dca1 wrote:

Hello everyone. Do I remember a buzz about Delta introducing a new livery/rebrand, pre-Covid obviously?

I admire this airline a lot; and would love to see something bold and different, and move away from the Euro white. Anyone with any insight on this?

No. There was never anything credible.

At this point it would be fiscally irresponsible to do a livery / rebrand.

I don’t believe this was more than a.net wishful thinking / pontificating.

PSU.DTW.SCE wrote:

dca1 wrote:

Hello everyone. Do I remember a buzz about Delta introducing a new livery/rebrand, pre-Covid obviously?

I admire this airline a lot; and would love to see something bold and different, and move away from the Euro white. Anyone with any insight on this?

No. There was never anything credible.

At this point it would be fiscally irresponsible to do a livery / rebrand.

I don’t believe this was more than a.net wishful thinking / pontificating.

There's also a very active paint maintenance cycle going on - watch for DL planes going to CWF and MCN. I've seen several 757s and 737s make trips there over the last few months.

New birds - should see some deliveries fairly soon:
3516 - 3rd flight 1/17 (labeled as acceptance flight) https://aibfamily.flights/A350/530
8142 - 1st flight 1/21 https://aibfamily.flights/A220/50063
3517 - 3rd flight 1/21 (labeled as acceptance flight) https://aibfamily.flights/A350/545
3412 - taxi check/RTO 1/21 https://aibfamily.flights/A330/1994

Yep…they have actively resumed aircraft repaint in the past 6 months like said earlier including 738, 757, A320, and even a few 717s

Agree, I have a hard time seeing this happening anytime soon too. The expense would be completely irresponsible as DL continues to recover over the next few years.

That said, DL is ready (needs) for a brand refresh. Not a redesign, just a refresh and evolution of the current design system. In terms of the livery, it’s suited them well but the color of white on the livery needs to be changed away from its current touch of yellow hue.

PSU.DTW.SCE wrote:

dca1 wrote:

Hello everyone. Do I remember a buzz about Delta introducing a new livery/rebrand, pre-Covid obviously?

I admire this airline a lot; and would love to see something bold and different, and move away from the Euro white. Anyone with any insight on this?

No. There was never anything credible.

At this point it would be fiscally irresponsible to do a livery / rebrand.

I don’t believe this was more than a.net wishful thinking / pontificating.

NYCDM wrote:

Agree, I have a hard time seeing this happening anytime soon too. The expense would be completely irresponsible as DL continues to recover over the next few years.

That said, DL is ready (needs) for a brand refresh. Not a redesign, just a refresh and evolution of the current design system. In terms of the livery, it’s suited them well but the color of white on the livery needs to be changed away from its current touch of yellow hue.

PSU.DTW.SCE wrote:

dca1 wrote:

Hello everyone. Do I remember a buzz about Delta introducing a new livery/rebrand, pre-Covid obviously?

I admire this airline a lot; and would love to see something bold and different, and move away from the Euro white. Anyone with any insight on this?

No. There was never anything credible.

At this point it would be fiscally irresponsible to do a livery / rebrand.

I don’t believe this was more than a.net wishful thinking / pontificating.

Prior to Covid, DL was considering a slight change to the livery by switching to white paint with a mica additive. One 757 was painted. (I don't recall the ship number). The additional complexity and cost involved in spraying paint with mica and achieving a consistent finish drove the decision to not pursue that change. This is the only recent effort I am aware of to change the DL livery.

dalmit wrote:

Earlier in this thread, wjcandee posted about the fact that Amazon had more 767's than Delta and that to many the 767 was the face of Delta for so long. That got me thinking, that to me personally the L1011 was the face of Delta but that each of us have our own experiences with the Delta fleet but it created a question - When did the number of 767s exceed the number of L1011s?

