Delta has been trying to create a premium Airbus A321neo fleet for high value domestic routes, like New York – Los Angeles. Their current product has been failing and customers are unhappy with it. The fleet of planes they use today for these routes – by far the most important in Delta’s network – are aging and unreliable.
The aircraft was supposed to have 148 seats with surprisingly few premium cabin seats:
- Business class: 16 seats
- Premium economy: 12
- Extra legroom coach: 54
- Coach: 66
However, the aircraft they ordered were supposed to be outfitted with new business class flat bed suites however the planned seat – Safran VUE – hasn’t gotten certified for use. The delay is bad enough that Delta temporarily put in domestic first class seats onto the planes so that they could at least fly on routes from Atlanta to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and San Diego rather than leaving the aircraft parked. Now it appears that Delta is walking away from the seat entirely and starting over.
The first aircraft meant for the premium layout was delivered in 2024 but couldn’t enter service because of the seat certification problems. The plan appears now to be to switch to the established but inferior Thompson VantageSOLO seat, a narrower body flat bed product where passengers are faced with their backs to the window.
Aviation watchdog JonNYC was first to report that Delta was walking away from its narrowbody business class seat. This now appears confirmed.
Rumor in field
Unconfirmed. https://t.co/ZTLeXYM5C1— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) June 1, 2026
The Safran Vue seat that Delta was going to use was going to offer a real advantage over competitor lie flat products for domestic narrowbody aircraft (similar to a seat that some others like ITA Airways has used): it was actually going to face passengers toward the window, instead of their backs to the window:
Credit: Safran
Credit: Safran
Delta put in a whopping 44 standard first class seats into the space where lie flat seats were supposed to go on these planes, as a temporary measure.
First look at Delta Air Lines new high-density Airbus A321neo.
The narrowbody aircraft features a staggering 44 domestic First Class recliner seats. pic.twitter.com/3lKUCKWpvz
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) May 8, 2026
The Vantage Solo seat is used by LATAM, JetBlue and Iberia. It’s a known product. It’s also angled away from the window, like what American and United are doing. It (1) won’t differentiate Delta’s product, and (2) won’t even be installed in planes for some time – it’ll take at least a couple of years. In the meantime, Delta is stuck with its current domestic seats on these planes, and more of them than they’ll sell.
This is similar, for instance, to what American Airlines has today (versus Delta a couple of years from now), in their new Airbus A321XLRs.
Aircraft seats have to satisfy crashworthiness rules, restraint performance, and evacuation tests as well as structural requirements, meeting injury criteria such as head, spine, belt, femur, and load limits. Business class suites are harder to certify because you have shells, doors, large screens, angled sleeping positions, more complex restraints, footwells, and passenger egress issues.
Delta took a big swing with a good concept of a seat, but that wasn’t certified yet, and that has had problems. That swing didn’t work out, and they’re being left behind because of it. This comes at the same time that they’ve chosen a new wifi provider in Amazon that’ll equip just half their fleet and not even starting until 2028, as they fall behind United, American, Southwest and Alaska in wifi, and as they struggle operationally. They lost their operations guru during the pandemic, their president at the end of last year, and saw enough turnover of frontline staff during the pandemic that their crews no longer seem as friendly.
They’ve been cutting meals and drinks while they lean into marketing in a way that feels like gaslighting to customers.
While Delta has been the operational and financial leader in the U.S. airline industry for many years, that position seems at greater risk than at any time in the last decade. Losing their operational lead especially (even if they don’t fall behind) combined with offering a wifi product inferior to competitor for a period of years, puts them at risk of moving from industry leader to becoming a spill carrier – one passengers choose when other airline schedules don’t work or are too expensive.
Delta insiders grouse that their CEO seems more interested in paying to hang out with Tom Brady and renting venues in Las Vegas to highlight himself than in the details of running the airline.
Bastain “It won’t matter if we make people stand in first class. We’re premium and people choose us to brag about how little they value their money to overpay for being able to say they are a premium flyer.” This is a non event for adepta or its flyers
Delta companion certificates and regional upgrade certificates becoming nearly impossible to use for quality redemptions, unless you find a CRJ on a 2-hour itinerary worthy…
Delta has a very mediocre product on premium transcontinental flights like JFK-LAX, JFK-SFO with most flights featuring nearly 20 year old products and first generation Delta One cabins that originally replaced “BusinessElite”, which was itself a terrible brand and a feeble way to copy Continental’s much more successful “BusinessFirst”.
Delta will one suppose fall behind AA and UA in the NYC-LAX/SFO market with the rise of the Coastliner at UA and the increasing use of the XLR at AA.
As has been widely published, JFK-LAX is performing poorly for Delta.
@1990 That’s what happens when you have the most Diamonds in the history of the program…pushing half a million. Five times what it was pre pandemic. Everybody loves their MQD Headstart until they realize it has made status a joke that anyone can get with multiple cards.
