Earlier this month, Delta announced the inaugural flights for their new Airbus A220 aircraft (formerly the Bombardier CSeries). Delta is the first US airline to take delivery of these new aircraft, and they currently have 75 of them on order.
The Airbus A220 will be replacing less-efficient aircraft and will be deployed on short- to medium-haul routes. Since 2009, Delta has retired 280 50-seat regional jets and more than 130 older, narrowbody aircraft. Their order of A220s is part of an effort to refresh their fleet with over 300 new aircraft.
From a passenger experience, this aircraft will be a game changer. Each plane will be equipped with 109 seats. 12 in first class, 15 in Comfort+ and 82 in economy. The A220 will also be equipped with Gogo's 2Ku high-speed wifi, and seatback entertainment at every seat. Not to mention, each seat will have 32″ of legroom and be 18.6″ wide, making them the widest economy seats in Delta's fleet.
Earlier this week, Delta shared the first glimpses of the new interiors on the Airbus A220.
First Photos of Delta's A220 Aircraft
Inaugural Delta A220 Flights
Delta will be launching flights on the A220 in January of 2019. See below for a full list of inaugural flight dates from the first cities getting A220 service.
| Departure City | Destination City | Inaugural Flight Date |
|---|---|---|
| New York City (LGA) | Boston (BOS) | January 31st, 2019 |
| New York City (LGA) | Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | January 31st, 2019 |
| Detroit (DTW) | Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | March 2nd, 2019 |
| New York City (LGA) | Houston (IAH) | April 10th, 2019 |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | May 11th, 2019 |
| Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) | Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | June 8th, 2019 |
| Houston (IAH) | Detroit (DFW) | July 1st, 2019 |
| Houston (IAH) | Salt Lake City (July) | July 1st, 2019 |
| Houston (IAH) | Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) | July 6th, 2019 |
| New York City (JFK) | Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | August 31st, 2019 |
Bottom Line
Delta's new A220 aircraft looks incredible and I can't wait to fly it. It is just the latest example of how Delta is leading the industry when it comes to the customer experience.
While American and United are removing seatback entertainment screens and cramming more people into planes & smaller lavatories, Delta is updating their fleet with the customer in mind. The A220 is just the latest example of that.
All Photos (CC BY 2.0): Delta News Hub via Flickr