I recently had the chance to give Delta A220-300 economy a try between Denver and Salt Lake City. For those of you who are too lazy to read this full review, all you need to know is that it’s a fairly nice experience.
I really like the fact that it’s just small enough to have a 2-3 cabin layout (as opposed to a 3-3 layout found on most other airliners).
Oh – just so you know, there’s now a Delta A220-300 flying around with orange-stained carpet at seat 26E. I’m really sorry about that.
DL1595
Denver, CO (DEN) – Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)
Saturday, February 13, 2021
Aircraft: A220-300
Registration: N306DU
Duration: 1 hour 43 minutes
Seat: 26E (Economy Class)
Delta Air Lines A220-300 side view illustration by Norebbo.comOur route from Denver to Salt Lake City today as DL1595
My full review of Delta A220-300 economy from Denver to Salt Lake City
It was extremely cold in Denver this particular morning. Temperatures were hovering around 0°F with a windchill of about -30. For a delicate San Diegan such as myself, that hurt.
I specifically chose the Denver to Salt Lake City route because of how potentially scenic it would be. I had been looking forward to this flight for weeks, and I had all my video equipment set and ready to go to capture Epic Winter Scenery (TM) the entire way. Unfortunately, despite how cold it was, there was no Epic Winter Scenery to be found at either location. Yep
Arrival at the airport
I flew into Denver from San Diego on Frontier Airlines, and I arrived with just one hour to go before the scheduled departure time to Salt Lake City.
Don’t worry. I’ll explain the goldfish disaster later on, but first: welcome to another SANspotter airline review.
The first order of business: Stuffing my face with a halfway decent lunch. I’m expecting this review to be meaty (no pun intended), so I’m going to need all the energy I can get…The last time I was in this airport was back in 2015 right before trying a Frontier Airlines A319 Stretch seat for the first time. I’m happy to report that it’s still as cool as ever, and it’s a shame that I only have a 1 hour layover here. Yes, a 1 hour layover is plenty of time in Denver.Anyway, I’ve got to soak this in as fast as I can, because my flight over to Salt Lake City will be boarding soon.I wonder how many people have missed their flights out of here because of all the cool and crazy distractions at the center of the terminal?The most interesting thing about the Denver airport is the fact that it’s like a mini version of the Atlanta airport. The terminal layout is exactly the same, with parallel concourses connected by an underground train system that runs perpendicular to them.Enough loitering. I’ve got an A220 to catch…
The boarding process for flight number 1595 to Salt Lake City
The most frustrating thing about this Delta A220 experience so far was the fact that I couldn’t get a clear shot of the aircraft from the terminal windows. For all I knew, they could’ve swapped it with a CRJ-200 and I wouldn’t of known it until I stepped on the plane. That would have hurt just as much as the cold temperatures. I’m delicate, ok?
Slight delay here. I guess I could’ve admired that sculpture a little longer. Oh well.Boarding ended up being only 10 minutes late, but it still felt a bit stressful since I had another short layover in Salt Lake City.All I’m going to say is that the concentration required to get footage for a silly airline review is a good distraction from the stress of air travel.It’s also a fantastic way to not enjoy the flight as much as I would if I wasn’t trying to get footage for a silly airline review.So this is it! My first ever Airbus A220! It’s nice to finally get the chance to see what these things are all about (as soon as all these people get the heck out of my way of course).
The seats
Right away, it was easy to tell that I had stepped onboard a Delta aircraft. All of the familiar sights and sounds were there, right down to the blue vinyl seats with red accents. That’s not a complaint by the way – I’ve always been a really big fan of Delta’s stylish (and feature-rich) interiors.
Even before sitting down, the thing that struck me first about the Delta A220-300 is that it looked like some sort of weird blend of an MD-90 and an A320.These are the Comfort Plus seats (which look a lot nicer than, say, the seats found in Delta 767-300 Comfort Plus) – or even A321 Comfort Plus for that matter). That’s the problem with anticipating something for too long I guess. I think I built the A220 up way too much in my head prior to this experience.Don’t get me wrong. The leg room felt quite good actually, the video screens were phenomenal, and I don’t think it’s even possible to say bad things about “new airplane smell”. This is almost as good as Delta 767-400 economy!This is definitely nice. Especially since Delta was still blocking middle seats at this time due to COVID.Sure, the extra space was nice, but having an empty seat next to you comes in real handy when you dump a full bag of goldfish crackers all over the floor (and inadvertently grind them into the carpet).Is it just me, or is the Frontier Airlines owl super creepy? I’m actually surprised that this didn’t give me nightmares.Speaking of creepy…my video screen is stuck and I can’t make this go away. At least these are the same video screens that Delta uses in first class (check out my review of Delta A321 first class to see for yourself).Anyway, yes, there are USB power ports under the display…….as well as full size electrical outlets down beneath /between the seats (which is exactly how it is in Delta 737-800 economy). Nice.
