ATLANTA- Airbus has formally requested an exception from the FAA to permit the installation of a front cabin with doors on A321neo aircraft intended for a “U.S. operator (Possibly Delta Air Lines).”
The proposed configuration includes 16 Business Class seats, 12 Premium Economy seats (referred to as Premium Select), and 120 coach seats.
Delta Business Class Door on A321neo
The installation of doors on business class seats necessitates an exemption from existing federal regulations that prohibit doors within passenger cabins.
In the aircraft layout, there are curtains rather than doors between coach and business class cabins, and this deliberate design choice is aimed at facilitating the efficient evacuation of the aircraft.
However, doors on business class seats present a deviation as they constitute doors within the passenger cabin itself.
The motive behind this particular installation is evidently for Delta to implement its DeltaOne product within the cabin.
It’s worth noting that neither United Airlines (UA) nor American Airlines (AA) has plans to incorporate lie-flat seats into the Neo.
American Airlines intends to introduce lie-flat seats with doors on its Airbus A321XLRs upon delivery. Similarly, United Airlines envisions lie-flat seats on its A321XLRs and on certain Boeing 737 MAX 10s, potentially featuring doors.
Eyes Deployment on Transatlantic Sector
JetBlue currently provides lie-flat seats on Airbus A321neos. However, it’s important to note that JetBlue does not offer a premium economy.
Meanwhile, Airbus is formulating a plan for an aircraft that includes premium economy. Notably, the filename contains “DAL,” indicating a connection to Delta Air Lines. Enilria shared the screenshot of the PDF.
In the event that Delta successfully obtains ETOPS certification for the neos, there is a possibility that they might deploy these aircraft for short transatlantic flights originating from New York or Boston.
Nevertheless, it is anticipated that their primary utilization will be on domestic premium routes, with a particular focus on replacing the currently operating Boeing 757s in those markets.
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