Delta shared a sneak peek of the new Airbus A220-100 to the media Monday during an event in Atlanta to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Delta merger with Northwest. Hundreds of Delta employees lined up for their first chance to see the new aircraft.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian delivered a speech praising the results of the merger and thanking those who make Delta a successful airline. The program included a ribbon cutting ceremony, which included employees from different areas. This first aircraft was delivered in Quebec, Canada on Oct. 26 before heading to Atlanta.
The A220-100
In regards to the new airplane Delta Chief Marketing Office, Tim Mapes told: “We are listening to customers and doing something about it. We deliver what customers say they value and what drives customer satisfaction. We want to build a better customer experience.”
He explained that for Americans, entertainment is a huge part of that especially for younger generations that enjoy more than one screen at the same time. Now passengers may use a laptop computer, phones, and tablets at the same time while on the airplane. Passengers will find a great deal of innovation on the seat back of the A220 with a high-resolution screen larger than what someone would expect on an airplane this size. The idea is that passengers coming out of an A350 or a 777 will find similarity in quality of seating, entertainment and Wi-Fi.
Features of the airplane include:
- 109 seat configuration, including 12 seats in First Class, 15 in Delta Comfort+ and 82 in the main cabin.
- High Resolution 13.3 IFE screens with personal power ports
- 2Ku fast Wi-Fi
- 18.6 inches seats in the main cabin with larger shoulder space in a two-by-three layout
- High capacity overhead bins
- Extra-large windows
- Full-spectrum LED ambient lighting
- Lavatory in the back of the airplane with a window
- High powered USB ports in each monitor for fast device charging
The Delta A220 will enter service on Jan. 31, 2019 in routes between New York-LGA to Boston and Dallas/Ft Worth. The aircrafts will operate point-to-point flights and feed hubs like Detroit.
Delta currently has 75 A220-100s on order. They will replace an aging fleet of regional jets.
