Delta Air Lines took me smoothly and safely to Atlanta on a swanky new Airbus A321neo in economy class, though I wish I had a different seatmate onboard!
Delta Air Lines A321neo Economy Class Review (LAX-ATL)
I booked a one-way fare in basic economy for $158.58 (thanks, Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines for the competitive pressure on this route…). I always tell myself I’m “too old” for domestic redeyes without a lie-flat bed, but in looking at my flight records, I tend to book them…it’s the usual dilemma of maximizing my comfort versus my productivity and time with my family.
Almost inevitably, I choose to maximize my time at the expense of my sleep and take redeye flights. It was a very busy day and I got to the airport just ahead of boarding commencing in Terminal 3 of Los Angeles International Airport.
I had checked in online and bypassed the counter, though I find the Terminal 3 security always moves slower and is more crowded than in Terminal 7, where I more typically fly United Airlines out of.
Boarding began 45 minutes before departure in a very crowded gate area.
Delta Air Lines 446
Los Angeles (LAX) – Atlanta (ATL)
Sunday, February 2
Depart: 9:55 PM
Arrive: 5:04 AM+1
Duration: 04 hr, 09 min
Distance: 1,946 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A321neo
Seat: 30A (Economy Class)
While the flight had looked “open” in the days leading up to it, there were a lot of employee standby travelers cleared onto the flight (makes sense on a key hub-to-hub route) and the flight went out full.
Seats
The main cabin on this A321neo, stretching from rows 18-39, features 132 Collins Aerospace Meridian slimline seats in a 3-3 configuration. Seat width is 18 inches and seat pitch is 31 inches.
Note: rows 10-17 are designated as Delta Comfort+ and feature an extra three inches of legroom.
Each seat has a USB-A port and shared access to a 110V universal AC power outlet (two outlets per three seats).
The passenger service unit overhead has a reading lightand personal air vent.
Showing up at my seat, 30A, I found that it was missing a window, but I could not care less (well, maybe a little). First, because it was a redeye flight that would operate in total darkness. Second, because I did not pay for a seat in advance (remember, I booked a basic economy ticket) and still managed to wind up a window seat instead of a middle.
Of course, my smelly seatmate ended up spoiling the experience, but I’ll just link to that story here and not dwell on it since it was not Delta’s fault…
> Read More: My Smelly Seatmate On Delta Air Lines…
In what may be a warning sign for Delta, I noticed the seat across the aisle from me was already showing a lot of wear and tear on the armrest, which should not happen on an aircraft as new as this one.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Delta offers free high-speed Wi-Fi to SkyMiles members and it worked flawlessly on this flight…rather than sleep, I worked (ahead of my 14.5-hour flight on Korean Air without internet) and the quiet of the night proved a very productive time to knock out a lot of work for the day.
Every economy class seat features a 10-inch HD touchscreen display with a large library of films, TV programs, games, and audio, plus a moving flight map.
Complimentary headphones were provided and they had nice rubber padding, which reduces discomfort when they are in the ears for a long time.
Food + Drink
Flight attendants performed a single beverage service after takeoff, with a wide variety of free non-alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages for sale.
I asked for club soda and was pleasantly surprised to be served two cans of Fever Tree Club Soda, a very premium brand and noticeably better than the Seagram’s seltzer water served on some of Delta’s competitors.
A snack was also offered with a choice between:
- Lotus Biscoff Cookies
- 88 Acres Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Seed + Oat Bar
- 30K Snack Mix
- SunChips Garden Salsa Flavored Whole Grain Snacks
The 30K snack mix includes rye bread crisps, pretzels, and sesame sticks…a nice little salty treat.
Snack boxes were also available for sale, but I passed.
The cabin felt clean overall, but I did notice my tray table had not been wiped:
Lavatory
The main cabin has one lavatory behind row five and two in the rear of the aircraft. I squeezed into the small mid-cabin lavatory…I wish Delta had configured a little more space for a larger lavatory.
Service
There wasn’t much time for service to shine on this flight and I was thankful that the crew just let people sleep on this short overnight flight. I ran into the captain on my way out and asked him for a trading card, which he was happy to give me:
CONCLUSION
We landed in Atlanta on time, where I had a long layover ahead of me and a mission: visit every SkyClub in ATL.
> Read More: I Visited All 9 Delta Sky Clubs In Atlanta…In 3 Hours!
This was a smooth and productive flight: despite my seatmate, I appreciated the fast free Wi-Fi and the Fever Tree club soda. I could have connected somewhere, but it was great to fly nonstop.
Is there a way to not feel self conscious when asking a professional pilot for a trading card? Asking for a friend!
Almost something nice about being in the back of the bus on an overnight if you’re going to be in economy – no pressure when landing to try and get up and out and you kind of get an extra 10-15 minutes of rest. Well… at least when you are not trying to escape those odors…
Your willingness to fly with the “common folk” is just another reason why your blog is the best.
I like the multiple snack options and since they are 5oz cans they should give you 2 minimum.
As for the stinky flyer, I find this far more common on red eyes, maybe working or doing tourist stuff all day? Still no excuse for it.
And yes the wear and tear should be a major concern on an aircraft this new.
Minor edit in ‘Conclusion’ sentence: Insert ‘on’ between ‘Atlanta’ / ‘time’ .. ( as it’s always “Atlanta time” when in ATL ! )
..??
Wow! A delta flight *without* a connection.
Travelling at the back always has been travelling with the unwashed as you prove on this occasion!