Delta orders 75 new jets

In the latest effort to renew its fleet of smaller jets, Delta has placed a big order for a new aircraft model from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, turning away from the Brazilian-made Embraers that it has recently favored.

The company said it has ordered 75 new Bombardier CS100 jets in order to “cost-effectively reshape and upgauge its narrowbody fleet.” Like other major carriers, Delta keeps turning to larger jets to replace the smaller ones in its fleet.

Because it has ordered the CS100s, the company said, “Delta will no longer induct the E190 into its fleet as planned.” Just a few months ago, Delta had said it planned to acquire up to 20 Embraer E190s that would carry just under 100 passengers.

Delta said its new CS100s will have a 2×2 first class cabin and 2×3 Delta Comfort and Main Cabin seating, although its announcement didn’t mention how many seats the planes would have. Bombardier’s website says the CS100 is designed to carry 108 passengers in a two-class configuration.

The airline did say that the CS100s will provide “the largest windows in the single-aisle market, full-spectrum ambient lighting, seatback in-flight entertainment, in-flight Wi-Fi, high-capacity overhead bins and among the widest seats of any narrowbody aircraft.”

Compare Embraer 195 with Bombardier CS100 (not much difference!)

Bombardier says the CS100 economy seats are 19 inches wide; that compares with 18.25 inches on Delta’s existing 76-passenger E175s. The manufacturer also said that the the aircraft’s overhead bins can accommodate a carry-on bag for each passenger.

Delta noted that the CS100s, which it said will be deployed on short- to medium-haul routes, will provide a 20 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over similar-sized aircraft. It will start taking delivery of the planes in spring of 2018. The airline’s order also includes options for 50 more C series Bombardier aircraft, with the possibility of changing some orders into a larger version, the CS300.

The airline said that since 2009, it has phased out 280 50-seat regional jets from its fleet. This latest aircraft order will make Delta the launch customer for Bombardier’s new CS100 model.

UPDATE: April 29: Today Delta announced that it has ordered 37 more Airbus A321s, and now has 82 of the new birds on the books. Here’s more about Delta’s newest jet. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

Do you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!