So I started a little research and went into the old Delta Annual Reports and started to document the numbers and of course one thing led to another and before I knew what was happening I had a spreadsheet that listed their entire fleet for all of the mid nineties. And then I thought, why not go farther back, and why not go farther forward..and before long I had this.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

To facilitate public comments I added a sheet to allow people to enter any comments they may have - that hopefully keeps comments out of this thread since this thread is about the current fleet. But please check it out and add your comments to the spreadsheet as you see fit. BTW, the answer to my original question was 1996.

Thanks,
dalmit

This is AWESOME! Great job!

Vaguely remember this, but thought it was only the tail.

B757Forever wrote:

NYCDM wrote:

Agree, I have a hard time seeing this happening anytime soon too. The expense would be completely irresponsible as DL continues to recover over the next few years.

That said, DL is ready (needs) for a brand refresh. Not a redesign, just a refresh and evolution of the current design system. In terms of the livery, it’s suited them well but the color of white on the livery needs to be changed away from its current touch of yellow hue.

PSU.DTW.SCE wrote:

No. There was never anything credible.

At this point it would be fiscally irresponsible to do a livery / rebrand.

I don’t believe this was more than a.net wishful thinking / pontificating.

Prior to Covid, DL was considering a slight change to the livery by switching to white paint with a mica additive. One 757 was painted. (I don't recall the ship number). The additional complexity and cost involved in spraying paint with mica and achieving a consistent finish drove the decision to not pursue that change. This is the only recent effort I am aware of to change the DL livery.

I think the TEAM USA airplane looks awesome with the incremental rear red hash. I’d add that in to the standard livery…

NYCDM wrote:

Vaguely remember this, but thought it was only the tail.

It was the whole plane. The mica made the blue seem a shade lighter.



The mica can be seen here in the engine cowling vs the old paint on the thrust reverser:

http://www.jetphotos.com/photo/9496076

n515cr wrote:

New birds - should see some deliveries fairly soon:
3516 - 3rd flight 1/17 (labeled as acceptance flight) https://aibfamily.flights/A350/530
8142 - 1st flight 1/21 https://aibfamily.flights/A220/50063
3517 - 3rd flight 1/21 (labeled as acceptance flight) https://aibfamily.flights/A350/545
3412 - taxi check/RTO 1/21 https://aibfamily.flights/A330/1994

3516 4th flight today
3412 1st flight today

185 reentered service and appears to have the 76Z, not 76K, seatmap.

gdavis003 wrote:

PSU.DTW.SCE wrote:

9509 B712 N950AT is scheduled to leave storage BHM-MSP on Friday, bringing the active fleet up to 56.
I believe this is first 717 to leave storage from BHM during the pandemic.

Checked back in my BHM notes. Looks like there were 5 (now 6) that left since COVID began (N977AT, N966AT, N921AT, N940AT, N986AT and N950AT). By my records, there are 8 remaining 717s at BHM: N899AT, N933AT, N956AT, N957AT, N960AT, N961AT, N963AT, and N967AT. They are all inside the hangars, presumably, unless one of them has been scrapped, and I didn't see it.

I was there earlier today, and it looks like N301NB and N323US had been moved in front of one of the hangars for maintenance. N323US has been virtually untouched for a long time, so it might be a sign that it will be "un-retired." N328NB hasn't moved since my last trip, still looks to be preparing to leave. Remarkably, N951DN is still standing somehow. Has taken a good bit of damage but was moved around this past week, the last (visible) remaining MD at BHM, unless there are more inside (and I believe there are).

Beyond the 8 remaining 717s at BHM, are any more parked elsewhere that could re-enter the fleet?

rsgolfpunk wrote:

gdavis003 wrote:

PSU.DTW.SCE wrote:

9509 B712 N950AT is scheduled to leave storage BHM-MSP on Friday, bringing the active fleet up to 56.
I believe this is first 717 to leave storage from BHM during the pandemic.

Checked back in my BHM notes. Looks like there were 5 (now 6) that left since COVID began (N977AT, N966AT, N921AT, N940AT, N986AT and N950AT). By my records, there are 8 remaining 717s at BHM: N899AT, N933AT, N956AT, N957AT, N960AT, N961AT, N963AT, and N967AT. They are all inside the hangars, presumably, unless one of them has been scrapped, and I didn't see it.

