FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Delta to retire 717, 767-300ER and CRJ-200
Old Sep 29, 2020 | 6:13 pm
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Originally Posted by BenA
After thinking on this for a few days, I think an A321XLR order is likely to replace the 767s. DL has too many TATL routes that need small international aircraft to give up all the 767s without a replacement; the 330Neo is just too much airplane, and the 330-800 is pretty inefficient.
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I am not so sure. Pre-Covid, Ed and Glen had mentioned in one of the investor calls that they were not at all convinced of the economics of a narrow-body single-aisle transoceanic aircraft for Delta. One of the points is that as employee (and especially pilot) wages go up, they need more seats to spread those costs. Delta places a lot of importance on unit costs, hence they had been on an upgauging track both domestically and internationally. Also, remember that this is 2025 we are looking at, where they estimate they would be back to 2019 traffic levels or better, which means their upgauging strategy should be valid again. I think the thinner routes will be replaced by the 764s and A332s, while some current 764 and A332 routes can be upgauged to the A339. Just like on the domestic side, there won't be these one-for-one replacements (e.g., they had ordered a massive fleet of A321s to replace everything from the MD88/90s to 757s). Total capacity can be mitigated by maybe adjusting the number of US gateways for a destination.
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