In early 2022, Delta Air Lines took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo. The airline has 155 of these planes on order, which will be delivered through 2027. The airline has been taking delivery of these jets quickly, and Delta’s active A321neo fleet is now approaching 75 aircraft.
This is a great addition to Delta’s fleet — the A321neo has fantastic range and economics, and Delta offers a good passenger experience onboard, including a new first class seat.
The exciting thing is that Delta is expected to introduce an even more premium configuration of the A321neo in the near future. I last covered this at the beginning of the year, but want to provide an update — Delta has now taken delivery of five of these aircraft, but none of them are flying…
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Delta plans 148-seat Airbus A321neos with flat beds
Delta is planning on operating a fleet of 21 Airbus A321neos with a special configuration, featuring just 148 seats (compared to the standard 194 seats). This includes:
- 16 Delta One seats (business class), which will be fully flat and in a 1-1 configuration, with each seat having a privacy door
- 12 Delta Premium Select seats (premium economy), which will be in a 2-2 configuration, somewhat similar to what you’d usually find in domestic first class
- 54 Comfort+ seats (extra legroom economy), which will be in a 3-3 configuration
- 66 Main Cabin seats (economy), which will be in a 3-3 configuration
Delta will have reverse herringbone seats in business class on these planes. That’s exciting — as airlines increasingly install flat beds on narrow body aircraft, we’re frequently seeing herringbone seats rather than reverse herringbone seats.
This is purely speculation on my part, but perhaps the airline will use the STELIA Aerospace OPERA seating platform, as you’ll find on ITA Airways’ A321neos. If this is the case, it would be great news for passengers.
When will Delta start flying premium Airbus A321neos?
In early 2024, the plan was for the first premium Delta Airbus A321neos to enter service in the third quarter of 2024. That timeline has come and gone, so what’s the latest on that?
At this point, Delta has already taken delivery of five of these A321neos with special cabins, yet none are flying:
- Three planes are in storage in Victorville (VCV) — N551DT was delivered in October 2024, N552DT was delivered in November 2024, and N553DT was delivered in March 2025
- Two planes are in storage in Toulouse (LFBF) — N554DT was delivered in July 2025, and N555DE was delivered in June 2025
Airlines don’t usually put brand new planes into storage if they’re otherwise ready to go, so what’s the issue? Well, Delta is unfortunately waiting on the cabins of these planes to be certified, as that has obviously been causing a major delay.
We’re going on nearly a year in storage for the first of these planes, so that’s not exactly great, and feels very Lufthansa 787 Allegris-esque. So it’s anyone’s guess how long this all drags on. Hopefully the cabins get certified sooner rather than later.
What will Delta do with premium Airbus A321neos?
Delta plans to specifically use these Airbus A321neos for operating premium domestic routes. However, I think the question is exactly which aircraft they’ll replace, and which routes the planes will be placed on.
Historically Delta has typically used a combination of Boeing 767s and Boeing 757s for these premium routes, though we knew that eventually there needs to be a replacement, especially if Delta wants to compete with a leading product:
- The 757s don’t have a very competitive product, as business class is in a 2-2 configuration, and the planes aren’t great in economy
- The 767s are getting old, and if you’re focusing on a premium market, there’s something to be said for a lower capacity aircraft (so that more frequencies can be operated with more premium seats)
While back in the day most airlines operated wide body aircraft on premium transcontinental routes, that’s no longer the case. JetBlue has its fleet of Mint-configured A321s, American flies specially configured A321s (which will soon be replaced by A321XLRs), and United plans to eventually fly 737 MAX 10s with flat beds (if that plane ever gets certified).
I think the configuration Delta is planning is roughly what we would have expected. It’s interesting how premium economy is increasingly being offered by US airlines on premium domestic routes. It’s basically like domestic first class, and for a daytime flight it’s very comfortable, in my opinion. For that matter, Delta has already started selling this cabin on select transcontinental flights.
So, what does Delta plan to do with the 757s and 767s that it takes off these routes? Look, these vintage aircraft should be retired, as far as I’m concerned, but we’re talking about Delta here. The airline would add the Wright Flyer to its fleet if it had the capacity. With that in mind:
- Delta is actually reconfiguring some 757s in standard domestic layouts, so that they can be used to add capacity elsewhere
- Delta currently operates a lot of 767-400ERs on domestic routes, so I suspect we’ll see those taken off more domestic routes, instead being flown on international routes, with more focus on A321neos and 767-300ERs operating domestic flights
I do question if Delta will actually put A321neos on routes like New York to Los Angeles, though. I can’t imagine that Delta wants to give up the capacity offered by the larger aircraft (in both business class and economy), and it’s not like Delta has any shortage of frequencies in the market.
Bottom line
Delta Air Lines is configuring 21 Airbus A321neos in a premium layout. These planes will feature 148 seats, including business class, premium economy, and lots of extra legroom economy seats. While the planes were supposed to enter service in Q3 2024, that didn’t ultimately happen.
Delta now has five of the planes with this configuration ready to go, the only issue is that the seats haven’t been certified. So it’s anyone’s guess how much longer this will drag on, given that we’re talking about nearly a year since the first of these planes entered service.
What do you make of Delta’s premium A321neos, and the certification issues?
Btw Qantas is also getting flatbed A321XLRs
The only downside is the PS section, helping to hose Y->J use of RUCs/GUCs. Not the end of the world, but still annoying.
That said, I can at least be hopeful of another few D1 domestic routes...