I was there earlier today, and it looks like N301NB and N323US had been moved in front of one of the hangars for maintenance. N323US has been virtually untouched for a long time, so it might be a sign that it will be "un-retired." N328NB hasn't moved since my last trip, still looks to be preparing to leave. Remarkably, N951DN is still standing somehow. Has taken a good bit of damage but was moved around this past week, the last (visible) remaining MD at BHM, unless there are more inside (and I believe there are).

Beyond the 8 remaining 717s at BHM, are any more parked elsewhere that could re-enter the fleet?

All of them except the owned ones in BYH that were scrapped. The ones in VCV and SBD just need engines, a check and the seatback AD.

Well and its been unclear but I believe the leases have lapsed / not-been renewed on some of the ones that are out of service.
I have heard the "magic number" for theoretical max operating fleet is 64, which ironically with 56 in-service now, and 8 in BHM may be the ones they are talking about.
I do know that pre-covid, a lot of 717 engines were coming due for heavy checks.

A combination of capacity needs, ability to staff the airplane (hire/train pilots), maintenance checks, and lease maturity all come into play on the fleet type.

Looks like an A359 delivery flight is now planned for Wednesday. This will be the 16th A359 (new) delivery.
The A359 fleet will now be as big in the number of frames as the B744 fleet was in the past.

3516 A359 showing a TLS-NRT flight on Wed 1/26. This would be for induction and entry to service from NRT to avoid the tariffs (like they did with the previous A359 & A339 deliveries coming from TLS)

Has Delta made SEA an A220 focus city? I am noticing a bunch of A220's flying into SEA lately.

Does anyone know if SEA will ever see a 717 come back to SEA?

F9Animal wrote:

Has Delta made SEA an A220 focus city? I am noticing a bunch of A220's flying into SEA lately.

Does anyone know if SEA will ever see a 717 come back to SEA?

Airplanes don't have "focus cities". Pilot domiciles and overnight maintenance make Delta route each type through particular stations. SEA does have a lot of A220 service, but so far only SLC and NYC are pilot bases - although I am a little out of the loop on that front and I know SEA has long been rumored as the next A220 pilot base. Relatively long, thin segments to Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada make the A220 ideal for SEA.

As far as the 717 goes, we are unlikely to see 717 service again in SEA. Flights in the west have longer average stage lengths than those out east, and the GTF engine makes the 220 far more efficient than the 717 on longer flights. Expect the 717 to only do bounces out of ATL, DTW, and MSP, with almost all under 1000nm.

A220 pilot domiciles are as said SLC & NYC. The A220 does a lot of flying in out west out of SLC, SEA, LAX. Out east they do a lot of NYC flying, and a lot of DTW/MSP-Texas flying.
Like said as the fleet grows in size, its at 41/45 A220 and 10/45 A223s, there will likely be increased flying and pilot domiciles opening accordingly - probably SEA and MSP down the road.
ATL probably won't see much A220 flying until the 717s are gone, and they need to backfill with a small aircraft / junior pilot-new hire category.

You will most likely never see the 717s back out west. Even before the pandemic, the plan was to move the 717s back east. The 717 out west was a stop-gap measure. Right now the pilot domiciles for 717 are ATL & DTW. In late 2021 DL restored a limited amount of 717 flying out of MSP but its flown by aircraft and pilots routed to/from ATL & DTW.

F9Animal wrote:

Has Delta made SEA an A220 focus city? I am noticing a bunch of A220's flying into SEA lately.

Does anyone know if SEA will ever see a 717 come back to SEA?

A220 definitely has a pilot base in SEA, I’m not sure what the previous two posters are looking at.

TW870 wrote:

F9Animal wrote:

Has Delta made SEA an A220 focus city? I am noticing a bunch of A220's flying into SEA lately.

