Quick Review: Seat 26E on Delta’s A321

In September, I booked a relatively last-minute Delta award ticket from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sioux Falls (FSD) for a funeral. One of the better-priced options to Sioux Falls was an LAX-Atlanta-FSD trip. Sure, it’s not as quick as flying LAX-MSP-FSD. But it earned more MQM and the price was cheaper by at least 10,000 miles. (And would get me there in time for the funeral. But, of course, drama ensued at the car rental desk. But my hotel was great and its staff absolutely fantastic.)

Because I booked the trip so late (especially one between Delta hubs, one of them being Atlanta) none of the Comfort+ exit row seats from LAX to ATL were available. So I picked an available seat that looked interesting: 26E.

Seat 26 on the Delta A321

The starboard (or right, if you’re facing the front of the plane) row 26 on Delta’s A321 used to have massive amounts of legroom. They were positioned behind an exit door.

But then Delta added an extra row of 2 seats in front of it during the past couple of years. That became the “new” row 26, and Delta shifted some other rows around. Row 26 features extra legroom and is considered a preferred seat.

I was curious about two important issues (at least, for me):

• How much legroom is available
• Underseat storage

I traveled with only my Travelpro Maxlite 4 rollaboard and Nomad Lane Bento Bag. So I didn’t check either. I needed overhead bin storage for the suitcase and underseat storage for my Bento Bag.

The flight was packed. First, it was a flight between two Delta hubs: Los Angeles and Atlanta. Secondly, the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears played the night before. And a bunch of fans flew out that day. I was slightly nervous because row 26 is near flight attendant jump seats. So that means safety equipment and flight attendant luggage (usually) occupy nearby overhead bins.

Thank goodness my Medallion status gives me Sky Priority boarding. (Though on most flights to/from Atlanta, it seems like there are more Sky Priority passengers than there are seats on a plane! 🙂 ) Bins started filling up shortly after that (probably about the time Main Cabin 1 passengers boarded).

How was the seat?

There was plenty of legroom. This is a picture of my legs stretched out — and I was slumped down a little. (For reference, I’m a little over 6’1.”)

And my Bento Bag fit perfectly under the seat in the row ahead.

Technically, 26E is a middle seat. But there’s no 26F.

So I had plenty of room to my right. (Which was nice because the gentleman next to me was broad-shouldered — like me — and kept his arms crossed while he slept the entire flight.)

Also worth noting: because it’s an exit row, the IFE and tray table are in the armrest. So you lose a little bit of seat width.

There’s a lavatory across the aisle. That’s an advantage if like having a bathroom nearby. But if you don’t (people hanging out, interesting odors, doors slamming, etc), you may want to avoid this area.

Final Approach

I’d definitely sit in row 26 again! Because both sides feature a 2-2 configuration, it’s a great option for people traveling together (couples, colleagues, siblings, friends, neighbors, whatever). I liked seat 26E because I had underseat storage (there’s none on the other side, FYI, because of the lav) and a generous amount of legroom.