Since we last spoke, Delta TechOps has finished several modifications to the fleet including our 75E Large Lav Tank Mod. Ship 6803 was returned to service with her three aft lav tanks increased in size, to help our service during the extended trans-Atlantic flights. Inclusive of that mod, headrests were installed on all coach seating as well as Satellite communication (Sat Com) equipment. All our 75E’s are targeted to receive the LLT mod and headrests by June 1st. Our Sat Com equipment will be deployed on a subset of 8 aircraft to further fund Africa and South America flying.
Speaking of Sat Com, ship 1705 (76L) returned to service with Sat Com fully activated. Over the course of the next several months, Sat Com will be introduced to the remaining 1700-series aircraft.
Ship 7103, Delta’s newest Boeing 777LR delivered to Atlanta on Friday March 6th. She is currently in her prior to service mod and arrived with 45 flat bed Business Elite seats (vs. 43 on our previous two LR’s). Delta plans to retrofit ships 7101 and 7102 in the April/May time frame to add those additional two seats.
You’ll note in this picture, the 6-bunk crew rest for our Flight Attendants. These bunks are located in the crown of the aircraft to maximize main cabin space and provide quality rest accommodations. Delta will take delivery of 7104 and 7105 later on this month so look for all these aircraft to be deployed to Bombay and other markets shortly. More images at our Flickr account here.
On the Wi-Fi side, Delta has 15% of the domestic fleet accomplished. Currently 44 M88’s and 5 757’s are deployed with operational equipment.
Lastly, APB was awarded certification on its 767-300ER winglets and Delta plans to roll the aircraft out on or about the 22nd of March. Everyone is eagerly anticipating the arrival of ship 1610 to the fleet especially in the wake of the volatile fuel prices. Delta is on track to have (10) aircraft with winglets within the next 2 months.
Mike Kotas
Fleet Programs
March 17th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Wow! Great update. Flying on a DL 77L is at the top of my priority list. I’d love to go to DXB or BOM but don’t really have the time right now. Also, I have already been to JNB and SYD. So I’ll probably try and catch an ATL-LAX flight on the 77L once it is deployed on that route in the downtime for the SYD flight for a quick weekend trip to visit friends.
Keep up the good post Mike. These are my favorites on this blog.
March 17th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
N703DN has already entered revenue service. She operated one turn to/from Orlando, FL (quite the upgrade!) and later continued on to Dubai on March 15, 2009.
Christopher Weyer
Simulator Support
March 17th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
I was able to catch 7103 after her first landing with passengers. If anyone would like to check out pics of 7103 at gate 75 at MCO, check my website: http://www.widgetheads.net/7103.php
March 17th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Andy,
Thanks for the compliments. We are exploring additional items to keep the blog exciting.
Chris,
Thanks. Yes, legal timing has thrown the dates off from when the post was originally written.
March 17th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Forgive me, but what is Sat Com? Thanks.
March 18th, 2009 at 12:27 am
@SAN767DL – SATCOM, short for satellite communications, provides worldwide telephony and data coverage in the cockpit (as well as a wide variety of other applications outside of aviation). It provides aircraft that need to communicate to ground stations the ability to do so in remote regions where there is no reliable terrestrial network by way of 12 geosynchronous satellites.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:57 am
Hey Mike
LOVE the update, the pictures are pretty awesome (the 777 looks SUPER beautiful!) and I loved the quick sneak peek in the crew area in the crown of the aircraft! Also congrats on getting approval for the winglets, I’m assuming I’ll see some of them in HNL soon!
I noticed that Delta-Owned aircraft are registered N###DN, not DL. Why? Was it DL before, or am I confused?
And you spoke of “headrests” on the 75E’s. Does that mean AVOD or just simply, truly, Headrests? Which seems sort of weird- don’t most seats have headrests anyway? Anything special about the headrests?
And the Business Elite product looks sort of sub-par with other international airlines. Why?
March 18th, 2009 at 9:08 am
@paprazzi1983: The reason for using DN instead of DL is because not all the N7xxDLs were available for registration. In fact, not even all the N7xxDNs are available. The next one, ship 7104, will be N704DK. And if they ever choose to go with their later options of 77Ls, 7111 and 7114 will be N711DY and N714DY, respectively. All others will be DN.
The “headrests” don’t have anything to do with AVOD or not. All 75Es already have AVOD. And yes, all seats have some sort headrest. But what Mike is talking about is added support, and if I am correct, these are winged headrests too – which some find adds comfort for sleeping.