Does anyone know if SEA will ever see a 717 come back to SEA?

Airplanes don't have "focus cities". Pilot domiciles and overnight maintenance make Delta route each type through particular stations. SEA does have a lot of A220 service, but so far only SLC and NYC are pilot bases - although I am a little out of the loop on that front and I know SEA has long been rumored as the next A220 pilot base. Relatively long, thin segments to Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada make the A220 ideal for SEA.

As far as the 717 goes, we are unlikely to see 717 service again in SEA. Flights in the west have longer average stage lengths than those out east, and the GTF engine makes the 220 far more efficient than the 717 on longer flights. Expect the 717 to only do bounces out of ATL, DTW, and MSP, with almost all under 1000nm.

Remarkable that DFW is almost a DL A220 focus city these days. Most routes out of DFW are on the A220-100/300 except for ATL/LAX and some frequencies on their other routes. Quite a lot of A220 flights into DFW for DL.

Funny enough, some of the folks that work the ramp at BHM that I have spoken to said they were expecting to be one of the first outstations for A220 flights, and they were sent towbars soon after DL began flying the A220. An A220 has yet to touch down at BHM, but I imagine that once the fleet grows, BHM-LGA might become an A220-100 route.

Just a random observation too. I was on a 738 flight out of ATL yesterday and was surprised to hear that the crew was based in Fort Lauderdale. Did not even remember that DL had a FA base there and am surprised to hear that it wasn't trimmed in the last two years.

crazyjaydawg wrote:

F9Animal wrote:

Has Delta made SEA an A220 focus city? I am noticing a bunch of A220's flying into SEA lately.

Does anyone know if SEA will ever see a 717 come back to SEA?

A220 definitely has a pilot base in SEA, I’m not sure what the previous two posters are looking at.

No, DL does not have a A220 pilot base in SEA, I am 100% positive of that. SLC & NYC are currently the only A220 pilot bases.

SEA has 330, 7ER, 73N at this time only.

Yes there is a decent amount of A220 flying from SEA but there is not a pilot base there.

PSU.DTW.SCE wrote:

crazyjaydawg wrote:

F9Animal wrote:

Has Delta made SEA an A220 focus city? I am noticing a bunch of A220's flying into SEA lately.

Does anyone know if SEA will ever see a 717 come back to SEA?

A220 definitely has a pilot base in SEA, I’m not sure what the previous two posters are looking at.

No, DL does not have a A220 pilot base in SEA, I am 100% positive of that. SLC & NYC are currently the only A220 pilot bases.

SEA has 330, 7ER, 73N at this time only.

Yes there is a decent amount of A220 flying from SEA but there is not a pilot base there.

Actually I think we both stand corrected. They did open a SEA 220 pilot base. I just perused one of the other forums out there and they indeed awarded A220 copilot spots in SEA for both the January 18th and 25th newhire classes - and possibly others. I haven't kept up since everything has been changing at lightning speed during the pandemic.

SEA 220 base was opened with the pilot bid posted 4/1/2021.

Delta pilot bases:

ATL: 320, 330, 350, 717, 73N, 7ER, 765
DTW: 320, 330, 350, 717, 73N
LAX: 320, 350, 73N, 7ER
MSP: 320, 330, 73N
NYC: 220, 320, 330, 73N, 7ER, 765
SEA: 220, 330, 73N, 7ER
SLC: 220, 320, 73N

73N = 737 (pretty sure the N is NG and to distinguish from the 732s and 733s, back when they had them)
7ER = 752/753/763 (767-300ER used to be its own separate category)
765 = 764 (not sure how that code came about honestly)

Hope to see BOS 320 sometime!

All of Texas has a significant A220 presence these days. It’s impressive when just a few years ago the only mainline you would see in DFW was a 321 (or maybe 752?) to ATL. In fact, all of the Texas stations have seen an increase in mainline flying thanks in part to the introduction of the A220.

Ok yep I am wrong but I guess I am wrong too. My bad.
Like said everything had changed so much, so fast during the past two years it’s easy to miss something.

