Delta announced a revolutionary new domestic first class seat, innovating a product that most airlines haven't touched in years

David SlotnickJan 31, 2020, 03:02 IST

Crystal Cabin Award

Delta just unveiled a brand new domestic first class seat.
The seats, which feature privacy shields, more storage space, and memory-foam cushions, will debut on Delta's Airbus A321neo, which is set to be delivered in late 2020.
These appear to be a major upgrade on the current first-class seats that Delta and other airlines fly.
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The next time you get a first class upgrade on Delta, you may be in for a treat: a brand new seat.

Delta on Tuesday unveiled a brand new domestic first class seat design, which offers passengers on flights within the US more privacy, more space, bigger in-flight entertainment screens, and other new features.

The seat, which Delta said it designed with Recaro and Factorydesign, will be introduced on Delta's first Airbus A321neo, which it expects to be delivered in late 2020.

"As an industry leader in innovation, we are always looking for new ways to improve the overall customer experience," Mauricio Parise, managing director of product development for Delta, said in a statement. "Customer insights were instrumental to the new design, and we spent hundreds of hours listening to customers so that we could respond with thoughtful improvements."

Premium cabins on domestic and international flights represent an increasingly important - and growing - revenue stream for airlines.

Many US airlines, including Delta, also offer complimentary upgrades to top-tier frequent flyers, on a space-available as a reward for customer loyalty. However, those upgrades have become less dependable in recent years as airlines find more effective ways to sell premium tickets and upgrades, such as by offering the chance to purchase an upgrade with miles.

While international business class seats vary greatly between airlines and planes, domestic first class seats tend to be more homogeneous, usually variations on a bigger seat than coach, a few extra inches of legroom, and fewer seats per row. There's less for designers to work with in developing new products.

That makes Delta's new seats stand out. Scroll down to check out the new seats, and to see how they compare to Delta's current first class seats and other products.

See Delta announced a revolutionary new domestic first class seat, innovating a product that most airlines haven't touched in years >>

The new seat features wings on either side of the headrest, offering a bit of privacy from the aisle and seatmate.

The seats feature larger tray tables — plus a larger tray between the two seats — memory-foam cushions, more power ports, and more storage space.

Delta's current first class seats are definitely comfortable, aren't too different from every other airline.

These are the seats on the Airbus A220, which are a bit smaller than the norm because it's essentially a regional jet.

The seats across Delta's fleet don't offer too much privacy, even though they're arranged in a 2-2 layout, instead of the 3-2 or 3-3 layout you find in coach.

The new first class seats look even better than Delta's premium economy seats, which can be found on long-haul international flights.

And they definitely look better than the Comfort+ seats, which are regular coach seats with a few extra inches of legroom.

Though we think it's safe to say they're nowhere near the Delta One Suites, the flagship business class product you'll find on some of Delta's longest international flights.

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