Delta4eva From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 344 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (7 years 4 months 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2644 times:
The MD-88s provided for additional capacity....and DL is in the process of retiring all 733s. There was thought to go back to the 738 on the Shuttle, but it is just too big of a plane and DL has other plans for those birds. Plus the MD-88 has a rear exit to help in deplaning.
Alitalia744 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 4658 posts, RR: 45 Reply 4, posted (7 years 4 months 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2627 times:
Quoting Dalb777 (Reply 3): Do they really use that rear exit (I'm assuming the MD-88 has stairs in the tail) for deplaning passengers?
Delta4eva From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 344 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (7 years 4 months 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 2596 times:
Quoting Dalb777 (Reply 2):
DL also had a few 738s dedicated to the shuttle routes
DL originally replaced the 727s with 738s, but the capacity was too large, and demand for the Shuttle dropped after 9/11, so they put the 733s on the route. Now they are replacing the 733s with MD88s.
Dalb777 From United States of America, joined May 2005, 2192 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (7 years 4 months 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 2580 times:
Quoting Delta4eva (Reply 5): DL originally replaced the 727s with 738s, but the capacity was too large, and demand for the Shuttle dropped after 9/11, so they put the 733s on the route. Now they are replacing the 733s with MD88s.
So I take it demand for shuttle routes is starting to pick up again because:
Quoting Delta4eva (Reply 1): The MD-88s provided for additional capacity....
Geaux Tigers! Geaux Hornets! Geaux Saints! WHO DAT!!!
Simairlinenet From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 813 posts, RR: 2 Reply 7, posted (7 years 4 months 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 2548 times:
Quoting Alitalia744 (Reply 4): Quoting Dalb777 (Reply 3):
Do they really use that rear exit (I'm assuming the MD-88 has stairs in the tail) for deplaning passengers?
Yes and yes. Always loved entering from the rear.
Maybe in BOS and LGA, but not DCA. There they use the rear left door.
JFKLGANYC From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 2664 posts, RR: 5 Reply 9, posted (7 years 4 months 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 2471 times:
Actually I got off the Shuttle BOS-LGA the other day and they used the rear stairs. You walked right on to the tarmac and through a door that led right into the baggage claim. 15 seconds later you were at the cab stand in front of the Marine Air Terminal.
DALMD88 From United States of America, joined Jul 2000, 2366 posts, RR: 15 Reply 10, posted (7 years 4 months 22 hours ago) and read 2316 times:
I think the biggest reason fro the change was our wish to get rid of the 737-300G that we have been using on this route. The lease rates are high and the plane is a pain in the ass because of the differnent cockpit config. Sure the press release touted the increased capacity of the MD88 but I think it was more spin than anything. It would have look funny to say "We are switching to the MD88 because it is the smallest mainline jet that will be in our fleet after we retire the stuff we don't want."
That sentence could be interpreted on so many different ways, particularly on these boards .
Quoting DALMD88 (Reply 10): think the biggest reason fro the change was our wish to get rid of the 737-300G that we have been using on this route.
I would agree with that, capacity was not the issue, just the fact that the 733s are going, and the 738s, their predecessors, are better used on transcon/international flights, not the short 200-mile hops.
Gift4tbone From United States of America, joined Dec 2004, 609 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (7 years 4 months 17 hours ago) and read 2082 times:
Quoting Cadet57 (Reply 12): But to the topic at hand, I was booking bos-nyc and it gave me a CRJ on orbitz for more than one flight. Is that right? CJ's on the route?
I know DL via Comair has some like 6 or 7 daily CRJs to JFK. And thats on top of the shuttle service every hour or so to LGA. I have noticed however, in recent trips to nyc, that the Comair flights where much cheaper by $150+ each way.
N766UA From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 7992 posts, RR: 27 Reply 14, posted (7 years 4 months 17 hours ago) and read 2056 times:
Quoting Delta4eva (Reply 1): Plus the MD-88 has a rear exit to help in deplaning.
Uhh.. I dunno, I know we never use them for passengers. Only cabin service uses them. I highly doubt they'd use them at an airport with a jetway. But then again, maybe shuttle ops are different, huh? I know mainline DL doesn't do that.
AlaskaMD80 From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 64 posts, RR: 1 Reply 16, posted (7 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1730 times:
While i was working for DL at JFK, it was procedure to put down the Rear stair's after the aircraft was parked. I never saw anyone use them though.
Positiverate From United States of America, joined May 2005, 1590 posts, RR: 9 Reply 17, posted (7 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1721 times:
Quoting Simairlinenet (Reply 7): Maybe in BOS and LGA, but not DCA. There they use the rear left door.
Actually, they use the airstair to deplane at all stations. I'm a regular Shuttle customer; in fact I deplaned in DCA today from the rear stair.
Quoting N766UA (Reply 14): Uhh.. I dunno, I know we never use them for passengers. Only cabin service uses them. I highly doubt they'd use them at an airport with a jetway. But then again, maybe shuttle ops are different, huh? I know mainline DL doesn't do that.
At the Shuttle, you can deplane from the forward door (jetway) and the rear air stair on the MD-88. It was the same when the 727 was on the Shuttle. When the 737 was on the Shuttle, they would roll up air stairs to the 2L door.
