard Culinary Experience, explained:
“At Delta, we know our customers value choice when it comes to their travel experience. This exciting enhancement is part of our ongoing efforts to deliver a best-in-class customer experience from nose to tail.”
I’m not sure “exciting” is the word I’d use to describe economy class food, but this is still a nice additional amenity for those seated in Comfort+.
One Cabin, Two Service Levels
While Comfort+ offers the same seats as regular economy class, the move to differentiate the onboard experience began with complimentary alcohol and has now spread to pre-reserved meals as well.
Prior to the pandemic, United Airlines did something similar on its premium transcontinental flights between Newark (EWR) and San Francisco (SFO) / Los Angeles (LAX). Customers seated in EconomyPlus, the equivalent to Delta’s Comfort+ cabin, received a complimentary meal onboard with a main course, side of fruit, and a small dessert. Passengers in regular economy class received no meals, but could purchase snacks and food onboard (a different menu).
Ancillary revenue from extra-leroom economy seats is a big deal, with transcon flights generally running up to $99 and longhaul flights costing up to double. Offering a small gesture like this that actually does not cost anything (since meals would have been distributed anyway) is a smart way to build brand loyalty.
CONCLUSION
If you’re flying in Comfort+ on Delta on a longhaul flight with meal service, look for an email or check the Delta app for a chance to pre-reserve meals between one week and 24 hours of travel. It’s a small step, but a smart one to build loyalty.
image: Delta Air Lines
last time DL “enhanced” Y meals, they downgraded their O cabin meals to economy
DL going to do the same thing here?
What does enhanced Y meals have to do with the O cabin which generally refers to Domestic first class? Delta’s domestic first class meals are for the most part pretty good especially if you preselect something off the expanded menu.
If you were referring to DPS, their DPS meals have gotten way better since they changed DPS from a regular “Y” or coach meal to what it is today and that change was made at the beginning of 2024 and it was a true upgrade from a standard coach meal to a premium meal at least for the first and pre-arrival meals.
Having said that I don’t understand the point in preselects for comfort+ when the options in comfort+ are the same as the options in main cabin and people in comfort+ already get first choice and there is no chance at all in Delta running out of meal options for those seated in comfort+. Also there is no expanded menu for those seated in comfort+ to choose from. I understand and I also use preselect when I fly Delta One, Domestic First Class and DPS but I don’t understand the point in preselect for comfort+ this seems more like smoke and mirrors where Delta is pretending to do something pretending to offer something when they are offering nothing at all when every passenger in comfort+ has meal options as they are served first. Whereas the passengers most likely in the last 10 rows of main cabin get the oh I’m sorry all we have left is the pasta or something like that.
I have noticed that DL’s longhaul economy meals generally have fewer “pieces” to the meal but larger portion sizes – which probably appeals to FAs because it takes less time to assemble the meal and also produces less waste.
I find DL’s economy meals to be on par w/ other western European airlines in terms of entree quality and generally above AA and UA.
YMMV.
and DL moved to upgrade Premium Select international meals I think last year and it is probably that initiative that gave them reason to do this. PS meals are markedly better than they were and are in some ways closer to Delta One than economy. PS has dedicated FAs now so DL is adding a lot of complexity to its international onboard service.
How often are you flying AA and UA economy on long haul flights? I wouldn’t have expected you to have many data points as to their Y catering…
Delta Diamond/360 for over 15 years here and anything other than Delta One food is an easy pass to me. Not worth the calories in my opinion. I flew international Premium Select a few months ago and confirmed I was not missing anything on their food so I can’t imagine anything decent on Comfort+. Also on coach, please stop serving that carb bomb called calzone by Delta. It is absolutely unhealthy and loaded with carbs. Sometimes simpler is better.
Haven’t tried it, but I’ll take your word for it!
Just did Premium Select to Tokyo, and the meal I had onboard would stack up well against nearly any Intl J offering. Can’t wait for my next trip back to Haneda in August.
Nice!
It is an added incentive to book comfort+ I suppose. I wish that there was an example of the choices though. It could be great or it could be a gimmick.
American main cabin extra left in the dark again.
FLY DELTA IF YOU LIKE OLD 7I7’S,757 AND 767’S.
CIELING COMPARTMENTS FALLING ON PASSENGERS HEADS.
DELTA HAS TO MAKE UP WIYH CARB HEAVY MEALS!
LIPSTICK ON A PIG!