<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PIONEER:
Just curious...was this an all coach plane?
I'v egotta think that DL is going to phase these 732s out as they replace mainline routes with RJs, thus perhaps explaining the lack of cosmetic maintenance.
Aren't there Delta's oldest planes?</font>
The 732's all have F. They have been reconfigured from their Delta Express days.
They aren't DL's oldest planes either. Most of the 732's were delivered between 1984 and 1986. DL has 762's and 752's that are older than that.
As for phasing the 732's out, exactly the opposite is happening. The 732's are being pulled out of the desert and put back into service. DL has a total of 52 732's of which about 30 are currently in service. If all goes as planned, the remaining 22 should be phased into service over the next 6-9 months. This phase-in will support DL's intended 8-10% capacity growth for 2004.
In some cases, the 732's will actually be used to upgrade RJ routes. If you look at the winter schedule (particularly out of ATL), you'll see some RJ flights being replaced by 732's. For example, ATL-GRR, which had been turned over completely to RJ's, will regain one mainline flight next year (using a 732).
The 732's are worn and could use an interior overhaul, but they fill an important gap between the CRJ700 and the MD88.