Our departure out of Denver
Even though I was feeling bummed about the fact that the skies were overcast (and that there was no snow on the ground), I held out hope that Salt Lake City would be the winter wonderland I was hoping for. That being said, it’s dangerous to expect too much.
Yes, a longer segment for my first ever Delta A220 flight would have been nice, but I specifically booked this thinking that the Epic Winter Scenery upon arrival in Salt Lake City would make it well worth it. Spoiler alert: don’t get your hopes up.Another thing I was really looking forward to on this flight was some spectacular Winter Mountain Scenery (TM) on departure from Denver, but as I said…don’t get your hopes up.
In-flight entertainment
The best thing about Delta is that they are one of the few airlines left that pride themselves in offering video screens at every seat on every aircraft – even in economy class. The A220-300 is no exception.
You gotta hand it to Delta – having USB power ports at every seat on every aircraft is nice.Delta Studio (the name of the in flight entertainment system) is also really nice. But……why is there a picture of a 737 on the flight info screen?
Snacks and drinks
I was so excited to be on a Delta A220-300 that I wasn’t even expecting to be fed anything on this short flight over to Salt Lake City. You can imagine my surprise when they started slinging the snack bags way back here in the bowels of economy…
It’s time to eat. I present to you (once again) the Covid snack bag.The neat thing about this snack is that it was the exact same thing they were serving up in first class. Not only that, it’s more than what I got in a Breeze Airways Embraer 195 Extra Legroom seat (the ones you have to pay extra for).We were all equals on this flight today, and it was something fun to think about while I nibbled on the goldfish.The only problem was…there didn’t seem to be that many in the bag for some reason.You know that feeling of dissatisfaction you get after getting a small taste of something really good? And then (in an instant) it’s gone? Those goldfish disappeared awfully quickly.Did I inadvertently inhale them all (without chewing) the way I used to do it when I was 3 years old? I felt really embarrassed about it as I was stowing the tray table. But then, in a moment of pure horror, it all made perfect sense….Yup. Somehow, during the shuffling of all the stuff on my tray table, I spilled about half the bag over the side and onto the floor. Even worse, several poor goldfish had been thoroughly ground into the carpet under my shoes. This was awkward.
Seat and cabin comfort
The Airbus A220 is a really nice aircraft. It’s small, but thanks to the 2-3 cabin layout in economy class, it feels just as spacious as a full-sized airplane. I could be totally happy fly on one of these on a transcontinental route from, say, New York to Los Angeles.
It’s amazing to think that an airplane of this size has the range to fly from New York to Los Angeles non stop. Or even New York to London. As sick as it sounds, I’d love to try that!Well done Airb…I mean…Bombardier!To any Delta executives watching this video: I’m really sorry for making a mess.As I was adjusting the air vents (which provided plenty of air by the way), I could only imagine the expletives that came from the mouths of the cleaning crew after this flight. I’ll bet that was fun.
The arrival into Salt Lake City
As much as I would love to flood this section of the review with mind-melting pics of snowy peaks and glistening low-winter sun, Mother Nature let me down today. Oh well.
Some of the most visually spectacular approaches and landings of my life have happened here in Salt Lake City. Case in point: my Delta 737-800 first class flight from MSP to SLC in 2016. I didn’t have the same kind of luck today though. This was not the winter wonderland that I was expecting.Perhaps it was karma for the goldfish thing?Fair enough. I totally deserved it.So that’s it for my first ever Delta Air Lines A220-300 economy experience.Other than Mother Nature being a total you-know-what, it was a really great experience and I can’t wait to fly on one of these things again.It’ll be a much longer route though. And there will be no spillage of goldfish. I can promise you that.I wonder how long it’s going to take before Delta sends me a hefty cleaning bill?Being served a cleaning bill was the least of my worries actually. I was facing an awfully tight connection, and even though I know that SLC minimum connection times are actually quite generous, I couldn’t help but to feel just a little bit stressed as I was walking off this plane…
Pros and cons
The good thing about anticipating this experience for so long was that it helped me to evaluate this economy experience on a much deeper level. Did it live up to my expectations? Here are the pros and cons:
Pros
The 2-3 cabin layout is really nice. Especially if you’re traveling with only one other person, as you won’t have to share a third seat with a complete (and potentially smelly) stranger.
