Delta Takes Delivery of First Airbus A321neo

Delta has taken delivery of its first A321neo, which is an exciting week for the airline. There are some interesting implications for the passenger experience.

Delta gets first of 155 Airbus A321neos

Delta has marked an exciting milestone for its narrow body fleet renewal, as the airline has taken delivery of its very first A321neo:

• Delta has ordered a total of 155 Airbus A321neos, in addition to the carrier’s 127 Airbus A321ceos, meaning the carrier’s entire A321 fleet will eventually consist of 282 aircraft
• Delta expects to take delivery of 26 A321neos in 2022, with all A321neos to be delivered by 2027
• While Delta has taken delivery of its first A321neo, the jet won’t enter service until May 2022, so it won’t be flying passengers for the next several weeks

The previous version of the A321 is the same size as the A321neo. The jet is 20% more fuel efficient, which means that the plane has more range. The progress that aircraft manufacturers have made with fuel efficiency is great for airlines, passengers, and the environment.

The new engine option stands for "new engine option" and is the main reason for the added efficiency.

The gap between Delta's A321neo deliveries and A321neo deliveries is small. The A321neo is the same aircraft as the A321ceos that Delta has been taking delivery of all the way through December 2021. The airline is taking delivery of the more efficient version of the jet. Delta's current A321 fleet is an average of three years old.

The Delta Airbus A321neo passenger experience

What should passengers expect when travelling with Delta? The planes will have more seats than the current A321s. You can expect that.

• 20 first class seats
• 42 extra legroom economy seats (Comfort+)
• 132 economy seats

The planes will have high-speed Viasat wi-fi, seatback entertainment, and power at every seat. This is the first real innovation we've seen to domestic first class seats within the United States in a while, and I'm excited to experience this. This looks similar to Turkish Airlines' A321neo business class, but not as large.

Delta has nicer cabins on narrow body aircraft than American and United. Delta's trick is that it puts TVs at every seat and makes the cabins look cool, but from an efficiency standpoint, Delta crams in seats, much like American.

American's A321neos have only two more seats than Delta's planes. Delta has fewer seats than American, but the A321neo has more seats than the previous version.

Bottom line

The first of 155 A321neo aircraft was delivered by Delta. Delta will be able to operate many routes with lower costs because of the fuel efficient A321neo plane. Delta will be introducing new first class seats on the A321neos, so there will be a new passenger experience to look forward to. The jets will enter service in May.

What do you think about Delta's new A321neos?