Another Premium FAILURE by Delta
More vapor ware from Delta
UNITED rising
The only that sucks worse than A321XLR business class is Delta’s implementation of it.
@ 1990 — Is it really THAT bad? I haven’t checked lately.
Bastian almost makes one long for the return of Leo Mullin.
once, again, this is a unconfirmed rumor and is not gospel.
But even if true, DL will end up w/ a product no worse than any other airline with lie flat seats on a narrowbody.
Tim how is this not good for Delta? Surely you’ve got a better way to twist this than just “their product will be no worse than competitors” – despite being years late to the party.
What happened to your old ways of coming up with false facts to justify why this is better? Maybe say something like Delta’s NEOs will be wider or something and have better engines or something.
But @Tim Dunn according to you, DL is superior. Are you now saying their product is no different than the rest? Doesn;t seem very premium to me when you offer what everyone else offers. Just sayin’. And FWIW, most people tend to believe JonNYC far more than they believe you.
@ Tim — Once again, it appears JonNYC knows his stuff and you are playing catch up.
DL flies 737s and A320 family aircraft just like most other US airlines.
Despite the fixation with product, it has far less importance in real life than alot of people here give it.
And that is just as true with Polaris vs Delta one on the 763 as it will be on premium configured A321NEOs of which DL will have the fewest number – because it will not operate narrowbodies on international routes, unlike AA, B6 and UA.
QF’s A350-1000 ULRs are now in flight test which moves DL’s A35K deliveries far closer.
No other US airline has anything close to what DL will have with the 35K but we will never hear or see the internet nut jobs admit that DL scored a coup – but that is exactly what will happen.
And DL’s 35Ks will very likely be flying before UA’s 321XLRs across the Atlantic; AA’s at best are getting poor reviews.
@Gene — If you can find date(s) with RUCs for Main (or PS) to D1 for JFK-LAX/SFO any time in the next 12 month, please, sound the alarm, tell me, because I’m searching, vigorously, and… nada. (It’s over. Sell everything. We’re f-ing done.)
@ 1990 — I’ll settle for Mississippi/Alabama/ATL to Cali for RUCs and US-Asia for GUCs. I’ll pass on NYC and Europe. Too liberal with all them thar socialists. 😉
@Gene — Bah! That Shakira law up here… our new taxes on billionaires don’t lie!
Am I the only one who finds today’s TD so mellow, so she’ll-shocked? When was the last time he was so lost for words?
Wait a minute I thought Delta was premium? What?
So all along it was flying old worn out dated pre historic relics and just overcharging on revenue and award? My premium brand perception has been devastated
Who is responsible for the fake comments of brand supremacy?
At first I thought, damn! The it occured to me. Living in fly-over country, I never have and never will take a US transcon. Sorry, to those affected.
dw,
thank you for acknowledging that DL’s fleet actually flies.
UA, in contrast, has scores of aircraft parked due to engine parts availability.
“No other US airline has anything close to what DL will have with the 35K but we will never hear or see the internet nut jobs admit that DL scored a coup – but that is exactly what will happen.”
It’s funny you say that, because, per you, Delta plans to use the A35K to do… wait for it… exactly what AA and UA 789 and 77W quite easily today.
But just like their copying of AA and UA on the NEO business class seat, Delta will be years behind AA and UA. It is ironic that for as long as Delta has claimed to want to fly to India and have had the A359 in their fleet, they’ve still never done what AA and UA do today — Fly to India.
“thank you for acknowledging that DL’s fleet actually flies.”
Ironic since Delta acknowledged their own operational issues on the most important domestic route in the US. The inability to be reliable on the most important domestic route is a far cry from UA parking a few old 77As due to old unsupported engines. One represents a lack of engine supportability from suppliers, Delta’s issues just represent poor planning and fleet utilization.
no AA or UA 787 or any other aircraft will do anything close to what the 35K can do – and certainly not at anywhere near the cost.
DL’s issues WERE pilot staffing related, not fleet
and it is resolved.
too bad you aren’t smart enough to see the data that shows that DL is right back at the head of the pack in operational reliability.
This huge “dethroning” of DL by UA lasted for 4 months and was limited to 1%.
meanwhile UA’s baggage handling is still industry worst
@Tim Dunn– you like to harp on UA’s baggage performance, but most in the industry know (and have complained) that DL skews those numbers bc many stations will offer replacement damage bags to a passenger in lieu of filing a claim (which of course is a DOT requirement). That certainly will help keep those numbers lower.
It’s one thing to do it, but it’s another thing to look the other way and then try and claim you are better than others!
It’s hard to get worked up over this, as a boston based flyer I won’t ever see them.
On the other hand, imho that layout sucked, I’m a hard core looking out the window flyer and that layout allows no way to really look out.
