Was on a Delta A321 from DCA to ATL today. Have been on a couple of Delta 321s but never noticed the poor design of the bins. Typically, I check my bag, today I did not. Bins will not close with bags straight up they must be flat which limits carry on space. Speaking with flight attendant she said it's a big problem, slows down boarding and requires more gate checked bags.

Don't airlines test these things to insure the bins can accommodate bags standing up ? Seems very basic. Topic may have already been discussed, my apologies if it has been discussed. Did search but found nothing related.

Maybe this type of bin was cheaper therefore the bean counters insisted on them.

Seems like a fixable issue.

Ive never been on a DL A321 but this just sounds strange to me. Their fleet is still very young and larger bins where available when they ordered the planes.

Yes the 321 will not let you turn the bags on the side like the 739s and 738s. Every flight I take someone tries and then does not shut the bin so then the FAs have to rearrange bags. Seems like not a big deal until you are waiting for them to check bags that had already been placed in a bin. Now I check when on the 321s and carry on when on the Boeings or even the 320.

DL seem to have A350 bins on their A321 fleet so that's obviously an option. But don't you think for a second
that DL would have tested them to see if standard roll away bags fit with everything else they do? They know
this is important to the market and DL would have obviously paid extra to get these ones. Maybe, just maybe
your bag is oversized?

Lufthansa wrote:

Maybe, just maybe
your bag is oversized?

Nope, the bins are small.

Wonder if the NEOs will have bigger bins??

It is quite strange considering the refurbished 319's and 320's along with the newer 739's have massive bins that can accommodate several rollerboards turned onto their sides. Kind of puzzling decision by DL not to install the larger bins on these new aircraft.

johns624 wrote:

Lufthansa wrote:

Maybe, just maybe
your bag is oversized?

Nope, the bins are small.

I can attest to that, as well as to the OP´s comment. I had exactly the same thought last week when I transferred from a 757 to an A-321 in Atlanta. I have a standard Samsonite Spinner which fits easily within the cabin bag limitations on all airlines (including most low fare carriers) and it fit on its side in the 757 without a problem. In the A-321 it could only fit lying flat...

Not only do they not fit the bags on their sides, but the bins themselves are an awkward length and can only accommodate 2.5 standard sized roll-aboards. A third one will not fit.

I have an educated guess. When DL retrofitted their A319/320s, the large bins they used were problematic. While they were comparable to the larger 737 bins, in terms of size, they hang much lower without very stiff springs. Even with the heavy springs, people would bump their heads much more easily than against the 737 bins. Another problem with the stiff springs is one needs to pull the bins down with one hand to put the carry-ons in the bins with the other hand. This becomes a challenge if your carry-on is on the heavy side. So, when DL furnished their A321 interiors, my guess is they decided against the large drop-down bins.

Didn't DL go with an aftermarket product? AA and Alaska's new 321neo's still have the same old style shelf bins.

My rollaboard is of the max acceptable size (22 inch length, etc) and have never thought of inserting it vertically, Boeing or Airbus. Wheels first, of course, unless you're seated on the wrong side of an MD80. As for the 321, as I recall, the bins open 'down', as opposed to 'up' on a Boeing. My tall seatmate didn't like that.

My bag fits on edge. That you fit your bag on other aircraft doesn't mean it's size-compliant. AA/DL/UA/AS have a common carry-on limit of 22" x 14 x 9 including wheels and handles.

Pivot bins (opening down) on narrowbody aircraft can present hazards to heads and faces for anybody taller than about 5'6". Boeing's rollout of Space Bins (2014?) changed the game with capacity, however.

Was on a DL A321 last week due to having a maintenance delay and missing my 757-300. Was really surprised when the gate agent in Atlanta was making announcements at boarding that they will need to gate check 50 carry on bags. I thought the bags would fit on the side since it was a brand new airplane, but nope.

The bins were actually suppose to fit bags on their side, and originally advertised, with placards on the aircraft no less, as such. That is why DL selected them. Turns out as you noted that it did not work out in the real world. I suspect whatever vender makes the bin forgot to make sure you can actually close and latch the bin with the bags sideways. Whoops.

