"The Airbus A320 family of aircraft continues to be a cost-efficient, reliable and customer-pleasing mainstay of our narrowbody fleet." Delta incoming CEO Ed Bastian, April 2016.
Features
- Larger, more fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft to replace similar, older-generation narrowbody jets, such as the MD-88, which has 149 seats and older engine technology.
- One of the largest planes in Delta's domestic fleet in 2016, with 192 passenger seats. Only larger domestic planes were the Boeing 757-300 (234 seats) and 767-300 (261 seats), which were heavier and less fuel efficient.
- First Airbus at Delta to feature Sharklets, lightweight composite wingtip devices that offer up to 4 percent fuel-burn savings and allow the option of extending the aircraft's range up to 100 nautical miles (185 km) or increasing payload capacity by about 1000 pounds (450 kg.)
- All new interior with cabin elements including high-capacity overhead bins, the latest in in-flight entertainment, full spectrum LED ambient lighting, standard 110v power available at every row, as well as in-flight Wi-Fi and Delta Studio.
Orders & Deliveries
In September 2013, Delta placed an order with Airbus for 30 A321ceo (current engine option) and 10 A330-300 aircraft. This was Delta's first Airbus order since leasing A310 widebody planes in 1993, to replace older A310s acquired from Pan Am. As a result of its merger with Northwest Airlines, Delta was operating an Airbus fleet of 126 A320 family aircraft, plus 32 A330s, in 2013.
Delta placed a second order for 15 A321 aircraft with Airbus in June 2014. In April 2016, Delta reached an agreement with Airbus to acquire 37 additional A321s, bringing the total fleet size to 82 aircraft.
On March 16, 2016, Delta took delivery of its first A321 (N301DN, Ship 3001), in Hamburg, Germany. The next day, two flight crews ferried Ship 3001 to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, a 15-hour journey with refueling stops at Reykjavik, Iceland, and Goose Bay, Canada.
In October 2016, Delta received its first Airbus aircraft made entirely in the United States. The aircraft was the 15th A321 assembled by the Airbus plant in Mobile, Alabama, since it opened in September 2015.
Inaugural
Delta flew its inaugural A321 scheduled service on May 3, 2016, with its second-delivered A321, Ship 3002. The first flight was from Atlanta to Orlando, Florida. Passengers included Delta’s President Glen Hauenstein.
After the inaugural flight, Ship 3002 did two roundtrip turns between ATL and MCO before setting down in Orlando for the night. Its sister ship, 3001, was expected to enter service on May 5, 2016, on the same route.
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