Summary

• Delta Air Lines offers different classes of travel, including Basic Economy, Main Cabin, Delta Comfort+, Domestic First Class, Premium Select, and Delta One.
• Basic Economy is the cheapest fare class with fewer amenities and seat selection restrictions. Main Cabin offers advanced seat selection and other benefits.
• Delta Comfort+ provides extra legroom, priority boarding, and dedicated overhead bin space. Domestic First Class offers spacious seats and additional amenities like fine dining and expedited baggage service.

Airline cabins have greatly expanded from the days of just economy and first class. Today, carriers have several different classes and different seats depending on the aircraft and travel distance. Delta Air Lines has adopted this over the years, with three classes on international flights and two on domestic or regional flights. Here's the breakdown.

Basic economy

Basic economy is technically a fare class, not a different cabin. Booking the cheapest ticket means no checked bags, one carry-on, no cancelations, and no free seat selection until check-in. Amenities vary by distance, so expect meals and snacks on long-haul routes, but just soft drinks on domestic services.

Your seat will vary significantly depending on where you're flying, but is the same as every other economy class passenger's seat. On regional CRJ-200/700/900, expect a tighter 2-2 layout, a standard 3-3 on the mainline narrowbodies like the 737, and 2-3-2 or 3-3-3 on widebodies like the A350 or A330neo.

Across the fleet, you can expect to get 30" to 32" of pitch on all planes, from the CRJ-900s to the A350-900s. It's certainly not the most, but it's in line with the competition as well.

Main Cabin

Delta's Main Cabin experience is a step up from basic economy, as it allows you to choose where you sit in advance. You'll also get benefits like earlier boarding, free date changes, and advance seat assignments (except Preferred and Comfort+ seats).

For a small fee, passengers can also choose a Preferred Seat. These are typically located near the front of the plane, or in emergency exit rows, which offer more legroom.

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Delta Comfort+

Booking a Delta Comfort+ ticket is where the added extras really start to kick in. For example, this class of travel gets you priority boarding. Furthermore, once you're onboard the aircraft, you'll have a seat that reclines up to 50% further than standard Main Cabin seats and offers up to four inches more legroom. Comfort+ seats are located at the right of the front of the economy cabin on all of Delta's aircraft.

Comfort+ passengers are allocated dedicated overhead bin space to keep their belongings conveniently close. This is always a welcome relief on busy flights when such space is at a premium. Early boarding also means skipping the dreaded gate check, allowing you to take your carry-on all the way to the destination.

On long-haul international flights, in addition to a sleep kit, passengers are also given an amenity kit. This contains useful items such as eyeshades, earplugs, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.

Domestic First Class

On domestic aircraft, Delta offers two cabins: Main Cabin and First. Hard product-wise, the First cabin is laid out in a 2-2 configuration. Each seat features a leather recliner, and Delta's newest A321neos even have seat dividers and pod-style privacy guards.

You'll also benefit from accelerated check-in, security, and baggage handling. You'll have a spacious seat with up to eight inches of extra legroom, a pre-set pillow, an in-seat power port, and an entertainment screen of up to 13 inches. This is typically the best cabin on Delta's narrowbodies, although certain Boeing 757s are fitted with the luxurious Delta One product.

Complimentary drinks, snacks, and fine dining meal options are available on all flights, as well as more personalized service. On arrival at your destination, an expedited baggage service ensures that you get your luggage first. Particularly on longer hops, these various aspects can make first class worth the upgrade.

Read more: How to upgrade your next Delta flight

Delta Premium Select

Better known as premium economy, Premium Select is offered on Delta's widebodies, and got a perky upgrade in 2022. The seats are fairly similar to the domestic first class seats, with leather recliners, 13" entertainment screens, and an adjustable legrest.

You might like: Which US airline has the best premium economy?

Fine dining meal options are served on premium flatware for an enhanced experience. You'll receive a complimentary Tumi amenity kit with Malin & Goetz travel essentials, socks, eyeshades, a hand cleansing towelette, and more. On long-haul flights, this can represent an excellent compromise for those who want more comfort than economy class without having to pay for lie-flat seats.

Delta One

Sitting at the top of the hierarchy in terms of Delta's classes of travel, the top-tier service on international and select domestic long-haul flights is Delta One. The airline's flagship business class product has plenty of benefits on the ground, like access to Sky Clubs and priority access through check-in and security.

Onboard, you can stretch out on the 180-degree lie-flat seats, with a duvet and soft pillows, all enclosed in a pod with a door. The seat has been rated as one of the best in the US, and with solid service and meal selections out of its hubs, it has quickly become a fan favorite (assuming you can pick up the tab!).

Which Delta classes have you sampled? How do they compare to the carrier's competitors? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!