Hello from Florida, as I’ve just completed the return portion of our winter ski trip to Niseko. After flying All Nippon Airways’ A380 first class and Hawaiian Airlines’ 787 first class, I finished off my trip by flying Delta Air Lines’ A321neo first class on the 4hr10min flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL).
I’ll be publishing a full review of this flight soon (it was an eventful redeye flight, with an extended medical emergency and a near diversion to El Paso — Vasu Raja would’ve been proud), but in this post I want to focus on one specific thing — Delta’s new domestic first class seat.
In 2022, Delta launched a new domestic first class seat, which is available on all A321neo aircraft. I hadn’t flown in this seat up until now, and had heard mixed reviews, so wanted to experience it for myself.
In this post:
I’m impressed by Delta’s A321neo first class seat
Ultimately we haven’t seen all that much innovation in “standard” domestic first class, given that airlines aren’t willing to increase the footprint of seats. That being said, Delta’s A321neo first class delivers some noticeable incremental improvements.
For one, I have to say that the cabin looks super snazzy, which is a combination of the general features of the A321neo Airspace cabin, plus Delta’s interiors having more interesting finishes than on most other airlines. The seats also look modern and futuristic. It certainly gives a different impression than you’d get if flying American’s A321neo, for example.
So, what’s actually better about Delta’s A321neo first class seats? A few things stand out…
The seats have a small partition of sorts between them, in addition to “wings” along the sides of the fixed headrest. Not only does this offer some privacy, but it’s also nice to be able to rest your head against this, if you’re looking to sleep. Admittedly if you’re traveling with someone, it might get in the way of your direct line of sight if you’re not leaning forward, but I don’t think that’s a huge deal.
Seats also have a little more storage than you’ll typically find in domestic first class. Underneath the center armrest there’s a bit of storage, including a bottle holder.
There’s also a large storage area at the front of seats and in the center. Now, I’m not sure I fully understand the practical use for this, as the space isn’t that deep or wide, but it goes quite high. What exactly is one supposed to be able to put here?
While minor, I also like where the power ports are located. They’re not hidden underneath some panel or under the center console, but rather they’re at the back corner of the seat, and are easy to access. Each seat has two USB-A outlets, plus an AC power outlet. It’s disappointing that there are no USB-C outlets, and there aren’t wireless chargers either (though I find those to be a gimmick anyway).
Each seat also has a 10″ personal television with bluetooth audio. The screen quality is excellent, and the entertainment selection huge. While I’m not as TV-obsessed as some others (and I actually don’t value it much if there’s functional Wi-Fi), there’s no denying a cabin just looks nicer when it has new and shiny TVs.
Delta also claims that the tray tables at these seats are 25% larger than on older aircraft, and are sturdier. While I’m not sure I would’ve noticed the larger size without it specifically being promoted, I did notice how sturdy the tray tables were.
The challenge with Delta’s new first class seat
At least for domestic first class, the “big three” US carriers aren’t actually willing to increase the footprint of seats. Unlike lie flat seats with footwells, you can only get so creative with increasing seat comfort, without using more space.
Just about everyone agrees that Delta’s new first class seats look nice, and that the added features are cool, in theory. But I’ve also heard a lot of people say that these seats feel tight, and that they’re unnecessarily bulky and almost feel cluttered.
You have so many extra things — the “wings,” the partition between seats, the huge storage compartment in the center, etc. — and ultimately that all takes up quite a bit of space. Delta doesn’t exactly have industry leading seat pitch in first class, and on top of that, Delta first class seats recline quite a bit.
So when you add up all those factors, you might feel a little stuck or claustrophobic between all the new gadgets. For example, when you try to get up from the window seat (especially if the seat in front is reclined), you have a really tight space to navigate through, and it’s easy to bump into that center storage area, and more.
Personally, I think the new seat has some nice incremental improvements, and I prefer it to Delta’s previous generation first class seats. However, I’d consider the improvements to be minor incremental ones, rather than revolutionary.
Bottom line
I finally had the chance to fly Delta’s new A321neo first class, and it includes some cool updates. We haven’t seen much of an evolution with domestic first class seats over the years, though this definitely has some cool new features we haven’t seen before. The challenge is that without seat pitch increasing, these bells and whistles almost take away from the sense of spaciousness, and make the seats feel tighter.
What’s your take on Delta’s A321neo first class seats?
This looks to me like some of the recent Premium Economy seat roll-outs on other airlines. Especially the wings.
The cramped pitch reminds me of the here today, gone tomorrow Premium Economy perches Air NZ put into 777s some years ago. The seats immediately attracted criticism for several reasons, not least their cramped pitch. The airline responded initially by removing an entire row and boosting the pitch of the rest.
Then they soon...
This looks to me like some of the recent Premium Economy seat roll-outs on other airlines. Especially the wings.
The cramped pitch reminds me of the here today, gone tomorrow Premium Economy perches Air NZ put into 777s some years ago. The seats immediately attracted criticism for several reasons, not least their cramped pitch. The airline responded initially by removing an entire row and boosting the pitch of the rest.
