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Is Delta Air Lines going to a four-cabin product with its new A321neo aircraft? A purportedly leaked document displays such a configuration. And that leads us to wonder if Premium Select will soon be offered on domestic US flights.
Delta A321neo Seating Chart: Leaked?
Delta’s first A321neo arrived at the carrier’s Atlanta headquarters last week.
Airline Weekly’s Ed Russell posted the following Tweet:
Here are Delta’s two planned layouts for the A321neo: the standard domestic config above, and the new premium transcontinental config below. #paxex https://t.co/gzwqgyUuaP pic.twitter.com/aflRCqatK9
— Edward Russell (@ByERussell) March 28, 2022
Mr. Russell notes Delta “will configure 21 A321neos with 148 seats, including 16 Delta One lie-flat business class suites, according to a fleet guide shared with pilots on March 22 and viewed by Airline Weekly.”
He added that a Delta spokesperson declined to comment on the new layout.
So, assuming the leaked seating chart is genuine and accurate, things could get interesting on Delta’s US transcontinental routes.
Why?
Well, the mothership currently operates 767-400s and 767-300s on a few lines (i.e., LAX-JFK, SFO-JFK, etc.) The 767-400s feature the Delta One Suites and service. They also have Delta Premium Select seats for international flights — but those are marketed and treated as Comfort+ domestically.
Still following? Good.
The seats considered Comfort+ on international flights are considered Main Cabin on these domestic flights. (So, a few lucky passengers assigned to those rows get a couple of inches more legroom. But no free adult beverages.)
And the rest of Main Cabin is, well, Main Cabin.
Well, I’m officially concerned that Delta will switch to a four-cabin pricing scheme sometime this year.
Why is That Concerning?
Right now, Delta offers Basic Economy, Main Cabin, Comfort+, and Delta One on its prized transcontinental lines.
But Delta introducing a four-cabin domestic product would introduce a fifth pricing category: Delta Premium Select squeezed in between Comfort+ and Delta One.
That’s sort of a #FirstWorldProblem for Diamond and Platinum Medallion status members. They can upgrade to Comfort+ shortly after booking a trip. Likely gone will be the days of enjoying a Premium Select seat as Comfort+ on transcons. We’ll instead have to sit in the actual Comfort+ seats. (Oh, the humanity!)
This gets potentially even more interesting (interesting bad, not interesting good) when it comes to Regional Upgrade Certificates.
You may remember that Delta changed its Upgrade Certificate policy. Global Upgrade Certificates may now only be applied for confirmed one-cabin-higher upgrades. Regional Upgrade Certificates aren’t affected — even though some phone reps don’t yet know the score.
But if the A321neo is, indeed, marketed as a four-cabin product, big changes could be afoot. I wonder if Medallions will have to book Main Cabin and apply Regional Upgrade Certificates for Premium Select seats. Then hope they squeak into a Delta One upgrade.
Frankly, though, this isn’t surprising. Delta already introduced retrofitted 767-300s with four cabins.
I asked a Delta spokesperson for comment. That person told me there’s nothing new to share or announce right now.
I guess we’ll see.
What Do You Think?
Nothing’s yet been made official about the four-cabin configuration. But the West Coast-East Coast routes are so competitive. And Delta is known for its excellent onboard product. Do you think this will come to fruition? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section!
H/T: Eric
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Looks very impressive, how competition by leaking a small information, leads to lot of loss to the designers and benefit to the competitors.
If someone arrives in Los Angeles or New York on an international flight, Delta wants to keep them in the same class of service for their connecting domestic flight — at least between so-called premium markets. Basically, Boston, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and, occasionally, Seattle. With the new LATAM partnership and quasi-Miami hub, I don’t think it’s unreasonable that we could see a premium route between Miami and Seattle or Los Angele.
Additionally, I suppose equipping the new plane with premium economy allows Delta to also use it for international flights, depending on demands. I’m thinking about seasonal flights to Iceland; Ireland; Stockholm.
Personally, I’d prefer MORE Delta One seats or bigger lavatories, the latter of which are surprisingly cramped even on the A350. I flew the A350 twice last week between Detroit and Atlanta. I forgot how small the lavatories, even in Delta One, are on that particular aircraft.
@FNT Delta Diamond is right. I add that jetBlue has created a real problem with its Mint transcon service (and seasonal Caribbean service) with high-end service and lower fares. This, together with American’s 321T service, caused Delta to switch to wide-body service in the first place. Now, we’ll see something close to competition against
American and jetBlue.
I would be happy with Premium Select on transcon, if affordable and a lot cheaper than Delta One.
Other than the premium transcon routes out of JFK, the bulk of these four cabin A321NEOs will be replacing 757-200s currently used for Transatlantic services out of BOS and JFK. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if a few get out on to the West Coast for LAX-HNL service.
AMERICAN ALREADY OFFERS THIS ON THE A321T.
AA ORODUCT IS BETTER.
FIRST CLASS CABIN,BUSINESS CLASS CABIN AND COACH.
DELTA SEEMS TO FOLLOW ALOT OF WHAT MADE AA.
DELTA EVEN ATTEMPTED TO USE AA FLAGSHIP TERMINOLOGY.
PREMIUM CLUBS,ETC.
Delta’s product hasn’t even been formally introduced to the flying public, so I don’t think it’s possible to declare one better than the other yet. But what a great excuse to try both!
Delta should be worried about cannibalizing Delta One revenue, especially when business travel post-pandemic is going to be reduced due to Zoom. I’m not going to buy Delta One for a flight under 7-8 hours, especially a daytime flight or a flight with odd flight times that makes sleep impossible.