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
February 24th, 2009 at 12:38 am
Isn’t it ship 1804? Are the headrests being added to all the 6800 series 757s?
February 24th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
As always, thanks for the detailed updates, Mike! A few questions: When you say the MD-88 wifi install is down to an overnight – does that mean you guys can get the mod done in hours? If so, that’s impressive! Next, what is the 4th 763ER with provisions? I have 191, 1607, and 1608. Also, for the 73Ys with winglets, I have 3707, 3711, 3712, 3713, and 3720. Which 3 am I missing? Finally, DLamt pointed it out already – I think you meant ship 1804 for the Lie Flat mod, right? Thanks in advance!
February 24th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Oh and one more thing, is ship 9211 getting paint after it’s Wifi install is complete? I had gotten word that is was due for paint.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Its nice to see the 767-300ER’s getting the winglets. Any word on full AVOD on TATL routes for these birds? It makes the trip in coach a lot better on those ATL-MAN runs that I do.
February 25th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Quick question: with the integration of NWA into Delta’s fleet – will they be converted to the same in-flight ‘amenities’ such as the lie-flats and wifi? Or do they have their own program.
I saw a Delta painted NWA A330 on Schiphol last week. Looks good!
February 25th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Hi Guys,
Yea, DLamt, the 764 ship is 1804, fat finger syndrome. We are correcting that on the blog. For your second question, yes, all the 6800 Y/C seats will have headrests by summer time.
RightSideNov: Yes, we are doing the Wi-Fi installation in about 12 hours.
The 4th 763ER winglet prov is 185, and 192 and 1609 are both in work. As for the 73Y’s, you’re missing 3714, 3716, and 3717. Lastly, yes, 9211 will be rcv paint after completion of the mod tonight.
RBTN: Full AVOD is always a consideration and is being looked at but it’s requiring the right timing, especially with state of the economy, there is so much competing for our precious capital, we are taking a cautious view at this point right now.
malbarda: There is a harmonization effort of the NWA fleet underway. Some of the in-flight changes you will see quicker then others, like cabin soft goods (dress covers, carpet). Other items, that require more lead time will take place over the next couple of years (brand standardization of seating).
February 25th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Thanks for the detailed reply, Mike! And again, that quick WiFi install is quite impressive! Your Tech-Ops team is always working hard!
February 25th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Hey Mike, After the dom 764s are converted to the lie-flat B/E, are they going to move straight to the existing int’l 764s for the mod or wait untill next fall? What about the 767-300ers? Also, do you know the status on the new “cozy suite” coach seats?
February 26th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
I’m glad to hear some progress has been made with the Northwest fleet. I commend Delta for acting so quick with the Northwest side of the operations.
I’m looking forward to seeing the new lie-flat seats on the 767′s
February 27th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
The existing Intl 764′s (as we call 76C) are not in scope quite yet. We are evaluating our 2010 plans but with the merger, everything is being scrutinized.1
Cozy Suite is still under evaluation and our strategy and brand teams are continuing the analysis but unfortunately there is no new information to share on that.
We are moving quickly on the fleet merger. Our leadership team is passionate in making strides to ensure standardization and brand is fresh!
February 28th, 2009 at 1:13 am
So, about the Y seats on the 6800-series 757s – are they getting the same type of adjustable headrests that the 777-200LRs have? I know they are both Weber 5751 model seats, however, the ones on the 777-200LRs have adjustable headrests. I personally think it would be a good idea, especially due to the longer flights they are used on vs. the rest of the 757 fleet.
Also, as a suggestion – I personally think that AVOD should be installed on ex-ATA ETOPS 757s that are used on Hawaii routes, to maintain a consistent product with the ETOPS 767-300s that are used to Hawaii.