Best Seats: Delta Air Lines Airbus A319
By: Darren Booth
Delta Air Lines features a fleet of more than 50 narrow-body Airbus A319 aircraft that fly primarily short- to medium-haul flights in the U.S. Here's a rundown of the best and worst seats — part of an ongoing series on finding the best seats on various carriers.
Delta acquired their fleet of Airbus A319 aircraft, when the carrier acquired Northwest Airlines in 2008.
Delta ecently introduced an enhanced legroom section in coach that offers an additional three to four inches of space between rows. The new section is dubbed "Economy Comfort." (Read more: Delta Expands Enhanced Legroom 'Economy Comfort' Seating)
All A319 aircraft offer 18 Economy Comfort seats, which comprise the first three rows of the aircraft, according to a Delta spokesperson.
First Class
Any first class seat beats out one in economy, or course. They offer 36 inches of space, or pitch, between rows with a width of 21 inches. But there are some slight drawbacks to seats in rows one and three. While there is a cutout at the base of the bulkhead walls in row one, taller passengers still might find legroom restrictive. And seat recline in row three may be partially obstructed by the rear bulkhead wall in first class. Go for row two in first class. Update: received emails from a couple of readers who say the bulkhead behind row three is a soft divider allowing for full seat recline.
Economy Class
The 18 seats in Economy Comfort comprise rows four through six and offer 34 to 36 inches of pitch at a width of 17.2 inches. They're available for free to certain Delta elite frequent fliers, and for a fee to general travelers. Rates vary based on flight duration and other factors. If you're not able to reserve one of these seats, the next best option is a seat in row nine — the overwing exit row. It offers a bit more legroom than the other rows appearing in gray, in the chart above. All other coach seats provide 30 to 32 inches of pitch at a width of 17.2 inches.
Seats to Avoid
Seats to avoid? The last few rows as the proximity to the lavatory can be bothersome with passengers lingering around you. That said, one of my Twitter followers who flies Delta more than 125,000 miles annually tells me, "I did survive an hour-long flight in 22E and it wasn't that terrible."
All of Delta's Airbus A319s offer in-flight Wi-Fi.
Have you flown on this aircraft? What's your favorite seat?
