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Delta Memo looking at planning for new narrowbody aircraft for MAINLINE

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johnsonrod

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Joined
Feb 25, 2006
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Just got this from a friend of mine at Delta. Looks like Delta is planning on getting new planes for mainline, including small narrowbodies. (no 100 seaters for Comair or Skywest) The memo also states the number of 50 seaters parked and Saabs. I hope to be a part of the Big D someday myself!



Delta begins long-term planning for domestic aircraft fleet
January 13, 2011

Delta is beginning to plan for the future of its domestic mainline fleet and is accepting requests for proposals or RFPs to replace more than 200 narrowbody aircraft to provide long-term mainline domestic growth.

Late December, Delta sent a RFP to several major aircraft manufacturers for the eventual replacement of aircraft such as the Airbus A320, the DC9-50 and the Boeing 757-200, and to provide for long-term mainline domestic growth.

The proposal marks the next phase of Delta’s mainline fleet strategy, as older domestic mainline aircraft begin to approach retirement age, smaller regional jets and turboprop are phased out and the airline works to grow its domestic business.

During the past year, Delta has focused on combining the Delta and former Northwest fleets and investing in existing aircraft, with improvements including WiFi on all two-class domestic aircraft, interior upgrades and the installation of additional first class seats. Delta also has made some strategic aircraft acquisitions, including new and used aircraft, supplementing DC-9s and other aircraft that have retired from service.

Since 2007, Delta has invested in 60 mainline aircraft, including 10 Boeing 777-200LRs, 12 Boeing 737-700/800s, five used Boeing 757-200s and 33 used MD-90s.

At the same time, the airline has removed more than 70 50-seat regional jets and 25 Saab 340 turboprops from the fleet.

“Our strategy has worked well, with the improvements to our existing aircraft and the cost-efficient airplanes we’ve added to the domestic fleet,” said Nat Pieper, v.p.-Fleet Strategy and Transactions. “We’re now starting to plan for the long term, to ensure that we continue to maintain a flexible, cost-efficient fleet that meets our customers’ needs in the years to come, replace retiring airplanes and provide for domestic mainline growth.”

The RFP asks for proposals to deliver 100 to 200 firm aircraft, with an option for 200 more, starting in early 2013. It asks the manufacturers to consider large, medium and small narrowbody planes to be operated by Delta as mainline aircraft.

Nat said that Delta also continues to look for opportunities to purchase used aircraft.

He added that the request for proposals is a first step, and no decisions have been made regarding future aircraft purchases.

“We’ll evaluate all of our options,” he said
 
Just got this from a friend of mine at Delta. Looks like Delta is planning on getting new planes for mainline, including small narrowbodies. (no 100 seaters for Comair or Skywest) The memo also states the number of 50 seaters parked and Saabs. I hope to be a part of the Big D someday myself!



Delta begins long-term planning for domestic aircraft fleet
January 13, 2011

Delta is beginning to plan for the future of its domestic mainline fleet and is accepting requests for proposals or RFPs to replace more than 200 narrowbody aircraft to provide long-term mainline domestic growth.

Late December, Delta sent a RFP to several major aircraft manufacturers for the eventual replacement of aircraft such as the Airbus A320, the DC9-50 and the Boeing 757-200, and to provide for long-term mainline domestic growth.

The proposal marks the next phase of Delta’s mainline fleet strategy, as older domestic mainline aircraft begin to approach retirement age, smaller regional jets and turboprop are phased out and the airline works to grow its domestic business.

During the past year, Delta has focused on combining the Delta and former Northwest fleets and investing in existing aircraft, with improvements including WiFi on all two-class domestic aircraft, interior upgrades and the installation of additional first class seats. Delta also has made some strategic aircraft acquisitions, including new and used aircraft, supplementing DC-9s and other aircraft that have retired from service.

Since 2007, Delta has invested in 60 mainline aircraft, including 10 Boeing 777-200LRs, 12 Boeing 737-700/800s, five used Boeing 757-200s and 33 used MD-90s.

At the same time, the airline has removed more than 70 50-seat regional jets and 25 Saab 340 turboprops from the fleet.

“Our strategy has worked well, with the improvements to our existing aircraft and the cost-efficient airplanes we’ve added to the domestic fleet,” said Nat Pieper, v.p.-Fleet Strategy and Transactions. “We’re now starting to plan for the long term, to ensure that we continue to maintain a flexible, cost-efficient fleet that meets our customers’ needs in the years to come, replace retiring airplanes and provide for domestic mainline growth.”

The RFP asks for proposals to deliver 100 to 200 firm aircraft, with an option for 200 more, starting in early 2013. It asks the manufacturers to consider large, medium and small narrowbody planes to be operated by Delta as mainline aircraft.

Nat said that Delta also continues to look for opportunities to purchase used aircraft.

He added that the request for proposals is a first step, and no decisions have been made regarding future aircraft purchases.

“We’ll evaluate all of our options,” he said


Wait, didn't Box Office say DL was going to turn into an INTL only airline, with Comair or ASA flying all of the doemstic planes? It says here that Delta is looking at up to 400 new planes for DOMESTIC flying, and that doesn't count the relatively new planes we have received lately, like 737NGs. Oh well, what does she know anyway? She works for CHQ.


Bye Bye---General Lee
 
Good for Delta. I hope they're able to place an absurdly large order for more fuel efficient aircraft, they're going to need every advantage possible to compete on a price point with Southwest's 39 dollar fun fares.
 
Wait, didn't Box Office say DL was going to turn into an INTL only airline, with Comair or ASA flying all of the doemstic planes? It says here that Delta is looking at up to 400 new planes for DOMESTIC flying, and that doesn't count the relatively new planes we have received lately, like 737NGs. Oh well, what does she know anyway? She works for CHQ.


Bye Bye---General Lee

I think she moved on from CHQ. DL perhaps?
 
Makes sense. Fuel prices are rising, interest rates are going to creep up and they have do do something with the DC 9. The environment for fleet renewal is ripe.
 
Makes sense. Fuel prices are rising, interest rates are going to creep up and they have do do something with the DC 9. The environment for fleet renewal is ripe.

The environment for paying a captain $157 per hour to fly to places ATRs used to go is not very ripe.

I wouldn't be too shocked to see DAL throw a few 100 seaters to mainline, but anything smaller is going to stay with connection. The other thing mainline is looking at is how much cheaper the regionals are than what they were. Regionals have come off their 6 or 8% profit margins, and some are even doing "at risk" flying now. This environment gives mainline a chance to fly connection feed for peanuts. Mainline is cheaper than they used to be, but regionals are super dirt cheap now. Why would mgmt. ignore that factor?

-I would expect that whenever DAL gets a new pilot contract, the captain of the smallest aircraft will top out near $200 per hour. Add enhanced retirement, and all sorts of other goodies, and then the regionals will really be a steal. I just can't see DAL agreeing to fly 100 seaters to DHN and MGM while paying some guy around $200 per hour, when they could contract it out at half the cost (or less) that they used to. Do the math on that.
 
They got you believing they can't afford to pay pilots. Brilliant.

I didn't say they can't afford it, but when one pilot makes 1/2 what the other ones does, and the planes are nearly the same size, things start to add up.

-Factor in how much DAL mechanics, dispatchers, FAs, and so forth and so on make, and pretty sure you will find that wasting a whole lot of those people to support regional feed is not very smart. (For some of those guys, the pay difference is far greater than it is between pilots.)
 

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