Then they soon saw demand exceeding supply and tossed the entire new cabin for one with a larger number of completely new seats.
Just face it, even if a US airline were perfect, it would be bitched about and the slightest irrelevant details would be picked apart and frowned upon. The US based airlines will be compared to the airlines with bottomless pockets and government support. They’ll never win over the American traveler. So why bother reviewing these airlines over & over & over?
CRS, please be advised that the American airline passenger is not the only world traveler. Not all followers of Ben’s blog are inwardly thinking US citizens, many like Ben, actively seek new experiences with international airlines. Many, many readers appreciate this approach and are enriched by Ben’s reviews and experiences.
‘Every day is a school day’, we can all choose educate ourselves, or not, as the case may be. Surely even you would agree...
CRS, please be advised that the American airline passenger is not the only world traveler. Not all followers of Ben’s blog are inwardly thinking US citizens, many like Ben, actively seek new experiences with international airlines. Many, many readers appreciate this approach and are enriched by Ben’s reviews and experiences.
‘Every day is a school day’, we can all choose educate ourselves, or not, as the case may be. Surely even you would agree that this blog would be an extremely dull offering if Ben only featured US carriers, yes?
Interesting hearing the differences between Jeb Brooks' review vs this review
I'm surprised you didn't mention how uncomfortable they are, they have NO padding, I much prefer the older seats.
What people fail to realize is that Delta is #1 in seat stiffness. And United will be #2 forever. And United executives love to talk how stiff they are, when the reality is that they shouldn’t have to be talking if they had real stiffness to show.
I have a flown several times on the A321neo from LAX to MSP and LAX to ATL. Both were red eye flights. Agree with the review. The seats are not very comfortable and could use some additional seat padding. And when the seat in front is reclined, it feels very tight. I hope Delta makes some refinements as they roll out these new seats on other aircraft.
"For example, when you try to get up from the window seat (especially if the seat in front is reclined), you have a really tight space to navigate through, and it’s easy to bump into that center storage area, and more."
I'm only 5'3" and this is exactly my experience.
Are they harder than AA’s domestic F seat? Hard to believe.
Echoing many of the other comments, these seats look really cool in photos but not so great in practice. The window seat feels quite hemmed in.
Delta calls these first class on A321? then how the business class looks like
I've flown it once. I think DL took the mindset of trying to make the seat as much like a suite as it could in existing footprint. I found the window seat a bit claustrophobic especially trying to eat a meal with the person in front of me reclined all the way to the stop. I have the same complaint on that ratio of recline to seat space on United's new A321neo (in addition to...
I've flown it once. I think DL took the mindset of trying to make the seat as much like a suite as it could in existing footprint. I found the window seat a bit claustrophobic especially trying to eat a meal with the person in front of me reclined all the way to the stop. I have the same complaint on that ratio of recline to seat space on United's new A321neo (in addition to having basically zero usable underseat storage space for anything larger than a small messenger bag or a purse).
For a transcon, I'd still rather have seats like Alaska with more legroom. That's just my personal preference. I agree the screens on DL (and UA) are nice and make the cabin look sharp, plus the bluetooth capability is just one more thing to not have to worry about taking off or unplugging when you let your window seat neighbor out. I personally don't use them for anything other than the flight map which with the points of interest that they have as a feature on the latest map display (that has a blurb about some random church or courthouse you're flying over - or in the case of my town, as I finally saw on a recent UA flight, a note about being the hometown of Food Lion). Combined with wifi and wikipedia I end up down one of those rabbit holes for half the flight. So I guess maybe the TV does help provide me entertainment...
I think the floor cubby is for shoes.
The glaring omission from your typically comprehensive reporting is the bulkhead seats in this new config - they are so jammed forward that you have less legroom than in economy. Seriously, I can't stretch my legs any more than 90 degrees. It is the worst in any domestic configuration. Avoid bulkhead at all costs.
I'm amazed that Delta flies nonstop between Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale. Who is taking that route? Delta has tried making Miami a quasi-hub. FLL doesn't make a lot of sense.
DL has long been the largest legacy carrier at FLL and more recently at LAX.
They have flown LAX to most of the big Florida cities for years.
And they have so far not chosen to take on AA on LAX-MIA w/ more than a token flight per day at most.
FLL has quite the DL frequent flyer base. Honestly of all the airlines at FLL, Delta has about the best set up that's the least frustrating for a frequent flyer. I'd argue the Sky Club there has some of the best club agents I've encountered at any airline since TWA. One of those places I walked in several years after moving away and was greeted by name as I came in the door. I think...
FLL has quite the DL frequent flyer base. Honestly of all the airlines at FLL, Delta has about the best set up that's the least frustrating for a frequent flyer. I'd argue the Sky Club there has some of the best club agents I've encountered at any airline since TWA. One of those places I walked in several years after moving away and was greeted by name as I came in the door. I think DL could make some more one-off routes work from FLL but doesn't have the peak space for it.
