Delta Air Lines has just increased its Airbus A321neo aircraft order even further, with a firm order for an additional 30 planes.
In this post:
Delta now has 155 A321neos on order
Delta has just firmed up an order for an additional 30 Airbus A321neos, bringing the Atlanta-based carrier’s total A321neo order to 155 aircraft. This follows the airline increasing its A321neo order from 120 to 155 aircraft back in April 2021.
The Atlanta-based carrier previously had purchase options for all of these planes, but has only now finalized the order. Delta still has purchase options for an additional 70 A321neos, meaning the airline could eventually order 225 of these planes.
Delta will take delivery of its first A321neo in the first half of 2022, and those deliveries will continue through 2027. What’s interesting is that while other airlines are already taking delivery of the A321neo (and A321LR, for that matter), Delta is currently still taking delivery of “last generation” A321s.
On the surface it seems like an odd strategy, since the plane is outdated in terms of fuel efficiency and range the second the airline takes delivery of it. Presumably the contract for those was signed before A321neo production started, though often these deals can be negotiated. At a minimum, I suspect Delta got a great deal on these planes.
What to expect from Delta’s A321neos
The biggest benefit of the A321neo over the previous generation A321 is that it’s more fuel efficient and longer range. For example, the A321neo is 12% more fuel efficient than the previous version of the A321, so that’s fantastic.
Delta’s A321neos will feature a total of 194 seats, including 20 first class seats, 42 Comfort+ seats, and 132 economy seats. As a point of comparison, American’s A321neos feature a total of 196 seats, including 20 first class seats, 47 Main Cabin Extra seats, and 129 economy seats. So the capacity isn’t significantly different there.
The A321neo will also be the aircraft on which Delta’s new domestic first class seat debuts, which will feature a bit more privacy, for better or worse.
As you’d expect, the A321neo will feature personal televisions and power ports at every seat, plus high speed Wi-Fi. Personally I prefer Airbus narrow body aircraft to Boeing competitors, given that the seats are slightly wider.
The A321neo will be used primarily on domestic flights, and will largely replace Delta’s huge fleet of Boeing 757-200s and 757-300s, which are used for similar flights (though Delta also has some premium configured 757-200s, used for premium transcon and transatlantic flights).
Bottom line
Delta has increased its firm Airbus A321neo order by 30 aircraft, bringing the total to 155 aircraft. Delta will start taking delivery of the A321neo as of the first half of 2022, which is when the airline should stop taking delivery of previous generation A321s. Delta’s new domestic first class seat will also debut on the A321neo.
What do you make of Delta increasing its A321neo order?
The correct way to order a new a320 is through a great merger with American and Delta in New York City terminal 4 at Kennedy airport as well as 5.
Delta now almost seem Anti American.
Support American jobs by flying on American aircraft.
first, most A321s for US airlines are assembled in Mobile, Alabama.
second, aviation is global. The 787 has significant amount of parts that come from European suppliers. The 737 is the most "American airplane" but Boeing and General Electric won't allow Delta to overhaul the engines on the aircraft.
Delta's A321NEOs along with the A220/Bombardier C Series (many also assembled in Mobile) are powered by Pratt and Whitney Geared Turbofan engines which are...
first, most A321s for US airlines are assembled in Mobile, Alabama.
second, aviation is global. The 787 has significant amount of parts that come from European suppliers. The 737 is the most "American airplane" but Boeing and General Electric won't allow Delta to overhaul the engines on the aircraft.
Delta's A321NEOs along with the A220/Bombardier C Series (many also assembled in Mobile) are powered by Pratt and Whitney Geared Turbofan engines which are made in the USA. The engine is the most expensive part of any aircraft.
Pratt and Whitney as well as Rolls Royce have awarded service contracts to Delta not only to service all of the new aircraft engines it has on order but to also do that for other airlines throughout the Americas. Part of the lower cost to Delta for its aircraft on order is the maintenance revenue it will get from other airlines.
And note that Delta said the A321NEO is the most efficient and capable narrowbody available even apart from the engine maintenance advantage. Delta, like all businesses, ultimately buys what is in their best interest. There are far more US airlines flying or with the A321NEO on order than there are that have 737MAXs on order or in service. Even United and American have ordered NEOs in addition to their MAXs.
And Southwest is still the only large US airline that flies a completely Boeing built fleet - but from here on out will be only 737MAXs.
made in usa with made in usa engines which isnt actually true on the 737
Sounds more like Airbus Clearance sale! Just like car dealerships trying to clear inventory of current year models making room for new models. :)
I'm just happy that they will no longer buy from Boeing. A220, A321, A330, A350 will suit them for years.
DOT data shows that the value of latest generation domestic narrowbody aircraft usually do not overcome the higher acquisition price compared to the next previous generation in terms of fuel burn, esp. when upgauging to more seats per aircraft is also involved since fuel burn improvement for the 737MAX vs NG and the 320NEO family vs. the 320CEO family is only about 10-12% per seat.
Delta acquired end of the production line B737-900ERs and...
DOT data shows that the value of latest generation domestic narrowbody aircraft usually do not overcome the higher acquisition price compared to the next previous generation in terms of fuel burn, esp. when upgauging to more seats per aircraft is also involved since fuel burn improvement for the 737MAX vs NG and the 320NEO family vs. the 320CEO family is only about 10-12% per seat.
Delta acquired end of the production line B737-900ERs and A321CEOs because they were replacing 150-160 seat MD80s and 90s so they got a significant increase in efficiency by moving not just a single generation in engine technology but also by adding roughly 20-40 more seats per flight. In the same vein, Delta was able to justify the 110 seat B717's higher fuel burn relative to other narrowbodies because they were replacing 50 seat regional jets.
Delta also got much more acquisition deals on the A321CEOs and B737-900ERs than they could get on MAXs or NEOs.
It is also worth noting that, despite its massive refleeting, American still has hundreds of A321CEOs and 737NGs and United will have hundreds of NGs as well unless it uses alot more of its own massive order for fleet replacement than it has indicated. American and United also have higher percentages of 50 passenger regional jet aircraft.
It's also worth noting that Delta has the A220 which is highly fuel efficient while most other airlines including American and United do not have any new-generation small narrowbody in their fleets or on order.
The benefit from latest generation widebody aircraft is much greater because they fly further and carry more passengers than domestic aircraft which explains why Delta has been much more aggressive in replacing its older international aircraft including removing the 777 while American and United will be operating 777s with much lower fuel efficiency for at least another ten years, well beyond most other global passenger carriers.
The wide body aircraft death continues with reckless abandon ....
They will add lie flat seats to these planes
They need them for the transcon market
Also what are they going to do with the charters? The 757 has only 72 seats for their charter plane and those are approaching 30 years old.
Regarding the A321ceo order, Delta did the same thing with respect to the 737-900ER purchases. Both Boeing and Airbus need orders from the current generation of planes to tide them over while they ramp up next generation production. Thus, Delta has swooped in and gotten great deals from both companies. Yes, the current generation planes are less fuel efficient, but when the capital costs are lower, it makes up for the extra fuel expenses. It's a classic Delta move!
Delta looking to increase its capacity/plane size.
Smart move for efficiencies. This plane required the same number of FA's as 737's but seats 16 more.
Good for busy hubs, like LGA, ALT, and LAX