I’m guessing DL got some compensation from that screwup.

The other (aftermarket) bins on the A319 and 320 are much better. My only beef is they don’t stay all the way down when open and empty.

Polot wrote:

The bins were actually suppose to fit bags on their side, and originally advertised, with placards on the aircraft no less, as such. That is why DL selected them. Turns out as you noted that it did not work out in the real world. I suspect whatever vender makes the bin forgot to make sure you can actually close and latch the bin with the bags sideways. Whoops.

I’m guessing DL got some compensation from that screwup.

That’s a massive quality control mishap if true. That vendor should be paying up.

These have been a massive issue. Especially because customers are starting to get conditioned to store their bags on their sides. I think the issue is if you look at the inside top/back wall of the bins, there's this weird wavy bump out. Looks like it accommodates duct work, perhaps? Anyway, you can fit the bags in their on their sides, but then you can't close them due to that bump out.
I recall an internal communication that in response to feedback, the NEOs will be delivered with the traditional shelf bins. That'll work--but still doesn't make sense to me. The new bins on the 319s are luxuriantly large.

Lots of incorrect information in this thread. Delta reconfigured A320/319s and didn’t take much thought to anything really: they cut galleys in half and put CRJ size lavatories on board- later on they created a makeshift retrofit to the galley because it was so tight the FA were all complaining about taking care of 150 pax out of a closet sized space with lines for the restrooms running through it. The bins were designed by zodiac aerospace I believe, and while larger, they became an issue as well with FAs because the counter weight mechanism made them difficult to close when loaded. So then, Delta devised a fix and had the bins counter weight reinforced, this however means when the bin has no bags, it doesn’t open completely; when you board you see a bin half open, it requires pax to stop, pull the bin down with one hand and maneuver their large bag simultaneously. A totally comedy of errors on aircraft configuration. But this is the Delta way- they are terrible at configuring planes. UA and AA keep things simple, whereas Delta would spend millions on failed projects that are completely non friendly to customers and employees but no one cares to notice because they have ptvs.

The 757s, MD90s, MD88 have also been reconfigured in the same time frame (the 88/90 were first) and all have been tighter inside and less customer friendly. Delta actually decided one galley was good enough on 160 pax MD90s, so during boarding you have this tiny space where passengers are trying to walk though and they’re trying to cater etc, it’s a complete mess.

LAXBUR wrote:

Polot wrote:

The bins were actually suppose to fit bags on their side, and originally advertised, with placards on the aircraft no less, as such. That is why DL selected them. Turns out as you noted that it did not work out in the real world. I suspect whatever vender makes the bin forgot to make sure you can actually close and latch the bin with the bags sideways. Whoops.

I’m guessing DL got some compensation from that screwup.

That’s a massive quality control mishap if true. That vendor should be paying up.

That's not a QC mishap, it's a design mishap.

So as someone who's on a DL A321 almost every other week I can confirm roller-board bags don't fit on on their narrow side. They need to be flat. The FA's will tell people this constantly during boarding. It has nothing to do with "oversized bags" the bins won't close with a standard roller-board. I can't speak for the Y cabin, but in F they've even put stickers in the bins telling people to turn their bags flat. On the 737 stickers tell you to turn the bag on its side.

Unfortunately, most people getting on the plane have no idea what they're flying on. A plane is a plane.

And FlyBoy80 to say DL is terrible at configuring planes is a bit much. DL (a for profit business) has been very effective of squeezing every dollar out of their aircraft.

flyboy80 wrote:

Delta reconfigured A320/319s and didn’t take much thought to anything really: they cut galleys in half and put CRJ size lavatories on board- later on they created a makeshift retrofit to the galley because it was so tight the FA were all complaining about taking care of 150 pax out of a closet sized space with lines for the restrooms running through it. The bins were designed by zodiac aerospace I believe, and while larger, they became an issue as well with FAs because the counter weight mechanism made them difficult to close when loaded. So then, Delta devised a fix and had the bins counter weight reinforced, this however means when the bin has no bags, it doesn’t open completely; when you board you see a bin half open, it requires pax to stop, pull the bin down with one hand and maneuver their large bag simultaneously. A totally comedy of errors on aircraft configuration. But this is the Delta way- they are terrible at configuring planes. UA and AA keep things simple, whereas Delta would spend millions on failed projects that are completely non friendly to customers and employees but no one cares to notice because they have PTVs.