Is DL still planning to get rid of the 763 by the end of 2025? I'm sorry if this was already brought up. I know they have talked about the Boeing NMA but I doubt that Boeing is going to get that ready in time.

IFLYUA767 wrote:

Is DL still planning to get rid of the 763 by the end of 2025?

They have walked back from that commitment - but I don't recall seeing that they have reversed the impairment charge.

https://airlineweekly.com/2021/11/delta ... xt-decade/

MIflyer12 wrote:

IFLYUA767 wrote:

Is DL still planning to get rid of the 763 by the end of 2025?

They have walked back from that commitment - but I don't recall seeing that they have reversed the impairment charge.

https://airlineweekly.com/2021/11/delta ... xt-decade/

Thanks for that link. Wow. They really want to hold on to those 757's. This is kind of a dumb question but whats an impairment charge?

An impairment charge is a cost that shows a reduction in the carrying value of a specific asset on a balance sheet. This occurs when an asset's book value exceeds its fair value in the market according to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/ca ... ent-charge

When DL recognized (both mentally and financially) that they would be retiring 767 frames and parts before the projected ends of their useful lives, DL had to write down the carrying value. That decreased earnings in the quarter the charge was taken but did not change cash flows. If the previous impairment charge was based on every 767 being retired by 12/2025, and now DL will continue to have flights (and thus value) beyond that date, it should be able to reverse part of the charge taken 3Q2020.

https://ir.delta.com/news/news-details/ ... fault.aspx

I am going to with the fact they are probably going to kick that can down the road as far as possible.
My uneducated guess is they don't have to make an official decision on that until mid/late 2023 when hopefully the crystal ball of international demand/revenue recovery is a bit more clear. More or less after Summer 2023 is likely when they have to start making decisions about sunsetting the fleet - maintenance, spares/parts, MRO contracts, pilot retraining/category sizes, etc.

However the 763 retirement is a bit different than previous retirements since there is still ample parts, MRO capability, and its not like its an MD88/90 situation where there was a run on parts / All-time-buys and lack of support for a dwindling worldwide fleet, and essentially the parts supply chain collapsed as the aircraft type dropped below a critical mass remaining in service.

3128 A319 showing storage exit ferry to mainenance BHM-SAL on Wed 1/26. This is the one gdavis003 had pics of being prepared to return to service recently. Only 3 A319s remain in storage after this VCV - 3102, 3162; BHM - 3101.

3516 A359 showing a TLS-NRT flight on Wed 1/26. This would be for induction and entry to service from NRT to avoid the tariffs (like they did with the previous A359 & A339 deliveries coming from TLS)

Does anyone know if DL has or is considering updating their titles? They seem small & dated with the current trend of bold billboard titles. IMO, it would update their look easily similar to what AF has done. Looks sharp.

laca773 wrote:

Does anyone know if DL has or is considering updating their titles? They seem small & dated with the current trend of bold billboard titles. IMO, it would update their look easily similar to what AF has done. Looks sharp.

Or at least update the smaller titles on the Airbus ceos and A330 ceos. The larger titles on the A339's and the A321NEO sure look better. I wonder who messed up those on those smaller title sizes years ago.

SUNCTRY738 wrote:

laca773 wrote:

Does anyone know if DL has or is considering updating their titles? They seem small & dated with the current trend of bold billboard titles. IMO, it would update their look easily similar to what AF has done. Looks sharp.

Or at least update the smaller titles on the Airbus ceos and A330 ceos. The larger titles on the A339's and the A321NEO sure look better. I wonder who messed up those on those smaller title sizes years ago.

IIRC the 333 got the smaller titles to be consistent with the 332 to avoid titles overlapping the doors. But now with the 339, the 333 really would benefit from the larger titles.

-Rowen

I'm going to go with the answer being....first world problems.

DeltaMD90 wrote:

Delta pilot bases:

Much appreciated, thanks. Wasn't sure where to find this.

