Some Delta Air Lines passengers will soon spot a new first class seat on board. As the A321neo joins the fleet starting later in 2020 the carrier will introduce a brand new design for the premium cabin on board, with better privacy, more space and other benefits.
The new seats were designed in partnership with Factory Design and Recaro from the ground up, using passenger feedback and other considerations. Among the elements included in the design, the companies highlight:
- Increased privacy without reducing seat width
- A larger tray table, including 25% more workspace
- A dramatic increase in storage compared to the A321ceo seat
- Power port that face the customer (seen in the literature pocket of the rendering above)
- Memory foam cushioning for increased comfort.
Growing Delta’s in-house IFE solution
Also key to the A321neo seats will be the in-house Delta Flight Products inflight entertainment system. The embedded in-seat screens are fed by a wireless data connection rather than cabling, helping to reduce aircraft weight and ease some installation and certification complexities. A similar product first flew on the company’s A220s starting in early 2019. The A330neo new deliveries and 767-400 retrofit also include an “evolved” version of the system. Extending it to the A321neo fleet furthers Delta’s efforts to bring its IFE experience fully in-house. The company did not specify a screen size but the renderings show what appears to be an oversized offering for passengers.
Inflight connectivity will is likely to be delivered on the Gogo 2Ku platform, keeping that deployment in line with the rest of the Delta fleet. (Note: This line was updated after publication to reflect that neither party has confirmed the decision; it is still the expected outcome from PaxEx.Aero)
Delta holds firm orders for 100 A321neo planes and options on 100 additional aircraft. Delivery timing remains somewhat soft right now as Airbus continues to work through production delays. Other carriers such as JetBlue, Aer Lingus, and American Airlines saw fewer deliveries than expected in 2019. Expectations for 2020 are tempered knowing these challenges continue.
The new cabin design is short-listed for a Crystal Cabin Award. Winners for that event will be announced at a ceremony in Hamburg this April.
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Nice to see something unique for a change in the domestic US first class market. Hard to tell from the photos if these seats will have traditional or fixed shell recline.
Nice to see something unique for a change in the domestic US first class market. Hard to tell from the photos if these seats will have traditional or fixed shell recline.