While DL is quite large at MIA, it still sort of amazes me how different a market FLL and MIA are from one another. Most people adamantly use one airport versus the other. I chalk the FLL-LAX up to servicing that particular customer base. I would imagine it does quite well for Delta.
One would like to suggest an observation which need to be submitted for consideration:
Many believe that this type seat cannot be categorised as “First Class”. Premium economy or business at best, therefore, just another example that the likes of AA are being unrealistic using such a class designation.
Additional pitch or seat width hardly constitutes such a misleading classification.
I think I would miss the leg room under the seat in front by having this new storage area. It was always wide enough to put a small satchel in the middle and still have room for big feet.
I recently flew on this plane type RT LAX-Tampa in comfort plus or whatever Delta calls it. At 6'1" I found the legroom to be acceptable - when the person in front of me reclined the seat didn't jam into my knees and I was still able to work on my laptop. The entertainment selection was pretty good and the seats reasonably comfortable. The best seats in the cabin might be the "bulkhead" comfort+ seats...
I recently flew on this plane type RT LAX-Tampa in comfort plus or whatever Delta calls it. At 6'1" I found the legroom to be acceptable - when the person in front of me reclined the seat didn't jam into my knees and I was still able to work on my laptop. The entertainment selection was pretty good and the seats reasonably comfortable. The best seats in the cabin might be the "bulkhead" comfort+ seats up against the mid-cabin lavatory. These seats were a heck of a lot better than what AA has on comfort+ on their A321s between LAX and HNL.
I agree, (were we on the same flight ? LOL) DL's comfort plus is quite nice for the modest (to me anyway) price up.
This is why I think Alaska has the best domestic first class recliner seats in the US. On recliner seats, nothing's more premium than the space itself. Alaska has 41" pitch vs 37" of Delta. 4" makes a huge difference. I'd rather take the bigger 41" seat without a monitor than all the bells and whistles in the tight 37" seat.
Alaska also has a footrest and even a leg rest on the latest seats. Not any other US airlines offer these comfort features in the same class.
I am usually a DL flyer but I am looking forward to TPA-SAN on AS in F. I've heard good things and you have reinforced that. Thanks.
And if I may add which has nothing to do with your reviews, but how is your mom doing along with your family? I haven't forgotten about them since you last mentioned them around the holidays. I hope your mom is taking things day by day cherishing every moment despite the circumstances.
These seats are uncomfortable. I've done about 20 transcend in the Delta a321 and I hate these seats. The cushions are too thin, and there is not enough leg room, I am 5'11". I usually chose seat 1D if I can, the pitch is way too tight to sit in the seats behind that with someone reclining into you. The sacrifice is no foot room in the front row. I can't wait for the new...
These seats are uncomfortable. I've done about 20 transcend in the Delta a321 and I hate these seats. The cushions are too thin, and there is not enough leg room, I am 5'11". I usually chose seat 1D if I can, the pitch is way too tight to sit in the seats behind that with someone reclining into you. The sacrifice is no foot room in the front row. I can't wait for the new 321 transcons with D1 in them, can't come soon enough. Meanwhile, Delta if you are listening those seats need 3" more pitch minimum to be comfortable. If you're gonna call it first class a pillow for lumbar support would be nice. After 2 red eyes in these never again, I sacrifice my Skymiles to fly in Mint on red eyes from the west coast if I can and I've also taken an extra stop through LAX to fly D1 on the 757 instead.
It has been widely communicated that the seat cushions are being replaced.
Didn't anyone sit on those seat cushions before they were purchased and installed?
Flown this plane dozens of times cross country and hadn’t ever noticed the seat being too firm, I guess that is my preference. I’ll take a firm seat over a worn out cushion any day.
My biggest complaint is when the person in front reclines. Almost lost a laptop screen or two with how tight it is. I’d prefer a little less recline to maintain a bit more space in front of me.
But I’ll add otherwise a huge fan of the seat. Does feel very private especially with the rows staggered slightly
How would you compare this seat to the Collins Air Rest on your recent CX A321neo flight?
Any reason you chose this, just for review purposes? I thought you preferred MIA over FLL? And AA offers widebody lieflats occasionally on this route. And JetBlue has Mint on LAX-FLL.
I think one of his parents are FLL area -
Didn't take the kid... probably needed to collect the kid from Grandma
I didn't realize all the negativity in regards to this product. I flew it for the first time a few weeks ago and really liked it (but the seats are definitely hard). The most underrated part of the A321 is the bathroom in the middle, between First and Comfort+. I found it to be much more spacious, and it's so nice not having people walk up through the cabin constantly to use the bathroom in the front.
Not a fan of the seat.
The absolute worst seats for comfort. They are rock hard, akin to sitting on a park bench. It’s amazing no one tested these before launch (at least I hope that’s the reason, because if they did…).
The biggest issue with the seats is the lack of seat padding. You really notice it on longer flights, and I really can’t believe no one tested these thoroughly enough to notice.