3209 A320, the eldest A320 in the fleet is scheduled to ferry ATL-MCI tomorrow 1/26. Hasn't flown a revenue flight and been sitting in ATL since 1/6.
I assume MRO work, as MCI isn't typically an end-of-life facility......

Gillbilly wrote:

DeltaMD90 wrote:

Delta pilot bases:

Much appreciated, thanks. Wasn't sure where to find this.

A non-official source, not sure who runs it, but pretty sure this is kept up to date and is fun to play with:

http://widgetseniority.com/

Gives you insight not only in Delta's pilot bases, but which are more/less senior

24Whiskey wrote:

All of Texas has a significant A220 presence these days. It’s impressive when just a few years ago the only mainline you would see in DFW was a 321 (or maybe 752?) to ATL. In fact, all of the Texas stations have seen an increase in mainline flying thanks in part to the introduction of the A220.

DTW & MSP have always had mainline service to DFW, although it's never been consistent. One month DL would be flying all-mainline from DTW/DFW, the next month there would be a single flight operated with a MD-88.

DeltaMD90 wrote:

Gillbilly wrote:

DeltaMD90 wrote:

Delta pilot bases:

Much appreciated, thanks. Wasn't sure where to find this.

A non-official source, not sure who runs it, but pretty sure this is kept up to date and is fun to play with:

http://widgetseniority.com/

Gives you insight not only in Delta's pilot bases, but which are more/less senior

It’s a retired pilot who runs it. It’s updated once a month around the 1st when the updated seniority list comes out. It’s also updated when an AE comes out (Advance Entitlement - Delta’s term for a vacancy). It’s worth the money in my opinion.

WidebodyPTV wrote:

DTW & MSP have always had mainline service to DFW, although it's never been consistent. One month DL would be flying all-mainline from DTW/DFW, the next month there would be a single flight operated with a MD-88.

That makes sense. I just remember flying there for 9E and seeing the gates filled with CP/YX/OO E75’s and 9E CR9’s during the day. This time of year flying JFK-DFW meant that a MEM fuel stop was a possibility in the CR9. Glad those days are over.

DeltaMD90 wrote:

Delta pilot bases:

ATL: 320, 330, 350, 717, 73N, 7ER, 765
DTW: 320, 330, 350, 717, 73N
LAX: 320, 350, 73N, 7ER
MSP: 320, 330, 73N
NYC: 220, 320, 330, 73N, 7ER, 765
SEA: 220, 330, 73N, 7ER
SLC: 220, 320, 73N

73N = 737 (pretty sure the N is NG and to distinguish from the 732s and 733s, back when they had them)
7ER = 752/753/763 (767-300ER used to be its own separate category)
765 = 764 (not sure how that code came about honestly)

Hope to see BOS 320 sometime!

I thought BOS had a pilot base of some sort. Intersting that it does not. Thank you for the info!

As noted by PSU.DTW.SCE, 3127 to exit SAL (previous BHM exit), clearing the way for 3128. This brings down the total of stored 319s to 4.

24Whiskey wrote:

DeltaMD90 wrote:

Gillbilly wrote:

Much appreciated, thanks. Wasn't sure where to find this.

A non-official source, not sure who runs it, but pretty sure this is kept up to date and is fun to play with:

http://widgetseniority.com/

Gives you insight not only in Delta's pilot bases, but which are more/less senior

It’s a retired pilot who runs it. It’s updated once a month around the 1st when the updated seniority list comes out. It’s also updated when an AE comes out (Advance Entitlement - Delta’s term for a vacancy). It’s worth the money in my opinion.

WidebodyPTV wrote:

DTW & MSP have always had mainline service to DFW, although it's never been consistent. One month DL would be flying all-mainline from DTW/DFW, the next month there would be a single flight operated with a MD-88.

That makes sense. I just remember flying there for 9E and seeing the gates filled with CP/YX/OO E75’s and 9E CR9’s during the day. This time of year flying JFK-DFW meant that a MEM fuel stop was a possibility in the CR9. Glad those days are over.