March 18th, 2009 at 9:30 am
@paparazzi1983 – N numbers are registered with the FAA depending on what is available. Take “N704DL” for instance. Since that registration is already taken by a Cessna 150, Delta reserved “N704DK” for ship 7104 (our fourth 777-200LR). We have registrations ending in DL, DN, A thru Z, LL, MH and so on. The point is that note all Delta aircraft are registered ending in “DL”. The FAA has a useful tool on their website that hopefully makes this all more clear: http://is.gd/1gUn.
Christopher Weyer
Simulator Support
March 18th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
So, does anyone know if the “headrests” being installed on the 75Es are winged headrests? I think these would be a good addition.
March 18th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Any more specific estimates on 7104 and 7105 entering service? I would love to catch one of these aircraft.
Any update on 1804? Are the flatbeds (for now) only going on 764s being converted from domestic service?
As the flatbeds start to replace the current BE seats, what will be done with the old ones? Any chance some might be sold or auctioned?
Thanks alot
March 19th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Hi 764ERIntl, yes the 75E headrests in coach are winged. They have ratcheted grooves for multiple positions.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Good to know. Is there any reason why they won’t be installed on the 737-700s, 737-800s, and domestic 767-300s? They have the same model of seats in Y, the Weber 5751. I personally think it would be a nice addition.
I actually remember that the 737-800s actually had winged headrests in Y at one point when they first entered service. They were removed around 2003. I would like to see them return to the 737-800 fleet. After all the domestic 767-400ERs are converted to international configuration, there will be no domestic aircraft with winged headrests in Y.
Also, the Transcon 757s have the same model of seat as the 767-400ERs in Y (the Weber 5150), except they don’t have winged headrests. I also think they should be added to the Transcon 757 fleet.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
764ERIntl:
At the time the decision was made, the brand direction was to have headrests on the Intl Fleet and no headrests on the domestic fleet. Naturally, with all the other strategies, these decisions are/will be evaluated once again.
We continue to balance the competitive environment against our Capital investment.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
So then, what about the 767-300ER fleet? I know that a few of the 1700-series 763ERs have winged headrests in Y (same seat model as the 764ERs), however, most of the others don’t. I don’t think it is possible to add winged headrests to the seats on most of the 767-300ERs, as the seats are older and shorter.
I also know that there were plans to install the Thompson Cozy Suites in Y, however, I have heard that project has been put on hold and is being reconsidered.
March 20th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Beautiful pictures!
So will the winglets save enough fuel that one day Delta could actually put seat back videos in the 767-300ER in Coach?
March 21st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Great post! I love the pictures; crew rest looks sorta comfy =]
RightSideNov and/or Chris W., I’m just curious (I know it’s a bit off topic but perhaps one of you could enlighten me), which aircraft have the LL suffix? And how did the ex-Shanghai jet end up with its N-number (N900PC, ship 691)?
March 22nd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Jayo Z: Only one has the LL suffix, that is ship 1401 as N140LL. As for N900PC – you’ve got me stumped there. I do want to note though that it’s not really ex-Shanghai as it was never used by them. It was bought from them immediately after delivery. Why 900PC? – I do not know.
March 22nd, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Hey Chris W & RightSideNov! Thanks for the information on registrations, I was always curios about how that was done. I knew the N for north america but assumed that the last two letters were always the airline… i guess not =)
Any word as to if Delta will be purchasing / leasing 777-300′s?
March 24th, 2009 at 8:49 am
paparazzi: No problem. Actually N is for US-registered aircraft only. Mexico uses XA, XB, and XC. And Canada uses C. Each country has even more specific guidelines to follow. If you’re interested in learning some more, I’d check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_registration#Country-specific_usage.
As for the last two letters being the airline…that’s just a preference of the airline. In the early days, when a lot more registrations were available, it was easy to get a huge group of numbers ending in your airline’s code. But as more aircraft are registered, that becomes more and more difficult. So airlines have chosen the next best thing. It’s not a requirement to have your registrations ending with your airline code. In fact, Delta is one of a few airlines that chooses not to re-register aircraft they obtain. For example, all of the ex-AA (and previously ex-TWA) aircraft still have their original registrations, most of them ending in TW.
And lastly – if you think someone is gunna spill the beans on an order like that on here, nice try.
If they want the public to know about anything like that, they’ll make an announcement, that’s for sure.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I recently flew from London to Detroit in one of these seats and have a mixed opinion on them. While seated they are very comfortable and the USB and power sockets are fantastic additions…looking forward to the Ethernet jack to work as well. Also, the entertainment system is very
My biggest gripe is that while they do go fully flat they are almost unusable for someone tall. I’m 6’1″ and I found the hole where your feet go to be very uncomfortable. There is little to no room to move your feet or legs for that matter around and it was very warm.