Comparing Delta One & Comfort+, Is Delta One Worth the Extra Cost?
On my recent trip to Amsterdam I flew Delta One on the way there and Comfort+ on the way back. I wrote about how I booked these flights in the past. I thought a post comparing Delta One & Comfort+ would be a beneficial post for our readers. Saving a few miles on the way home didn’t hurt either 😉. I am now prepared to say whether or not Delta One is worth the premium in price over Comfort+. My opinion is that it depends on which flight you take, let me explain further below.
The Difference in Price
The reason for even considering flying Comfort+, instead of Delta One, is because of the price difference. If they were the same cost then everyone would choose Delta One, obviously. So let’s take a deeper dive into that issue.
Virgin Atlantic Disclaimer
Let me start with a disclaimer, if you are transferring American Express Membership Rewards (MR) for the flight check Virgin Atlantic first. Flying Delta One only costs 50,000 Virgin Atlantic miles when booking on Delta. That price is assuming a direct flight of course. That is the same cost as saver awards for Comfort+ using Skymiles, unless there is a sale. If you are going to need to transfer MR points to Skymiles then remember to check partner airlines first. If partners are showing availability you might as well book Delta One for the same price Comfort+ would cost you.
When Only Using Skymiles
Now if there are no Virgin Atlantic awards showing (which is often) or you are using your stash of Skymiles the decision is not as easy. I paid 85,000 Skymiles to fly Delta One there and 50,000 Skymiles to return in Comfort+. Delta has since increased the Delta One price to 105,000 miles (most of the time). So the gap is widening, and the question is more difficult to answer. Is Delta One worth around 50,000 miles more?
Comparing the Two Flights
Before we can answer that all important question we must first compare the flights.
Seats
I am not going to spend much time here. Delta One is a lie flat bed.
Comfort+ gets you extra leg room.
Not hard to see the winner here, moving on!
Food
I flew Delta One on the evening flight and slept through breakfast so I only had dinner and the dessert. My Comfort+ flight was a day time flight so I received the full service. Neither meal was much to write home about.
Delta One Dinner
Comfort+ Lunch
Comfort+ Snack
The Delta One ice cream sundae dessert was probably the highlight of both meals. I grabbed a chocolate dipped brownie as well. They brought a dessert cart around with options to choose from. The main courses I selected were both pasta and they were pretty much the same. The presentation is of course a ton better in Delta One but overall I probably liked the food in Comfort+ a little better.
Service
Delta One will give you more hands on service. I got to speak with the purser of our flight quite a bit being in the first row. They use your name a lot of the time and there is better flight attendant to passenger ratio. I didn’t get to enjoy it a ton since we slept a big chunk of the flight but the difference is noticeable.
The service in Comfort+ was good as well and I got more frequent service if I am being honest. A big reason for that could be because it was a day time flight. The service is not very personable but you get it earlier and more often then regular economy.
Overall the service was good in both cabins. I didn’t need a ton of pampering on my 8 hour flight but if you want that personal touch then Delta One is the way to go.
My Overall Thoughts & Recommendation
In the beginning of the post I said that I think the recommendation depends on which flight you take. What I meant by that is that it depends on what time of day your flight is. If it is an overnight flight then I think Delta One is worth the extra cost. We landed well rested and we were able to enjoy the city the entire day even with the time change.
On the day time flight I didn’t really need to sleep so I was fine eating snacks and watching movies. The leg room was beyond adequate and the seat reclined a decent amount for comfort. I did try to nap for a bit without any success but I can almost never sleep sitting up.
If you are able to easily sleep sitting up then take the Comfort+ over Delta One even on evening flights because the experience is not worth almost double the price. That is my opinion at least. But if you are like me and can not sleep in a regular seat then I would say Delta One is worth the premium on overnight flights.
The game changer could be Delta’s newest plane, the Airbus A350. Aboard the A350 Premium Select seats (Comfort+ essentially) comes with the foot rest that may make sleeping easier. As far as I can tell the prices for those routes come at a premium compared to regular Comfort+.
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Any chance you know some site to check Delta One schedule? Im trying to use my Delta Reserve companion certificate (1st class/Delta One) for future travel from HNL to ATL in the past I was always able to book Delta One or 1st but normally opt for basic. This time due to COVID I want the extra separation, I checked flight everyday of the week and they don’t offer Delta 1 or even 1st class, very odd as the Delta Reserve warrants a 1st class Companion Ticket.
I don’t know of any. Only thing I can come up with is looking for specific days and looking for the bed icon on the flights. But that can be a pain for sure.
Don’t forget to check Air France/KLM for Delta flights. We paid 85K Sky-miles for Delta One Home From VCE. Couldn’t find any reasonable way to get to Italy, though. Then I checked Air France and found MSP -BRI for 73500 one way. Transferred the MR and booked. The fee was significantly lower than the cost to book the Skymiles, as well.
It’ll be Delta One to CDG, and AF J to. BRI. All for many fewer dollars and 25000 fewer miles than the trip home for two people.
That is another good place to look as well MickiSue. Sounds like a good trip upcoming, enjoy!