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Archive for February, 2009

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Convair 880: Speed and Beauty

Published February 27th, 2009 in History | 12 Comments →

This month in 1960, our second jet–the Convair 880–arrived.  It set a transcontinental record on its February 10 delivery, flying San Diego to Miami in 3 hours, 31 minutes and 54 seconds. Average speed was almost 642 miles per hour. Sounds like a good reason to share one of my favorite graphics from the Delta Archives: a Convair 880 brochure open to show front and back covers.

Convair 880 Jet Pamphlet

You can see where someone wrote on the back cover in pen, listing the new, fast times between cities: Chicago-Houston, 2 hours, 3 minutes; New York-Houston, 2 hours, 59 minutes; Chicago-Memphis, 1 hour, 15 minutes; and Memphis-New Orleans 56 minutes.

We started the world’s first Convair 880 service on May 15, 1960, initially between Houston and New York.

By the way, did you know that one of Delta’s former Convair 880s was purchased by Elvis Presley as his private jet, named “Lisa Marie” after his daughter and is now on display at Graceland, Elvis’ home in Memphis, Tennessee?

Marie Force

Archives Manager

Mod Blog: Emerging From Winter

Published February 23rd, 2009 in Planes | 11 Comments →

As we begin to emerge from the winter season, I’m happy to report that the M88 Wi-Fi is down to an overnight and we are cranking away. A second line of M88’s will begin shortly and Ship 9211 (M90) prototype is running smoothly. The team is addressing the 737-800 next month and design of the NWA fleet is beginning.

Winglet-wise, Delta now has (4) 767-300ER’s provisioned and two more in work. We are anticipating a mid-April installation of the first aircraft with winglets based on an APB STC later on this week. On the 737 side, ship 3720 has inducted for our 8th 73Y aircraft which brings our 737-800 Fleet to 50% completion.

Tonight, Ship 1705 (76L) inducts for its Satellite Communication mod. The equipment on-board will be the Iridium system, similar to the installation on our 767-400’s. The systems flying around on our earlier 767-300’s, while still airworthy and functional, has been phased out of production. This will begin the count down to ensuring all 76L aircraft are standardized with Sat Com equipment (which will make our friends in Routing happy).

That said, our 764 Lie Flat mod (Ship 1804) is chugging right long as we are on day 42 of the visit. We expect to begin the certification portion of the mod some time next week and continue to target an April 1st in-service date.

Lastly, Ship 6803 is wrapping up it’s trifecta of modifications. Headrests are now currently installed on the Y/C seats, the lav tanks have increased in capacity, and we are finishing up the integrated ACARS/SAT COM system. Expect to see her fly sometime in mid March.

Mike Kotas
Fleet Programs

Your Take: In-Flight Mobile Phone Service

Published February 23rd, 2009 in Mobile | 22 Comments →

Michael O’Leary was recently interviewed regarding Ryanair passengers’ ability to use their mobile devices during flight. According to the Bloomberg article, passengers will be asked not to use their mobile phones during takeoff and landing, but once the planes reach 10,000 feet calls, text messages, voicemail, and email will be allowed. In the article, Mr. O’Leary was quoted:

ryanairquote1

For additional information regarding U.S. regulation of mobile services in-flight, see this comment by GlennF below.

So what’s your take, should air travel remain a bastion of solitude in the U.S.?

Katie

Northwest’s 1969 Logo

Published February 20th, 2009 in History | 5 Comments →

nw_passages_1969_02-03

I’m enjoying one of the recent Northwest items donated to the Delta Archives.  This issue of Northwest’s employee magazine was all about the airline’s new 1969 logo, “a new look for the fast-paced 1970’s.”

Reading the magazine, I found out a red, white and blue version of the logo was seriously considered.  Also, the stylized red tail in a circle without the name (Northwest Orient) allowed the logo to be printed in very small size without losing its clarity (see image below). This logo lasted Northwest well beyond the 1970s, until 1987, and ended up being the airline’s longest running brand.

nwa-tail

Northwest Passages was a gift of Richard Briggs with other items collected by his father Northwest pilot Dan Briggs.

Marie Force

Archives Manager

Meet Us In Memphis: Mobile Check-in Launch

Published February 19th, 2009 in Mobile | 14 Comments →

Today Delta’s eBoarding Pass technology launched in Memphis (MEM).

mobileckin1

Now our eco-conscious customers (or those who are stuck in traffic/running late) can use their web enabled cell phone to access delta.com, follow the steps for mobile check in, and receive a bar code allowing them to breeze through security without ever printing a paper pass or touching a kiosk.

MEM joins LAS, LGA and MSP, which already have the product up and running. Over the next few months our eBoarding product will also roll out in ATL, SLC, and MCO. But… as of 12pm we’ve reported only 15 mobile check-ins today in our launch city. Help us get the word out?

Give it a try and let us know what you think! Up next month, ATL…

Katie
Sr. Marketing Associate - WW Communications

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