Disagree. I fly on the 319 more than any other Delta type and think they did a great job. Sure, there are a few quirks such as the bins resting half open and the flight attendant call buttons being easily mistaken for lights but overall I think Zodiac and Delta did a fantastic job redoing these sparse Northwest birds.

flyboy80 wrote:

But this is the Delta way- they are terrible at configuring planes.

Snooze.

DLASFlyer wrote:

flyboy80 wrote:

Delta reconfigured A320/319s and didn’t take much thought to anything really: they cut galleys in half and put CRJ size lavatories on board- later on they created a makeshift retrofit to the galley because it was so tight the FA were all complaining about taking care of 150 pax out of a closet sized space with lines for the restrooms running through it. The bins were designed by zodiac aerospace I believe, and while larger, they became an issue as well with FAs because the counter weight mechanism made them difficult to close when loaded. So then, Delta devised a fix and had the bins counter weight reinforced, this however means when the bin has no bags, it doesn’t open completely; when you board you see a bin half open, it requires pax to stop, pull the bin down with one hand and maneuver their large bag simultaneously. A totally comedy of errors on aircraft configuration. But this is the Delta way- they are terrible at configuring planes. UA and AA keep things simple, whereas Delta would spend millions on failed projects that are completely non friendly to customers and employees but no one cares to notice because they have PTVs.

Disagree. I fly on the 319 more than any other Delta type and think they did a great job. Sure, there are a few quirks such as the bins resting half open and the flight attendant call buttons being easily mistaken for lights but overall I think Zodiac and Delta did a fantastic job redoing these sparse Northwest birds.

I agree, the 319/320 turned out great - other than the new A220, the A319 and A320 are my favorite Delta domestic planes with the wider seats, modern, clean interior and of course, PTVs. Hands down better than what you'd get on any other US airline's A319/320.

Not DL's fault, the standard factory fitted bins on the A320 family are smaller than that on the 737s.

TTailedTiger wrote:

Didn't DL go with an aftermarket product? AA and Alaska's new 321neo's still have the same old style shelf bins.

This is incorrect. AA was the launch customer for new larger overhead bins that Airbus now offers which allow for bags to be placed on their side. AA is also retrofitting all of their existing A321’s to have these bins.

https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2019/04/american-airlines-launches-a321neo-service-with-new-cabin-larger-overhead-luggage-bins.html

jeffrey0032j wrote:

Not DL's fault, the standard factory fitted bins on the A320 family are smaller than that on the 737s.

There are a lot of bin options for the A320 family (seriously-it seems like every other year someone is coming out with a new one for the A320 family). Delta selected this one with the expectation that it will fit more bags, while fitting Delta’s preferred modern aesthetic. Didn’t work out, getting different bins on the Neos (I’m guessing the new XL bins AA introduced with their A321neos).

AA321T wrote:

TTailedTiger wrote:

Didn't DL go with an aftermarket product? AA and Alaska's new 321neo's still have the same old style shelf bins.

This is incorrect. AA was the launch customer for new larger overhead bins that Airbus now offers which allow for bags to be placed on their side. AA is also retrofitting all of their existing A321’s to have these bins.

https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2019/04/american-airlines-launches-a321neo-service-with-new-cabin-larger-overhead-luggage-bins.html

The new bins may not be the "same old style" shelf bins, but they are still shelf bins rather than pivot bins. They do seem to be a better choice than what Delta has been using on the ceos.

AA321T wrote:

TTailedTiger wrote:

Didn't DL go with an aftermarket product? AA and Alaska's new 321neo's still have the same old style shelf bins.

This is incorrect. AA was the launch customer for new larger overhead bins that Airbus now offers which allow for bags to be placed on their side. AA is also retrofitting all of their existing A321’s to have these bins.

https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2019/04/american-airlines-launches-a321neo-service-with-new-cabin-larger-overhead-luggage-bins.html

Those are not pivot bins.

