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Delta reveals plans for 777 makeovers

Delta’s A350s will debut its new Delta One business cabin later this year. (Image: Delta)

Last year, Delta unveiled plans for all-suite business class seating on the new Airbus A350s it will start putting into service later this year; and now it has revealed details for bringing the same new Delta One cabin layout to its existing fleet of 777-200s.

According to FlightGlobal, Delta said in a filing with the FAA that installing the business class suites in its 777s will shrink passenger capacity in the front cabin from the current 37 lie-flat seats to 28 mini-suites with lie-flat seats.

Delta hasn’t yet issued a schedule for reconfiguring its 18 777-200s, but when it does, it will also give the planes 48 new premium economy seats and 220 economy seats. They currently have 36 extra-legroom Comfort+ coach seats and 220 regular economy.

The airline has said that when it puts the new premium economy section into its A350s and 777s, Comfort+ seating will no longer be offered in them. The premium economy section will offer up to 38 inches of pitch, 19-inch seat width and up to seven inches of recline.

Delta’s premium economy cabin will also debut on its A350s. (Image: Delta)

And here’s some good news for economy travelers: A company official told FlightGlobal that when the 777s are remade, they will continue to offer nine-across seating in economy instead of going to 10-across like some of its domestic and foreign competitors are doing with their 777s.

Delta has ordered 25 A350-900s, but the airline said this week it will defer deliveries for 10 of them by two to three years, pushing them back to 2021-2023. The company also said it has increased its A321-200 order to 30 new planes, boosting the total from 82 to 112 for delivery by 2021. Those aircraft will replace older planes on domestic routes.

The airline said it is still on track to begin its first A350 flights in the fourth quarter of this year.  The new wide-bodies are initially expected to fly on transpacific routes out of Delta’s Detroit hub.

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United to kick out The Queen earlier than expected

The life of United's remaining 747s just got shortened. (Image: United)

The lifespan of United’s remaining 747s just got shortened. (Image: United)

If you’ve been hoping to book a final flight on a United 747 before the iconic jumbo jet is retired, you better start exploring your options before The Queen gets the boot.

Last year, United said it had set a target date of October 2018 to eliminate the remaining 747s from its fleet. But now that date has been moved up.

United President Scott Kirby said in a letter to employees this week that the company expects the final 747 flight to take place in the fourth quarter of 2017.

And the reason United is eager to remove the aging planes is largely economic. The 747 “once represented the state-of-the-art in air travel,” Kirby said. “Today, there are more fuel-efficient, cost-effective and reliable widebody aircraft that provide an updated inflight experience for our customers traveling on long-haul flights.”

Like many other airlines, Delta is starting to get rid of these graceful, gas guzzling old birds. (Photo: Delta)

Like United, Delta is starting to get rid of these graceful, gas guzzling old birds. (Photo: Delta)

United has been flying 747s since 1970. It is replacing its 747s with 777s and 787 Dreamliners on long-haul routes.

The earlier retirement of the planes will put United on a schedule similar to Delta’s, the only other U.S. carrier that still flies 747s. Delta also plans to get rid of its remaining 747s by the end of this year, replacing them with long-haul Airbus models including the A330 and the new A350.

It will be interesting to see whether Delta or United throws a better send off celebration. In today’s announcement, Kirby said, “we’ll honor the 747 with an unforgettable retirement celebration — we’ll keep you posted with more details on her final flight in the months ahead.”

We’ll be watching on that bittersweet day.

Cathay Pacific

A fond farewell to Cathay’s Queen of the Skies at SFO in 2014 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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