If we're in it for the history, does Delta have any L-1011s they can drag out of the desert instead of the sh*tty DC-9s? I'd much rather fly one of those ANY day!

I went by wikipedia information about the elimination of the DC9-50.

Delta does have some really old planes in the fleet and their procurement of new jets seems to be behind other carriers including United which actually has dreamliners coming online later this year.

The only order we know of with a firm commitment is the 737-900ER's which will start to come in for 2013.

Delta is a large carrier with lots of aircraft through mergers and buying planes on the used market and only recently became profitable so it still has older pieces of equipment.

Delta runs MD88s on routes that other airlines like JetBlue routinely run modern A320's from.

While the wiki says the 737-900ER fleet will replace the older 757 + 767, and A320 fleet, it is more than likely it will start replacing some MD88s as well.

2013 should see improvements after these new jets come online.

From a passenger standpoint, I don't see an issue with the DC9-50. AA flies almost 200 DC9-83s - much like the 50 series with a stretched fuselage. DL specifically worked with the McDonnell Douglas to remove the DC9 designation from the MD-88, otherwise it would have been typed as DC9-88. Yes the plane is old, but the interiors are as new as most of the interiors in the DL fleet. As a matter of personal preference, I only ride inside the plane, so I don't really notice that its a 50 series while on board :) The DC9-50 has wireless, a great ratio of FC to Y seats, and at least upfront is reasonably quiet.

The reason they are going out of service this year has nothing to do with the passenger experience. The problems relate to fuel efficiency, increased maintenance costs, and the "steam" gauges on the flight deck making the plane ineligible for some types of approaches.

The metallurgists with Tech Ops know more about the metal fatigue issues and how many cycles they occur at on the DC-9 50 than any other aircraft in the fleet. The USAF flies B52s in mission critical operations that are more than a decade older than the oldest DC9-50 series in DL's fleet and will continue to fly them in mission critical operations for another 20 years. With proper maintenance an airframe will become operationally obsolete long before it becomes a structurally obsolete.

Don't open that can of worms here. The reason why I am not an Airbus fan is because that company never built a "real" airplane. Older folk who flew props
like the DC 6,the Super Conny etc. or even jets like the DC 8, 727, 880 or especially the Caravelle know what I mean. These were planes one flew with one's "butt", one could feel them and connect. Nowadays it's all a sort of hybrid feeling, YMMW. So, again enjoy your ride and I hope you can feel yourself what I mean. Besides, those guys in the cockpit still know how to fly and especially handfly a plane. You should feel much safer with them than with the joystick guys who are in the "other" manufacturers' seats.

I love the DC-9s, and I prefer the interior over the MD-80s. The seats are more comfortable. It's a workhorse of a plane that was designed to be beat to hell. As the saying goes, when the last Airbus is flown to the desert, the pilots will be flown back in a DC-9.

They fly them all the time from CHS-ATL. I stepped aboard one the other day, looked in the cockpit, and said, "wow, is this a BRAND NEW plane?!?!" The pilots and FAs thought that was pretty funny.

Actually, I miss the DC9-30s - the ratio between FC and Y was incredible. I suspect that even Silver medallion passengers were routinely being upgraded on those planes. None were ever repainted in DL colors so they all went to the desert in NWA colors.

While its true that the A300 is the first aircraft to be sold under the Airbus name, its important to keep in mind that Airbus began as a consortium of European manufacturers who pooled their resources and expertise into creating the A300. This includes companies such as CASA (1923), Sud/Nord Aviation (early 50's), and other companies that invested, including Hawker Siddeley and Fokker.

I understand why people may have preferences over Airbus and Boeing regarding their flight control systems but from an engineering perspective, boycotting one manufacturer over another is a bit silly. I'm an aerospace engineer who worked on both the 787 and A380 and from my perspective, both companies use the same subcontractors for their designs and to view one company's aircraft as safer than another is silly.

I love the DC-9s. I wish Delta had more of them.

absolutely +1^

Yuuuuuuuup! ^^^

David

Both Boeing and Airbus alike have had design issues.

The press often pits one against the other when flaws come in on one brand, but the truth is Airbus and Boeing alike have had their own share of successes and failures.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...s-top-supplier

And don't forget other makers like Bombardier with their C series that will compete against some Airbus and Boeing models. Lots of competition in the industry today and airlines are using a lot of Bombardier, Embraer, Airbus, Boeing.

Then you have other manufacturers making planes as well but you tend to see less of them overall such as Fokker found on some European airlines and others.

+1 -good old Gordy

I could see the Bombardier C series are being a potentially good fit for a Delta order.

The 100 737-900ER is likely just the first of another order likely to be placed this year.

DC9-50's are indeed the oldest in the fleet and will be phased out.

I'm going to miss the DC9-50's and would like to be on the final DC9-50 flight or a DC9-50 retirement DO. From a technical standpoint, the aircraft can leave the gate under its own power, has proven to be very solidly built, has reasonable fuel economy on short routes, and was able to be "modernized" enough that most passengers won't be able to tell that the plane is 30+ years old unless they look in the cockpit.

I find it cool to be on an aircraft that is still in commercial service in the lower 48 after 30+ years. Normally, to fly on that old of an aircraft on a scheduled commercial airline, one has to fly to a 3rd world country or Alaska, the latter being a popular destination of smaller older aircraft. I was very happy when Delta started scheduling the DC9-50's out of ATL as it means that I can often start and end my trip by flying a DC9-50 to/from BHM.