How many first-class seats?! Delta's new plane has wildest configuration yet
When life gives you lemons ... install more first-class seats. At least, that's what Delta Air Lines' philosophy seems to be with its newest plane.
Later this month, the carrier plans to launch service on an aircraft sporting one of its wildest configurations yet: a whopping 44 first-class seats.
First class on this Airbus A321neo is so big that the front cabin practically reaches the over-wing emergency exits.
Check out the photo below. Every seat you see between here and that first bulkhead is first-class.
It's easily one of Delta's most premium-focused jets yet, and it will take off this spring and summer from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to some of its top West Coast markets.
But this wasn't actually supposed to happen.
A very premium 'plan B'
Delta had planned for these A321neos to get lie-flat seats as part of a true international-style business class.
In fact, that's still the plan.
But those Delta One suites still aren't certified for this aircraft, and the Atlanta-based carrier had several of these jets just sitting in storage out in the desert for more than a year.
So, instead of keeping its brand-new airplanes grounded, Delta over the last year concocted a temporary solution that produced one of the more luxe backup plans imaginable.
In place of lie-flat pods, the carrier jammed the aircraft full of standard domestic first-class recliners.
Arranged in the typical 2-2 configuration, these 44 seats span an unprecedented 11 rows of the plane.
For context, most similar planes that Delta currently flies have five rows of first-class seats.
When I stepped on board, I was taken aback at the sheer size of the cabin — and I say that as someone who has written about this aircraft for months and literally flew to Atlanta to see it.
Behind first class, the carrier's extra-legroom Comfort section is a little smaller than similar A321neos flying today.
Meanwhile, the regular economy seats take up a mere third of the on-board real estate.
Delta's Airbus A321neo seating comparison
| Cabin | Current Airbus A321neos | New premium-heavy configuration |
|---|---|---|
First-class | 20 recliners (five rows) | 44 recliners (11 rows) |
Comfort | 60 seats | 54 seats |
Main Cabin | 114 seats | 66 seats |
Total seats on board | 194 | 164 |
How will the first-class service stack up?
Now to the big lingering question frequent Delta first-class flyers may rightly ask: How will the service stack up in a first-class cabin that's this enormous?
Time will tell, but Delta said it's adding a fifth flight attendant to these aircraft and plans to staff three of those cabin crewmembers up in first-class. Usually, on the A321neo, one or two crewmembers work up front.
And, yes, there will be hot meals on these flights; the carrier added an extra oven to the front galley.
Delta spent months running tests with flight attendants on its inflight meal service, including arranging 44 chairs to simulate a faux first-class cabin, according to Michael Steinfeld, the carrier's head of on-board product.
"Trialing boarding, trialing predeparture service," he told me. "All those core components that the customers are used to are still here. The challenge is around, 'How do we execute it with the flight attendants that we have?'"
Which routes will Delta's new A321neo fly?
The first real test will be on May 20, when Delta puts this neo into service on flights from ATL to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
By summer, Delta will have six of these planes in the air, and a seventh by fall — all based out of its Atlanta home.
You'll see the aircraft on the following routes:
- ATL to LAX: three times daily at peak
- ATL to San Francisco International Airport (SFO): twice daily
- ATL to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA): twice daily
- ATL to San Diego International Airport (SAN): once daily
These are routes where the carrier believes it has the premium demand to fill a first-class cabin this massive. If it doesn't, the free space could open up the door to more Medallion elite status upgrades — a plus considering how Delta's complimentary upgrades have dwindled in recent years.
Bottom line
Even if those upgrades start clearing more frequently on this jet, SkyMiles members shouldn't get too attached to this cabin.
Once the Federal Aviation Administration certifies Delta One suites for these planes, they will head back to the shop for maintenance. The plan is to eventually reconfigure and replace the domestic first-class seats with lie-flat seats.
In the meantime, all eyes will be on how this creative "temporary" solution shakes out for the peak summer schedule — a plan B that's the latest sign of the airline industry's headfirst dive into high-end seats.
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