#Industry News
Delta reveals new domestic First Class seating for the A321neo
Delta is yet again investing in their cabins, in what seems a steady stream of improvements to their product.
Instead of upgrades to their service or long-haul products (and soon-to-be new uniforms) the new Airbus A321neo is getting some love. While slated to be delivered late 2020, the first image has surfaced of a brand new domestic First Class seat with more privacy, more comfort, larger screens and increased stowage.
“As an industry leader in innovation, we are always looking for new ways to improve the overall customer experience,” said Mauricio Parise, Managing Director of Product Development. “Customer insights were instrumental to the new design, and we spent hundreds of hours listening to customers so that we could respond with thoughtful improvements. We’ve completely customized every feature on the seat to create a truly unique, premium seating product for domestic First Class.”
The airline partnered with seat manufacturer Recaro and London-based design studio Factorydesign, using a mix of customer feedback and industry trends, to develop the next generation of domestic first-class cabin seats. The biggest shift can be seen in the addition of the large monocoque privacy wings which play home to large touchscreen IFE monitors, and between seat stowage for personal items, which now are in arms reach.
The airline will configure the A321neo to a total of 197 seats including seating for 20 in First Class, 30 in Delta Comfort+ and 147 in the main cabin. The aircraft will feature on-demand inflight entertainment, high-speed satellite Wi-Fi, power ports as well as streaming video content. The cabin will also feature expansive, 25-percent-larger bookshelf-style overhead bins and full spectrum LED cabin lighting. In First Class, there’s a fixed headrest allowing increased privacy and better sleep without compromising seat width or space, a 25% larger and sturdier tray table, and three times more space for storing personal items and devices.
While the airline hasn’t opted for the MiQ seat which is found in the carrier’s long haul premium economy cabin, the airline has designed the product to be experience-rich for customers. And while they are adding yet another seat type to the fleet, Delta’s new seat design will “bring elements of the international travel experience that customers have enjoyed on wide-body aircraft to domestic routes for customers to enjoy at home.” Stay tuned for more on this new product here on TheDesignAir.
