Delta places first A321neo into service

Delta became the latest Airbus A321neo operator on 20 May when Delta flight 1202 departed Boston Logan airport, bound for San Francisco International. The milestone marked the latest expansion and modernisation phase for the Atlanta-based carrier. Delta is outfitting its A321neos with new first-class seats and advanced in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, and may deploy the jets on transatlantic flights. Delta acquired its first A321neo (registration N501DA) – the jet operating the Boston-San Francisco flight – in March. It has outstanding orders for another 154 of the type. Delta expects to have 26 in its fleet by year-end, with the rest scheduled for delivery through 2027. The jets will have Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofans. Delta will initially deploy A321neos from its growing hub in Boston. In addition to San Francisco, Delta will begin flying A321neos this summer from Boston to Denver, San Diego and Seattle, it says. The Denver and San Diego routes are new to Delta’s network. Those routes are part of broader expansion at Boston by Delta, which this summer plans to operate about 155 flights daily from the city, the carrier says. That is up from about 125 daily flights from Boston in pre-pandemic 2019, according to Cirium data.<br/>