7 - hour flights: Delta Air Lines set to inaugurate its longest Airbus A321neo route

Delta Air Lines is just over two weeks away from inaugurating its newest route. The airline will begin service between its hub at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Miami International Airport (MIA) with its sleek Airbus A321neo.

Although the route was announced earlier this year, it appears Delta has changed the start date a few days earlier than its initial projections.

The move means three airlines will operate the coast-to-coast route, which is seemingly in high demand.

Simple Flying originally reported on Delta’s intentions to fly between Seattle and Miami in February. The carrier indicated that it would commence the service on December 21st.

However, according to aviation data and analytics firm Cirium, the route is set to begin on December 19th.

The flights, understandably, are already bookable on the airline’s website. Currently, DL506 is the scheduled daily frequency in both directions.

The eastbound journey is scheduled to depart from Seattle just before 07:30 and arrive in Miami shortly after 16:15. The westbound flight has a scheduled departure around 17:30 and does not arrive back in Seattle until just after 21:30.

While the Seattle-bound flight is scheduled to last just over seven hours, it is not likely to be the exact duration every day.

Flight times are based on the scheduled pushback and forecasted arrival. Albeit, most flights land much earlier than the projected time.

It is worth noting that since the flight is headed west, it will be impacted by typical headwinds that often make westbound flights longer than eastbound flights.

Exact flight times will vary depending on the day, operation, and weather. Nonetheless, at 2,724 average miles, the route will become the longest for Delta’s A321neos – topping flights between Seattle and Fort Lauderdale.

When Delta introduced the aircraft type, it unveiled a new standard of domestic first class and updated inflight entertainment systems with Bluetooth connectivity.

The spacious and comfortable first class seats, with winged edges near the top, offer more privacy for passengers. They have become such a favorite that Delta is installing them across its Boeing 737-800 fleet.

The A321neos accommodate a total of 194 passengers across a three-class format: 20 first class seats, 42 Delta Comfort+ seats, and 132 seats in the main cabin. All passengers can enjoy from in-seat power and seatback entertainment.

Delta will be cutting into Alaska Airlines and American Airlines’ oneworld Alliance monopoly between Seattle and Miami.

American, which operates a hub in Miami, has flown the route for years, while Alaska – with its main hub in Seattle – began service between the two destinations in 2022.

Despite American being the largest operator in Miami, Delta has a formidable presence. The legacy carrier offers regularly scheduled flights to Atlanta, Orlando, Boston, New York LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Washington DC, and Detroit.

Its sole international route from Miami travels to Havana, Cuba.

In addition to Fort Lauderdale-Seattle and Miami-Seattle, Delta also operates nonstop flights between Orlando and Seattle. All three routes exceed 2,500 average miles in each direction.