It seems the fleet cuts have arrived at Delta, with the airline planning to retire its McDonnell Douglas fleet – the MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft.
A Delta McDonnell Douglas aircraft taking off – Image, Delta.
With the downturn in traffic comes the need to remove aircraft from the fleet., Delta will be retiring the MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft earlier than previously planned. Both aircraft types exiting the fleet by June 2020.
The MD-88 was introduced in January 1988, whilst the MD-90 was introduced in February 1995.
The airline is busy cutting its active fleet – with half of the fleet parked over the last two months, with over 600 mainline and regional aircraft on the ground.
47 MD-88s and 29 MD-90s operating with the airline in February 2020, with the 149-seat MD-88 set to retire by the end of 2020. The airline will continue to operate the Boeing 717 (or MD-95) for now – for those of you who love T-Tailed aircraft.
Delta Air Lines Boeing 717 climbing out of Chicago O’Hare – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
The types were used on the Delta domestic network, connecting cities. However, the chance to remove the type allows the airline to simplify its fleet.
During COVID-19 and beyond, reducing costs will be one thing airlines will need to do. Reducing the type of aircraft in the fleet and standardising on certain types will help.
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Thank god. These awful planes should have been gone long ago. Northwest was ready to be done with them before the merger, but Delta keep them for another 12 years. They are loud, they smell of exhaust, and are way past their prime.
But that 2-3 seating in the back will be sorely missed on the mainline fleet.
That’s where the A220 comes in …
This is sad, both because I’ve always had a soft spot for the MadDogs and because I’ve never had the chance to fly on an MD-90. Ah, well.