Delta Air Lines Schedules Airbus A350 On Shortest Route Between Atlanta & Orlando

Delta Air Lines is continuing with its plan to utilize is Airbus A350-900 on short US domestic routes this year. The aircraft, which has become the carrier’s flagship jet, is now slated to handle flights between Atlanta and Orlando for a limited time this Summer.

It will follow the US legacy carrier’s launch of another short hub-to-hub route between Minneapolis and Detroit on the A350 this week. The aircraft will significantly boost capacity on both routes.

Orlando turn

According to independent aviation blog, Ishrion Aviation, Delta updated its July flight schedule on Saturday. The changes include the A350-900 being scheduled between the carrier’s main hub at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Orlando International Airport (MCO) beginning July 5th.

The flight, DL1213, will be an Orlando turn, meaning the same aircraft will turn around and fly back to Atlanta on the same day.

Interested in the route? Find flights between Atlanta & Orlando right here!

The route covers an average distance of 403 miles, making it the shortest route for Delta’s A350. However, it will be short-lived, only operating for a month. Simple Flying previously reported this month that Delta would begin flying the A350 on its shortest route between Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW).

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Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows that the aircraft will operate as DL1213 exclusively in July on Sundays and Mondays, totaling 18 flights – nine in each direction. The exact aircraft operating the route will also be specific.

A350 seat configurations

A total of 3,051 seats will be offered across the nine flights each way, indicating that each flight has a capacity of 339 passengers, according to Cirium. Delta has three versions of its A350-900s based on seating configurations; however, only two are three-class layouts. The “359” accommodates 306 passengers, while the “35H” seats less at 275 due to a larger premium class. The “35L” accommodates the most passengers with 339 seats and is set to handle all DL1213 A350-900 frequencies in July.

Photo: Airbus

Ishrion Aviation noted that the 35L’s are A350s formerly operated by LATAM Airlines. The interiors on these aircraft comprise a two-class configuration, unlike the 359 and 35H versions. The Delta One class has 30 lie-flat seats, while the main cabin has the remaining 309 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. 63 main cabin seats are designated as Delta Comfort+ seats and have four more inches of pitch. The other class on the 359 and 35H configurations is Delta Premium Select – the airline’s version of premium economy, with wider recliner seats in a 2-4-2 layout.

Boosting capacity

The addition of the 35L considerably increases the capacity between ATL and MCO. With significant demand for MCO year-round, Delta schedules a variety of narrowbody aircraft on the route. The airline will use the A321ceo, A321neo, Boeing 737-900ER, 757-200, and 757-300 between ATL and MCO in June. Across 916 total flights scheduled during the month, the carrier is offering 185,785 seats.

In July, Delta will add the A350 along with the same aircraft types from June except the A321neo on the route. Albeit, more flights are scheduled compared to the previous month – 930 – the airline will offer a total of 192,010 seats, an increase of more than 6,200 seats.

Photo: Oleh Yatskiv | Shutterstock

Cirium data shows that the A350 will only be scheduled on the route in July. Although it is unclear why Delta will utilize the aircraft for 18 flights, it is likely to cater to increased summer demand.

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