Delta no longer has any Boeing planes on order
Jun 11, 2019, 11:21 am
#18
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: DL DM+(segs)/MM, UA Ag, Hilton DM, Marriott Ti (life Pt), TSA Opt-out Platinum
Posts: 3,227
I don't really care where the planes come from (Airbus or Boeing) as long as they are safe and operationally reliable. Would I like to support an American company (Boeing)? Sure I would, but I don't believe in buying things you don't need or that don't work well for specific routes and markets just to support a specific brand. I'm sure Boeing will produce a plane that Delta is interested in in the future and I wouldn't be surprised if AA or UA order more Airbus' in the future (depending on where things go in the next however many years). Delta clearly has a strategy of picking up old planes at discounted rates. I am sure there will be 737s that are brought into the fleet sooner or later.
Jun 11, 2019, 10:52 pm
#19
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Austin, TX - AUS
Programs: AA Platinum, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott
Posts: 1,625
Jun 11, 2019, 11:11 pm
#20
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: midwest
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 920
Given Delta Tech Ops abilities, I suspect that DL can keep the small subfleet of A332s running for a long time.
Would it make sense for DL to perhaps opportunistically buy or lease some medium-time A332s as they come off first lease with others? There's a decent number that were delivered new 10-14 years ago. While their operating cost per seat mile is a little higher than the 333s, if the capital expenditures can hit a sweet spot, they have range and good cabin comfort. Could serve a fill-in role as 767s bump up against the next heavy checks, couldn't they?
Would it make sense for DL to perhaps opportunistically buy or lease some medium-time A332s as they come off first lease with others? There's a decent number that were delivered new 10-14 years ago. While their operating cost per seat mile is a little higher than the 333s, if the capital expenditures can hit a sweet spot, they have range and good cabin comfort. Could serve a fill-in role as 767s bump up against the next heavy checks, couldn't they?
Jun 12, 2019, 8:46 am
#21
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 5,292
I ACTIVELY book away from both products. Why are the 739s always so hot inside?
I actually find myself looking for Airbus product now on any airline I fly. They are generally more passenger friendly. My secondary carrier is UA. The 787 is atrocious in Y at 9x. Thank God DL kept 9x in the 777. I won't fly that on UA or AA at 10x. Yes, I usually fly premium cabin and it doesn't matter so much, but IRROPS happen. Not a risk I am willing to take. I hope that the 797 (if that happens) will take some lessons from Airbus. They have designed cabins where it is not easy for airlines to cram in an extra seat. Ultimately I know it comes down to the airline configuration (I find UA's 739s MUCH-better than DL's with a mid-cabin lav and a break in the sea of seats), but Airbus has predicted the penny pinching in the industry and set it up where it is not practical (except by bottom-dwelling ULCC) to increase seating abreast.
Last edited by bubbashow; Jun 12, 2019 at 8:53 am
Jun 12, 2019, 9:42 am
#22
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SJC
Programs: DL PM MM, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 3,276
Sadly, the 737-900 is the most common type in the fleet (and the plane that does all the frequencies to ATL, JFK, and DTW from my home airport). Eventually there will be 227 A321s (both ceo and neo), but that's still several years away.