Guess Delta needs to retrofit these new aircraft with other bins, shocked Delta did not know these bins would not latch with bags standing up. Someone was "asleep at the wheel".

Has Delta decided what they are doing to do about the A321ceo bins yet? They are worse than the original a320 bins

FF630 wrote:

Guess Delta needs to retrofit these new aircraft with other bins, shocked Delta did not know these bins would not latch with bags standing up. Someone was "asleep at the wheel".

No one at DL was “asleep at the wheel” when options about how the cabin would be outfitted were made. No one.

dcaproducer wrote:

And FlyBoy80 to say DL is terrible at configuring planes is a bit much. DL (a for profit business) has been very effective of squeezing every dollar out of their aircraft.

Flyboy80’s comments are painfully uninformed.

DL spends a lot of time modeling and analyzing cabin configuration choices. The path to design decisions includes a tremendous amount of heathy tension among customer comfort, employee work environment, brand consistency, revenue enhancement opportunities, capex and ongoing operational costs.

Nothing wrong with the bins, they are same ones used in the A350, and Delta has stickers that clearly say they are to go flat. The A320s have aftermarket bins.

questions wrote:

FF630 wrote:

Guess Delta needs to retrofit these new aircraft with other bins, shocked Delta did not know these bins would not latch with bags standing up. Someone was "asleep at the wheel".

No one at DL was “asleep at the wheel” when options about how the cabin would be outfitted were made. No one.

Yep, just more people making up stories when they are on the outside.

The DL team that handles delivery processes and on-boarding new planes consists of people who were around since the first Airbus was delivered to NW.

Lootess wrote:

The DL team that handles delivery processes and on-boarding new planes consists of people who were around since the first Airbus was delivered to NW.

Nice way of saying "old farts screwed up"

fanoftristars wrote:

DLASFlyer wrote:

flyboy80 wrote:

Delta reconfigured A320/319s and didn’t take much thought to anything really: they cut galleys in half and put CRJ size lavatories on board- later on they created a makeshift retrofit to the galley because it was so tight the FA were all complaining about taking care of 150 pax out of a closet sized space with lines for the restrooms running through it. The bins were designed by zodiac aerospace I believe, and while larger, they became an issue as well with FAs because the counter weight mechanism made them difficult to close when loaded. So then, Delta devised a fix and had the bins counter weight reinforced, this however means when the bin has no bags, it doesn’t open completely; when you board you see a bin half open, it requires pax to stop, pull the bin down with one hand and maneuver their large bag simultaneously. A totally comedy of errors on aircraft configuration. But this is the Delta way- they are terrible at configuring planes. UA and AA keep things simple, whereas Delta would spend millions on failed projects that are completely non friendly to customers and employees but no one cares to notice because they have PTVs.

Disagree. I fly on the 319 more than any other Delta type and think they did a great job. Sure, there are a few quirks such as the bins resting half open and the flight attendant call buttons being easily mistaken for lights but overall I think Zodiac and Delta did a fantastic job redoing these sparse Northwest birds.

I agree, the 319/320 turned out great - other than the new A220, the A319 and A320 are my favorite Delta domestic planes with the wider seats, modern, clean interior and of course, PTVs. Hands down better than what you'd get on any other US airline's A319/320.

Also agreed. Flew on a DL A319 for the first time since they upgraded them and they did a fantastic job.

johns624 wrote:

Lufthansa wrote:

Maybe, just maybe
your bag is oversized?

Nope, the bins are small.

You know, they are still the same size bins as you get on all non-sky interiors all over the world.

I am on a 321 fairly regularly and the bins are annoying. I was on the last flight into BOS from DTW quite a bit this summer. Packed flight and ran out of overhead bin space quickly, lots of people swimming upstream with bags that won't fit. I would have guessed that they'd have bins that can hold the bags sideways.

The flat carry-on A321 bins are a non-issue with the A350 because of the middle aisle bins in all cabins except Delta One. Which has no middle bins.

Never had a problem with either A321 or A350 with carry-on, the bin stickers point out that they go flat. Simple as that, just some frequent flyers think they know everything. Sure sometimes it may be put a few rows back from the seat. That obviously affects deplaning.