One of the benefits of these aircraft not flying due to seat certification delays is that DL has taken the engines off of several of them and used them as replacements for other Geared Turbofan engines on the rest of its 321NEO fleet which need to be rebuilt.
I don't believe DL has any A321NEOs on the ground and it has been able for Pratt and Whitney to produce enough replacement parts for the smaller...
One of the benefits of these aircraft not flying due to seat certification delays is that DL has taken the engines off of several of them and used them as replacements for other Geared Turbofan engines on the rest of its 321NEO fleet which need to be rebuilt.
I don't believe DL has any A321NEOs on the ground and it has been able for Pratt and Whitney to produce enough replacement parts for the smaller A220 engine so all of that fleet, again, IIRC, is also now fully flying.
and, regarding the comment below, DL has already retired dozens of 767s from the peak of the fleet and is reportedly scheduled to retire another 7 this year - but those will be the 7 that do not have premium economy and have been mostly used on domestic routes.
Given that DL is reportedly near another fairly large international expansion announcement, they are clearly balancing their fleet w/ their growth opportunities esp. in light of reported delivery delays for the A350-1000s.
shocking to see TIM telling us Delta screwed up.
considering how many airplanes have been grounded and seats uncertified worldwide, I think it is more an admission that DL is not immune from the same problems other airlines have experienced.
Unlike LH, DL isn't desperate enough to fly these planes w/ the cabin blocked and is still fairly aggressively expanding.
This is a fleet wart compared to some airlines' melanoma.
I think I may be the only who is excited about this delay, please no more DL 767 back on Intl routes, DL no comprende "retire".
Surprised you haven't covered that Delta announced its elite qualification levels will not change in 2026. This is particularly interesting in light of Alaska increasing requirements for some status levels.
@ RealTaylor -- Fair. I didn't cover it because I figure it's generally not worth reporting on something staying the same. I wouldn't have expected Delta to increase requirements, given that demand isn't exactly trending upwards.
In the case of Alaska, the airline is increasing requirements because it's making status easier to earn while also adding new perks.
Google Flights for random Spring 2026 searches I tried today, shows Delta A321 Premium Economy seats for sale from Seattle to several Hawaiian airports.
@ UncleRonnie -- If you click through to Delta's website, you'll see that's just labeled incorrectly.
Good to know, thanks Ben.
This plane might work on most of Deltas transcon flights like JFK to SFO and BOS to LAX.
What plane will they use on JFK to LAX? This plane has ~15 fewer business seats than on the 767 so delta can’t just swap it in. They would definitely be giving JetBlue market share if they did.
My best guess is and this is not based on any actual information that these will likely replace the current 75s configure 757 and fly on secondary transcontinental routes with premium demand such BOS LAX, LAX DCA, BOS SFO, JFK SEA etc. These are all routes where the Jetblue flies Mint and this would be quite competitive. Would not be surprised if the current 763/64s remain on JFKLAX
JetBlue pulled mint from JFK-SEA many months ago.
I could see SEA to DCA as a pilot run for bringing it back to SEA.
They're using the D1 configured 757s on it right now. Very different market conditions from 2022, when they stopped.
I do think JFK-SEA will come back. Delta has a powerhouse hub in JFK now, and they own that point of sale.
the question is who is footing the bill for the parked aircraft - and I doubt it is Delta or at least fully not Delta but rather the seat manufacturer.
There is likely a "fail to deliver" clause that allows Delta at some point to cancel the contract.
If they don't believe there is any hope to deliver the product, they can simply configure them as domestic aircraft since domestic seats are easier to obtain...
the question is who is footing the bill for the parked aircraft - and I doubt it is Delta or at least fully not Delta but rather the seat manufacturer.
There is likely a "fail to deliver" clause that allows Delta at some point to cancel the contract.
If they don't believe there is any hope to deliver the product, they can simply configure them as domestic aircraft since domestic seats are easier to obtain while waiting for a new order.
Delta is undoubtedly not the only airline with this seat so the manufacturer - whoever it is - has every reason to get it figured out.
You guys don’t understand airlines exist to make a PROFIT. Having new airplanes sit unused is actually a positive and shows how premium Delta is. This increases their profit compared to United!!
Planes do tend to burn the least fuel when they are totally shut down!
Not ordering planes ensures earlier delivery positions and fewer premium seats makes them more elite. Scarcity is the key.
Interesting they put the mid-cabin lav at the L2 door, when it’s right behind J on their other A321neos. A bit of a hike for the Premium Economy passengers.
So many new aircraft getting delivered across the globe with cabin certification issues. First airlines can’t even get the seats, then can’t fly with them. Must be incredibly aggravating for the schedule planners.
So it’s the seat that’s having certification issues. Is that for Delta or the seat manufacturer to worry about? I take it there’s no timeline yet?
Aside from all this, Ben, I hope your mother has been keeping well and spending time with her grandkids. Much love
From the LOPA drawing, it's most likely to be Safran VUE, not Stelia Opera.
Safran VUE is the only narrowbody reverse herringbone seat with flat backshell, pivoting monitor and almost-triangular tapered seat cushion.
FlyDubai was gonna have it, too, but the cert issue's delaying it indefinitely.
Well now …. this will get the Delta and Airbus doubters something to crow about …. :-)
Nobody doubts Airbus.
It's just that you're gooning to an airplane manufacturer.
As well as a "Brit" who doesn't know where LGW is praising Delta.
Mason old darlink, you read more like Plain Jane, Southern Tinker Belle and Arps with every post. However, thank you for your grin making post …. :-)