Delta’s Newest Plane, the Airbus A220, Takes Flight Today

Delta Airlines officially launches the Airbus A220 on Thursday, putting a brand new and spacious plane into service that will eventually become a mainstay for Delta’s domestic flights.

Delta is the first U.S. airline to use these new planes, and among the first in the world. Service began Thursday with flights between New York City-LaGuardia (LGA) and Boston (BOS) as well as LGA to Dallas-Fort Worth.

These inaugural flights were months in the making – and a week behind schedule. Before the country’s longest federal government shutdown ended, it forced Delta to scrap its planned Jan. 31 launch of the plane because most Federal Aviation Administration inspectors weren’t working, meaning Delta couldn’t get final clearance to fly the new A220s.

 

Welcome onboard Delta’s 2nd A220 inaugural flight which will be taking us down to @DFWAirport this morning! @Delta #FirstFlightClub #DLA220 pic.twitter.com/ZWBwh1c65n

— AirlineGeeks (@AirlineGeeks) February 7, 2019

 

We’re excited to try this plane out and report back. But on paper, it puts the newest aircraft American Airlines and United are using on similar flights – the Boeing 737MAX – to shame. For example:

 

• Every seat on Delta’s Airbus A220 has its own entertainment screen; American and United have ripped those out.
• Thanks to a 2-3 seating arrangement in economy, Delta’s seats are 18.6 inches wide – some of the widest you’ll find on any aircraft. On their newest 737s, United and American’s seats are 1 to 2 inches skinnier.
• Every economy seat on the A220 features 32 inches of legroom – a decent amount for domestic flights – while the norm is 31-32 inches on the newest United and American planes.
• Lavatories onboard the 737MAX are notoriously small, just 2 feet wide. Delta’s lavatories are much bigger – and they have a window.

 

Delta has 90 of these new planes on the way by 2023, so they’ll eventually become a staple in their fleet. Here’s where to expect them in the coming months:

 

 

Bottom Line

It may be a while before these new aircraft dominate the skies. But at a time when airlines are increasingly shrinking seats and making flying less comfortable, Delta’s Airbus A220s should be a refreshing change for flyers.

 

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Lead photo courtesy of Delta News Hub via Flickr

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.