Delta adds international premium economy section

By Kelly Yamanouchi

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Delta Air Lines announced it is adding a new premium economy section on some of its international flights, charging an extra fee for more legroom and space to recline.

For a fee of $80 to $160 each way on top of the fare, passengers will get seats with up to four inches of extra legroom, beyond the roughly 31 inches of pitch in international economy. They also will get 50 percent more recline than regular international economy seats. Passengers in the new section, which Delta calls "economy comfort," also will be able to board early and get free alcoholic beverages during the flight.

Atlanta-based Delta said it will offer the premium seats in the first few rows of economy class on all of its long-haul routes later this year, including trans-oceanic routes and flights to South America. The seats will be sold starting in May for flights this summer.

Not everyone will have to pay extra for the seats. The airline's elite frequent fliers at the top two tiers -- platinum and diamond -- will get into the section for free, along with their companions. Passengers who pay the highest economy fare also will get complimentary access. Elite frequent fliers at the gold and silver levels will get discounts on the economy comfort fee.

The move to add a premium economy section is similar to offerings on some international carriers, including Delta's joint-venture partner Air France-KLM, as well as Chicago-based United Airlines.

Airlines compete heavily for revenue from travelers in business class on international flights, offering lie-flat seats and other high-end amenities. While Delta's premium economy is a far cry from that, it offers an option for travelers who are not willing to pay thousands of dollars more for the front of the cabin but who still want more room.

"It's a smart move," said Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst with Forrester Research. The new offering is "focused on rewarding [Delta's] top customers' loyalty and generating some needed revenue."

Delta said it is spacing out a section of seats into an economy comfort configuration on more than 160 planes, including its Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft.

Meanwhile, the airline also is installing more flat-bed seats in its BusinessElite section on international flights and said it will offer full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite on all of its international flights on wide-body aircraft by 2013.

The changes are part of Delta's $2 billion investment in its aircraft, airports and services through 2013.