Having video screens at every seat is extremely convenient. Not only that, they are large and some of the best I’ve ever seen in economy class on any airline.
There are power ports (both USB and electrical) at every seat. Woo-hoo!
The A220 is a relatively small aircraft (smaller than a typical A320 or 737), which makes for a shorter boarding and unloading times.
Cons
This is a very small aircraft to be flying on long routes over four hours. For some people (like me) it may not matter, but I can definitely understand how some may feel claustrophobic.
Bright orange goldfish crackers don’t blend into the dark blue carpet very well.
First, I am disappointed that you found Otto the Owl creepy (j/k). I though the A220 is a really nice plane from passenger experience standpoint. Did you visit the lavatory with the window?
I think Otto needs to smile more. Just sayin’. Haha! Anyway, I wasn’t able to check out lav on this segment but I’ll definitely have a look on my next A220 flight (which I hope will be longer).
I would add two items: flights are VERY loud. Also, for those in seats C/D, you cannot reach the light or fan controls which are squarely above seat E. And for those in seat E, be prepared for those next to you to ask you to adjust the light/fan during your flight. I would encourage you to choose seat A or B on the new Delta A220s
I’ve seen others comment on cabin noise in the A220 series, specifically that it’s quite loud. Was that your experience?
Also, a small quibble, but DL actually does not have personal screens on all aircraft types. The exception is the B717, which mainly does fairly short hops to/from ATL or DTW. I think there is roughly 50 in the fleet.
Thanks Wes! I think it all depends on where you sit. I’ve never thought that noise was an issue sitting ahead of the wing, but it seems to be just as loud as any other mainline aircraft behind it.
And thanks for the clarification about the video screens! I should’ve known that considering that my last DL 717 flight was just a few years ago. I’m getting sloppy in my old age (lol).
My sense is that, given the A220 is a new generation aircraft, folks may have developed an expectation of quietness from their experiences with the A320neo series and the B737MAX series. If you come in expecting quiet and experience normal noise levels, there may be an inclination to call it “loud.”
Dennis
First, I am disappointed that you found Otto the Owl creepy (j/k). I though the A220 is a really nice plane from passenger experience standpoint. Did you visit the lavatory with the window?
Scott (SANspotter)
I think Otto needs to smile more. Just sayin’. Haha! Anyway, I wasn’t able to check out lav on this segment but I’ll definitely have a look on my next A220 flight (which I hope will be longer).
Sam Craig
I would add two items: flights are VERY loud. Also, for those in seats C/D, you cannot reach the light or fan controls which are squarely above seat E. And for those in seat E, be prepared for those next to you to ask you to adjust the light/fan during your flight. I would encourage you to choose seat A or B on the new Delta A220s
Scott (SANspotter)
Thanks for the added tips Sam!
Wes
Great post and video, Scott.
I’ve seen others comment on cabin noise in the A220 series, specifically that it’s quite loud. Was that your experience?
Also, a small quibble, but DL actually does not have personal screens on all aircraft types. The exception is the B717, which mainly does fairly short hops to/from ATL or DTW. I think there is roughly 50 in the fleet.
Scott (SANspotter)
Thanks Wes! I think it all depends on where you sit. I’ve never thought that noise was an issue sitting ahead of the wing, but it seems to be just as loud as any other mainline aircraft behind it.
And thanks for the clarification about the video screens! I should’ve known that considering that my last DL 717 flight was just a few years ago. I’m getting sloppy in my old age (lol).
Wes
Ah, ok. Thanks for the reply!
My sense is that, given the A220 is a new generation aircraft, folks may have developed an expectation of quietness from their experiences with the A320neo series and the B737MAX series. If you come in expecting quiet and experience normal noise levels, there may be an inclination to call it “loud.”