And note to Tim D, been either DTW or BOS based all my travel career and Delta has definitely lost its mojo. 75% of my flights last year on the A350 were either cancelled (50%) or more than 3 hours late. Even the DTW – BOS ontime machine has fallen off.
Airbus 321XLR. A little off topic but whoever thought Aer Lingus Airbus 321 XLR Business Class seats were a good idea was wrong. Dublin to JFK in a narrow body with 16 Business seats and one toilet for passengers and often restricted by crew. Us old people like no waiting for toilets.
@One Trippe — By all means, sit economy next to the lav, if that’s your priority. Much prefer lie-flat, even if waiting a little for a lav.
Spectrum Boy has a big sad because so much ‘real’ media like hometown AJC and business mags like Inc. have done several articles highlighting failures of his dad’s employer.
Baggage stats are Spectrum Boy’s safe space.
He never brings up that his favourite airline has more federal racism/toxic work complaints than any other major. Has not brought up that EWR has the best on-time stats so far this year of all major northeast airports. It is vaguely specific future attestations about a 35K to make up for today’s buffoonery and failures at DL.
Lol my relatives just returned earlier this week from Naples to JFK and Delta cancelled DL233 and placed the entire flight at a dodgy local hotel with no air conditioning on an entire floor (85F). The staff brought cold towels for relief. And the prepaid “upgrade” to plus or whatever on the 767-300 was promptly downgraded on the next flight to the back of the bus…
@Captain Freedom — Garsh. Hope they got some extra Lemoncello for their troubles. Since DL233 originates in EU, if mechanical or staffing issue, they should each be eligible for the maximum EU261 compensation, in addition to rebooking or refund. So, while that’s not-great, at least EU regulations ensure Delta makes it right and pays upwards of $750+ per passenger, but they need to claim it. Appeal if they deny. Should be automatic, but, you know, nothing is perfect and even a better system should be improved upon. Best wishes on their recovery. (We really should do a better job of holding US airlines accountable back home, too…)
funny how bad some people argue that DL manipulates data but can’t accept that other airlines esp. UA do the same thing or just plain don’t run as good of an operation to begin with.
International baggage is the most prone to delay and that is what UA carries the most and that makes its way onto the domestic system which causes a DOT reportable delay. It isn’t a surprise that UA’s baggage handling is as bad as it is
AA and DL as well as WN run much larger domestic operations than UA but DL has by far the best hubs for connections of the big 3. AA’s hubs are sprawling and too large for the facilities in which it operates. MIA is an ever living operational disaster.
Baggage handling is simply a function of hubs and network size.
the difference between AA/UA and B6/DL’s narrowbody new generation lie flat seat won’t matter any more than all of the revenue that UA DIDN’T lose by not having high speed WiFi for 5 years while DL and B6 did.
@Tim Dunn — Oh brother… the Tim-ism of… my data is fact, your data is quack.
I’m convinced you are also using @Mike Hunt as an alias on here, because you both are oddly up overnight (or happen to be traveling in, say, Europe).
sometimes the most obvious explanation is indeed real.
someone said something about data and lies.
I just don’t torture data to avoid admitting reality.
There is very little data to show that an airline that has a product in the same class suffers a revenue loss for having a less popular or higher perceived product.
It’s your coke vs. pepsi argument. they are both colas but, for most people, are better than tap water.
DL has had high speed WiFi for years; Starlink might be better but not having it for 5 years while B6 and DL had high speed WiFi didn’t stop UA from growing.
DL will have a lie flat business class narrowbody suite – just as AA now does and UA will. DL won’t be at a disadvantage for using the same product instead of potentially having something distinctive which might not happen.
Spectrum Boy has posted a falsehood again regarding int’l baggage. What a sad. We realise it is your safe space.
Well mine for you is reminding you your dad’s airline is the most racist so that stat is fun to remind you of too!
@ 1990 I’m obviously not the only passenger who prefers not to fly across the Atlantic in a narrow body aircraft. 16 J seats/ 8 occupied and probably a 25% load factor in Economy. So no waiting if one ducks under the curtain and walks to the back on such a poor load factor trip. As you mature you may be quite surprised at your hierarchy of importance . At my age comfort counts and sitting next to a lav is not comfort in neither J nor Y (especially Y to your point) but NOT having to sit in my lie-seat and wait is (while the crew closes off the forward lav/galley to do whatever.)
@ 1990 Although I did have the “throne” lie-flat seat…one of four in J… just don’t use it as such.
TD:
“DL’s issues WERE pilot staffing related, not fleet
and it is resolved.”
Looking forward to reminding you of your confident assertions, when Delta has higher cancellation rates continuing this summer – especially when they are caused by the pilot staffing and contract particulars, which Delta themselves have said will not be resolved until after this summer.