Originally Posted by
DAL 88 Driver
I just heard this same rumor (DC-9's being parked within 12 to 18 months) from another source. What will they replace this flying with? More contractually allowed RJ's?
REUTERS January 14, 2011
UPDATE 1-Delta may order up to 200 jets in fleet upgrade
* Plane makers asked to submit proposals
* Carrier seeks 100 to 200 orders, options for 200 more * Deliveries would begin 2013 (Adds Airbus order)
by Karen Jacobs
ATLANTA (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) could place firm orders for as many as 200 airplanes as it looks to replace aging aircraft, the carrier said on Thursday.
Delta said in a message on its internal employee website that it had sent proposal requests last month to several major plane makers.
The company said that it had asked for proposals to deliver 100 to 200 firm aircraft, with an option for 200 more, starting in early 2013. It said possible orders could include large, medium and small single-aisle planes to be used on U.S. routes.
Narrowbody planes are the backbone of most airline fleets and typically sell for around $80 million at list prices.
Delta said new jets could eventually replace planes such as the Airbus (EAD.PA) A320, Boeing (BA.N) 757-200 and the DC9-50, a plane made by McDonnell Douglas, which merged with Boeing in the late 1990s.
"We're now starting to plan for the long term, to ensure that we continue to maintain a flexible, cost-efficient fleet ... replace retiring airplanes and provide for domestic mainline growth," Nat Pieper, Delta vice president for fleet strategy and transactions, said in the message.
There was a similar announcement about mainline replacements on DeltaNet around the same time.