Delta Air Lines to launch Airbus A321neo jets with flat-bed seats

Delta Air Lines is launching a series of enhancements aimed at improving the passenger experience and growing its network, even as it continues to rank among the top airlines in the industry.

This week, the airline earned the Best Airline Staff Service in North America award from Skytrax. Despite this recognition, Delta is moving forward with upgrades to both its fleet and route options.

In an interview with The Points Guy, Paul Baldoni, Delta’s Senior Vice President of Network Planning, shared that the airline’s Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft will undergo retrofitting to include Delta One Suites over the next few years.

Delta is also preparing to debut a specialized subfleet of Airbus A321neo jets featuring flat-bed seating.

“We are looking forward to the A321neos that will come with flat-bed seats,” Baldoni said. “We’re going to put it places where we have existing domestic Delta One service today.”

The airline is further expanding its premium economy offering. Following strong customer response to the premium upgrade on flights between New York and Los Angeles, the service will now be extended to the New York–San Francisco route.

In terms of network expansion, Delta is also turning its attention to Austin, Texas, which is emerging as a strategic location for future growth.

“We’ve had great success in Austin. We like the demographic trends we see in Austin. So, that will continue to be the primary focus,” Baldoni said.

“We’re getting up to now close to 80 departures a day [along with our partners]. When we get to close to around 120 daily departures, you start building some of that connectivity that exists in what you would call a hub, whether we call Austin a hub or not.”

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