Quoting Alitalia744 (Reply 4): Yes and yes. Always loved entering from the rear.
Double entendre aside, I don't believe they board from using the rear airstairs.
Quoting Dalb777 (Reply 6): So I take it demand for shuttle routes is starting to pick up again because:
I tell you what, the past 6 times I've flown on them in the last two weeks every flight has been packed full.
Quoting Dalb777 (Reply 2): DL also had a few 738s dedicated to the shuttle routes:
I was sitting next to one of the Shuttle pilots (he was deadheading) and he was telling me at one point Boeing, when DL was initially looking at the -800, tried to engineer a rear air stair into the design for the Shuttle. They couldn't make it work though.
WorldTraveler From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 18, posted (7 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1686 times:
Yes, Shuttle operations are very different from the rest of Delta. The reason they continue to do well in that market is because they recognize it isn’t a typical domestic market. Provide premium service and people will pay for it.
You can’t also fail to recognize that the 737-800s are “over-qualified” to operate the Shuttle when it comes to their technical capabilities. They are much better suited to doing transcon runs than operating on a 250 mile segment. Tying up a dozen of such a capable airplane doesn’t make sense when there are so many other long-thin routes they could be doing – and considering the 757 is the only other DL narrowbody capable of flying transcon or near transcon routes.
Delta767300ER From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 2559 posts, RR: 14 Reply 19, posted (7 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1652 times:
On a side note, I flew on a DL Shuttle 738 from ATL-CVG back in 2002. It wasnt a scheduled DL Shuttle Flight but I guess it was an added flight for weekends and they had a spare DL Shuttle 738 for it. I found the DL Shuttle 738's to be a lot more comfortable than a regular mainline DL 738.
OttoPylit From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 20, posted (7 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1625 times:
Quoting Delta767300ER (Reply 19): I found the DL Shuttle 738's to be a lot more comfortable than a regular mainline DL 738.
One of the perks of the Shuttle. All coach config, but with 36 inches of pitch, so a lot more legroom. On the Shuttle routes, they also serve free alchohol, and in the gates, I believe, is complimentary coffee and juice and choices of complimentary newspapers. They've even started using ex-Shuttle 800's on some Intl routes like ATL-SAL.
WorldTraveler From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 21, posted (7 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 1507 times:
Since the Shuttle is not a big weekend product, there will always be extra Shuttle aircraft seen elsewhere on the weekend as long as DL has a dedicated and unique Shuttle aircraft as DL does. They also are in demand for charters because of the extra space.
The ex-Shuttle 738s are supposed to be reconfigured back to 2 class in the near future and some will be equipped w/ the inseat IFE like Song aircraft. That will be cool!
MD90fan From Bahamas, joined Jul 2005, 2931 posts, RR: 7 Reply 22, posted (7 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 1462 times:
Quoting OttoPylit (Reply 20): One of the perks of the Shuttle. All coach config, but with 36 inches of pitch, so a lot more legroom. On the Shuttle routes, they also serve free alchohol, and in the gates, I believe, is complimentary coffee and juice and choices of complimentary newspapers. They've even started using ex-Shuttle 800's on some Intl routes like ATL-SAL.
Simairlinenet From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 813 posts, RR: 2 Reply 23, posted (7 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 1379 times:
Quoting WorldTraveler (Reply 18): You can’t also fail to recognize that the 737-800s are “over-qualified” to operate the Shuttle when it comes to their technical capabilities. They are much better suited to doing transcon runs than operating on a 250 mile segment. Tying up a dozen of such a capable airplane doesn’t make sense when there are so many other long-thin routes they could be doing – and considering the 757 is the only other DL narrowbody capable of flying transcon or near transcon routes.
Agreed, and this is the main reason they were withdrawn out, I suspect.
One thing to remember is that the 738 entered the market in response to US Airways' replacing their 727s with A320s. Both were due, as I recall, to higher noise standards. Working at DCA while the transition to MD-88s took place, we noted that the MD-88 does not meet the DCA noise restrictions, and a schedule change (or fines) would need to take place.
Top yielding city-pairs for Delta, Q2 2005 (Source: Aviation Daily):
1. New York-Boston - 63.8 cents/revenue passenger mile
2. New York-Washington - 54.4
Dalmd88 From United States of America, joined Jul 2000, 2366 posts, RR: 15 Reply 24, posted (7 years 3 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 1379 times:
The first 738 shuttle to mainline conversion should be just about done. They were installing seats on it last night.
25 Simairlinenet: When are the conversions expected to be complete? Will the Shuttle titles be covered over?
26 Dalmd88: There are 17 ex shuttle 738 to be converted. It should take a couple of months to convert them all. I think the Shuttle title will be painted over.
27 Positiverate: How did they apply the titles to the MD-88's? Did they just add a decal? I noticed that, on Ship 9008 the Widget and Delta Shuttle "decal" is peeling
28 DAL767400ER: Most likely. Unless one of the planes was in for heavy maintenance anyway, it wouldn't make sense to spend the money to repaint the entire plane. Alt
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