Why You Might Not Want to Sit in Row 12 on Some Delta Airbus Planes (Especially If You Have Kids Who Enjoy Looking Out the Window)

My colleague Matthew Klint at Live and Let’s Fly wrote a post about a young woman who bought a window seat — in the plane’s Comfort+ cabin, no less — only to discover her row had no windows.

Just by looking at the picture she posted, I knew the aircraft type and row number involved. Delta’s Airbus A321ceo (not the neo), row 12.

How do I know this?

My wife and I are parents to a seven-year-old who loves window seats (except for when she likes the middle seat so she can snuggle between Mom and Dad. 🙂 ).

A lot of our Delta flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and either Minneapols-St. Paul (MSP) or Atlanta (ATL) have been A321s.

We found out the hard way several years ago that row 12 on Delta’s A321s does not have windows in the 12A or 12F seats. Our daughter looked downright panicked as we got to row 12, seats D, E, and F, and discovered there was no window. (Remember, seemingly little things to adults can be major letdowns to kids.)

I used Delta’s free Wi-Fi to show her a virtual window using FlightRadar24 during take-off and landing. That was a little salve for the wound. Since then, we try to avoid that row like that plague, although we ended up there on our way home from the total solar eclipse in April. (We could probably go back to Main Cabin, but for as long as she actually keeps the window shade open, it’s probably not worth it. I mean, I’d jump in front of a train for my daughter. But when it comes to an extra few inches of legroom…)

The Pros and Cons of No Window in Your Row

If you’re someone who hates having the window shade open because it interrupts your work, sleep, or watching something on a screen, row 12 could be a great choice.

But steer clear of row 12 on Delta’s A321ceos if you love window seats. Maybe you like gazing out the window for fun — or need a window to keep you from getting claustrophobic.

Mr. Klint linked to aeroLOPA, an interesting seat map site that he finds accurate for displaying aircraft layouts.

Final Approach

If you like having a window at your seat — or even just your row — stay clear of row 12 on Delta’s A321ceo aircraft. This row is not equipped with one.