Delta Air Lines MD-90 (N908DA) in older livery with Mt. Rainier in the background.
Delta Air Lines has a very diverse fleet of aircraft. Delta currently flies the Boeing 737-700 and -800, the Airbus A319 and A320, the DC-9, MD-88 and has been adding additional MD-90s — which all compete with each other. A while back Delta announced they would be replacing their older DC-9s with newer aircraft and at first I assumed it might be with Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s in a move to simplify their fleet by getting rid of the entire DC-9/MD-80 family, but it looks like they are going to upgrade it. Why would Delta buy MD-90s instead of Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s? I think there are a few reasons.
The biggest is cost. To pick up a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 it is going to cost a heck of a lot more than purchasing a used MD-90. Yes, Delta will have to pay to re-do the interiors and the planes won’t be as fuel efficient as a brand new model, but the over all costs will still remain lower. Delta has a huge maintenance facility in Atlanta and would most likely continue to work on DC-9/MD-80 aircraft from other airlines, even if they got rid of their own fleet.
The MD-90s allows Delta to back fill the DC-9s and save additional time before completing an entire fleet renewal program. Delta just announced buying nine MD-90s from Japan Airlines (JAL) and they hope to find more in the future. Delta’s President Ed Bastian stated at a December investor presentation that Delta hopes to purchase about 50 MD-90 aircraft over the next two years.
Since Delta is looking to get so many MD-90 aircraft, could it make sense to purchase some Boeing 717s which are based off the MD-90? Maybe. Recently Southwest purchased AirTran, which has over 85 Boeing 717s. Currently, Southwest only has a fleet of Boeing 737s, it could be possibly they would want to be rid of the 717s. The problem is that Southwest is locked into a contract with Boeing for the aircraft and it is unlikely Boeing would want to let them out. If Delta plans to purchase a significant amount of new Boeing aircraft in the future, it could be negotiated to let Southwest out of their contract early (with Southwest’s approval, of course), allowing Delta to take control of the 717s.
“The MD-90 is a cost-effective aircraft that helps us more efficiently maintain our flying levels as we retire regional jets and DC-9s, so the additions won’t increase our capacity.” Delta spokesperson Trebor Banstetter told AirlineReporter.com. “We’ll continue to look for opportunities to acquire used MD-90s in the future as we retire DC-9s and smaller jets.”
Either way, I like the ‘ol MD-80 maddog family. I hear so many people complain about the aircraft and sure if you are sitting in the back by the engines, they can be a bit annoying. However, I love that 2-3 layout and the sound of their engines at full throttle during takeoff. I am glad to see an American airline will be keeping the maddog alive for years to come.
Image: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren
Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA003 and a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C at Paine Field. Yea, I will take two of each, thanks.
As a fan of airplanes and cars, I got very excited seeing a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in my most recent Road and Track magazine. Looks like the magazine had the car at Paine Field and over to the Future of Flight for some photos.
They also had a great interview with Mike Sinnett who is the Vice President, 787 Chief Project Engineer at Boeing. The magazine asks Sinnett about the carbon fiber used in the Dreamlinrer. Head on over the RoadandTrack.com for the full interview.
A computer mock up for what the Air China Boeing 747-8I will look like. Want bigger? Click for a 3500 x 2800 version. Photo from Boeing.
Boeing announced today that they have signed a contract with Air China for the purchase of five Boeing 747-8 Intercontinentals. This is the third passenger airline, after Lufthansa and Korean Air to purchase the passenger version of the new Boeing 747-8I.
“Air China has been operating 747s since the 1980s,” said He Li, vice president of Air China. “The new, high capacity Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental will deliver exceptional economics and a great flying experience to our customers.”
How many of these landing gears did you get correct?
Wow, you guys are pretty darn good. I was shocked how many different responses I received. I wanted to give a shout out to all those that got it all right, but I got caught way behind this weekend, so I am putting all the answers out.
Here are the answers:
#1: Boeing 747-8I for unknown customer and has been painted in the nice orange “sunrise” livery
#2: Boeing 767-300ER for ANA and the 1001st Boeing 767 built, taken inside the Boeing factory
#3: Boeing 737-800 for Alaska Airlines taken in Bellingham during Alaska’s first BLI flight to Hawaii
#4: Boeing 747-400 for United Airlines taken while hanging out on the ramp at LAX
#5: Bombardier Q400 for Horizon Air taken in Reno, NV during a short flight on Horizon
#6: Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA002 with ANA livery taken after ZA002 took off from Paine Field after getting some work done
I think #6, the Boeing 787 ended up catching more people off guard. Stay tuned for the next contest — airliners have a lot of parts to use.
Virgin Blue Boeing 737-800
How much more innocent can you get than a game of peek-a-boo? Well it is not so innocent when a child ended up locked in an overhead bin on a recent Virgin Blue flight.
Natalie Williamson says her and her 17month son and husband were on a Virgin Blue flight from Fiji to Sydney, when the fun game turned serious. The husband (who is now estranged) was playing a fun little game of peek-a-boo with their child, Riley when one of the flight attendants decided to join in. She thought it would be a good idea to put Riley into the overhead bin and shut the door. Bad call.
“My husband, Shayne, was standing one metre behind my son, Riley, when the air steward picked him up and placed him in the overhead compartment,” Natalie told the Herald Sun. She stated that people around her were laughing and found it funny, but found it very disturbing.
The airline has confirmed that the the flight attendant did put Riley into the overhead bin and has since been fired. Virgin Blue offered Natalie free flights for having to deal with the bad situation, but that doesn’t seem to make things okay in her eyes.
For most people this might become a story to tell, but Natalie is saying that things for Riley aren’t going too well. She states that he is having trouble sleeping and won’t leave her side. “If I’m not in the same room as him, he will scream and yell ‘Mum, mum, mum’,” she said.
It sounds like the flight attendant messed up, but enough to deserve a firing? Well, I guess we don’t know if the flight attendant has other mess ups. I am no counselor, but it seems a bit odd that Riley would have so many issues after only a few seconds in the overhead bin. Either way I don’t think other flight attendants should try this game with other kids anytime soon.
Found via AOL Travel News Image: Andrew Sieber
