Economy Comfort is “best fit” for Delta

Speaking at a press briefing in London today, Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s senior vice president Europe, Middle East and Africa, said that the soon-to-be-introduced Economy Comfort product was the “best fit” for the carrier. Delta announced the launch of the new upgraded economy seating earlier this month (see online news February 7), with the offering being installed on over 160 of its Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft over the next few months. The new seating offers greater legroom and recline, and is effectively identical to that launched by joint venture partner KLM last year, a move which will provide passengers with a more consistent offering on transatlantic joint venture routes between the two carriers. Fellow joint venture partner Air France has been rolling out a full premium economy product for its long-haul services, and when asked why Delta had not opted for this approach, Cantarutti said that the Economy Comfort product was the “best fit” for the carrier’s existing two-cabin service (as opposed to Air France’s economy, premium economy, business and first class offering). Cantarutti also said that the joint venture carriers would look at further product alignment, including seats, food and in-flight entertainment, in order to provide a consistent offering across the airlines. On the subject of consistency Cantarutti said that Delta had used its London Heathrow routes as a “pilot” for its fully flat business class offering, with all flights now featuring the BusinessElite product. The seat will be available on all of the carrier’s transatlantic widebody services by 2013. Delta will launch new flights from Heathrow to both Boston and Miami on March 27 – for more information see online news November 16, 2010. Visit delta.com. Report by Mark Caswell