Yep.....I was flying DTW-DFW extensively for work for several years. Multiple times a month, and for an 18-month period in 2010-2011 timeframe almost weekly. Don't fly it as much these days, but still a few times a year.
You are right though in the immediate post-merger era, 2010 timeframe, DFW was chock full of CR9 & E75 flying. ATL was the only all-mainline route with a mix of MD88 & 757s. DTW, MSP, were mostly 2-class RJ with about 1 mainline a flight a day. SLC, LGA, JFK, and LAX were CR9/E75. The morning departure from DTW at 7:30am was typically a CR9, and they would pink tag about 70 rollerboards since it was all business travelers on Monday mornings, and you would get your bowl of dry cherios and yogurt with milk in F. The evening departure from DFW at 5:30pm was either a 319 or a D9S depending on the month. The flight was always delayed since it was a routing MSP-DFW-DTW, with only a 30 minute turn in DFW and there was always a line of thunderstorms causing delays.
The worst was the mid-afternoon DFW-DTW flight for a long time was on a CR7, which was always full and impossible to get stand-by on if I could try to get home early. Then since it was a longer flight, and everyone would've been boozing it up in the Skyclub or in F, there would be a line of about 5 people parading back from F to queue up to use the single lav in the back of the aircraft.
After the 717s arrived, DTW & MSP saw 717s along with a mix of A319/A320 and E75/CR9 type. Peak morning and evening flights were mainline, but the midday flights were still 2-class RJ.

I think it was finally in 2019 they went all mainline on DTW & MSP - DFW, with A220s replacing the balance of the 2-class RJs and 717s on the routes. During Covid, I think some went back to CR9/E75, but now in 2022 its back to all mainline with a mix of A220 & A319/A320s.

PSU.DTW.SCE wrote:

3209 A320, the eldest A320 in the fleet is scheduled to ferry ATL-MCI tomorrow 1/26. Hasn't flown a revenue flight and been sitting in ATL since 1/6.
I assume MRO work, as MCI isn't typically an end-of-life facility......

Ship 3209 is going to MCI for some time consuming structural work. The real estate in the ATL hangar is too valuable to tie up a spot that long.

n515cr wrote:

New birds - should see some deliveries fairly soon:
3516 - 3rd flight 1/17 (labeled as acceptance flight) https://aibfamily.flights/A350/530
8142 - 1st flight 1/21 https://aibfamily.flights/A220/50063
3517 - 3rd flight 1/21 (labeled as acceptance flight) https://aibfamily.flights/A350/545
3412 - taxi check/RTO 1/21 https://aibfamily.flights/A330/1994

Correction, the A221 above is apparently 8143, not 8142, and per https://aibfamily.flights/A220/50063, it was delivered on contract today. There will likely be a delivery flight (to MSP?) soon.

B757Forever wrote:

Ship 3209 is going to MCI for some time consuming structural work. The real estate in the ATL hangar is too valuable to tie up a spot that long.

What type of structural work?

akelley728 wrote:

B757Forever wrote:

Ship 3209 is going to MCI for some time consuming structural work. The real estate in the ATL hangar is too valuable to tie up a spot that long.

What type of structural work?

Given that it's the oldest A320 flying in almost the entire world, I can only imagine...

B757Forever wrote:

PSU.DTW.SCE wrote:

3209 A320, the eldest A320 in the fleet is scheduled to ferry ATL-MCI tomorrow 1/26. Hasn't flown a revenue flight and been sitting in ATL since 1/6.
I assume MRO work, as MCI isn't typically an end-of-life facility......

Ship 3209 is going to MCI for some time consuming structural work. The real estate in the ATL hangar is too valuable to tie up a spot that long.

That sounds expensive for a 31 year old bird. You'd think a paint chip would be reason enough to retire it.

3517 "delivered" https://aibfamily.flights/A350/545
3309 to exit SAL tomorrow https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n809nw