Delta Airlines Cutting Number of 50-Seat Planes by Over 50 Percent
AirTran's Boeing 717s (pictured) are being leased to Delta which will replace their smaller 50-seat planes
Delta Airlines will cut the number of the smaller, 50-seat aircraft they currently use by over 50 percent in favor of bigger, roomier jets assuming the new labor agreement with airline’s pilots is approved.
Under the new deal, Delta will remove 218 50-seat planes and replace them with the Boeing 717 airplanes the carrier recently leased from Southwest.
Delta’s 88 leased 717s seat 117 passengers.
“If the pilots agreement is ratified, we would be in a position to begin adding these 717s to our mainline fleet next year,” Delta CEO Richard Anderson said in a recent message to Delta employees. “We would mostly use them to replace inefficient 50-seat regional jets.”
The pilots vote on the contact proposal at the end of the month.
Image: Flickr [nostri-imago]
Category: Airnation
