5 Aircraft Types That You Didn’t Know Delta Air Lines Used To Fly

As one the most recognized airlines in the US, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines began operating jet-powered aircraft in 1959. Since then, the carrier has acquired several different plane types that have logged millions of miles throughout their tenure with the airline. While some aircraft were original Delta jets, others entered the fleet when the carrier merged with other airlines, expanding the fleet. Delta has also been a famous longtime operator of T-tailed aircraft, and continues to operate the type of jet today.

Although the US legacy airline’s operations look a bit different today compared to its earlier days, Delta’s fleet still comprises a variety of aircraft types. In 1929, the carrier began its first passenger flights from Dallas to Jackson, Mississippi, via Shreveport and Monroe in Louisiana. The flights were conducted by Travel Air S-6000-B propeller planes that carried five passengers and one pilot. It would not be for another three decades until Delta entered its jet era.

1

McDonnell Douglas DC-9

That era was inaugurated on July 22, 1959, when the airline took delivery of its first McDonnell Douglas DC-8-11. Its first scheduled flight, on September 18th of that year, marked the world’s first-ever DC-8 service from New York to Atlanta. The DC-8 operated for 30 years and was retired in 1989, but its predecessor, the DC-9, had a much longer run with the airline. Delta received its first DC-9-14 on October 7, 1965, and its first flight also marked the world’s first.

On November 29, 1965, the airline operated DL791 from Atlanta to Memphis and Kansas City before deploying the aircraft type on daily scheduled service on December 8th.

Several DC-9 variants.

Delta had 16 DC-9-14 aircraft and one DC-9-15 aircraft – a very similar variant. These planes, which could seat 65 passengers, were designed for routes of 500 miles or less. In 1967, Delta acquired the stretched DC-9-32 variant, which accommodated 89 passengers. By 1971, the airline had a fleet of 63 DC-9-32s, and they flew until 1993, when they were replaced by the Boeing 727.

Photo: Delta Flight Museum

However, little did the carrier know that it would not be the last time they would operate the aircraft, and additional variants. After an absence of almost 16 years, the DC-9-30 returned to Delta’s fleet, and for the first time, the even larger DC-9-40, -50, and -51 arrived. These aircraft came from Northwest Airlines, which merged with Delta on October 29, 2008, and began single operations in 2010.

Photo: Delta Flight Museum

Remarkably, Delta was the first and the last US airline to operate scheduled DC-9 passenger flights. The Delta Flight Museum shared how the airline commemorated the aircraft’s retirement in 2014.

“The official Delta DC-9 farewell took place on January 6, 2014. To acknowledge the DC-9’s retirement, the last flight (Minneapolis/St. Paul to Atlanta) was numbered DL2014 noting the final year of service, while the preceding flight (Detroit to Minneapolis/St. Paul) was flight DL1965, the aircraft’s initial year of service.”

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Despite the retirement of the DC-9, Delta still had many T-tailed aircraft in its fleet, and it continues with the Boeing 717 still active in service today.

2

McDonnell Douglas MD-82/-88

The MD-88 was developed from the original DC-9 but had twice the passenger capacity as the first DC-9 variant. The aircraft also had an updated glass cockpit, a wider cabin aisle, and aerodynamic improvements, including a redesigned tail cone. Delta placed orders for 30 MD-88s in January 1986 with options for 50 more. However, eight planes were delivered as MD-82s, which was the forerunner to the MD-88 variant.

The airline began service on April 1, 1987, from Atlanta to Austin, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Jackson, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Shreveport, and Washington DC. The MD-88s began to be delivered in December of that year and were placed into service on January 5, 1988. The carrier would receive its remaining deliveries through 1993.

Photo: Delta Flight Museum

Holding on to the “Mad Dogs.”

Although Delta was not the largest operator of MD-80 family aircraft, it operated the planes longer than American Airlines, which had over 300 examples in its fleet throughout more than two decades of operating the aircraft. The planes affectionately received the Mad Dog nickname due to their often noisy takeoffs and landings. As newer, quieter, and more fuel-efficient aircraft began to gain popularity, Delta began to consider retiring the aircraft. The carrier originally planned for retirement by the end of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the planes. On June 2, 2020, Delta became the last US passenger airline to operate the MD-88. American retired its MD-82/-83 fleet prior to the pandemic in 2019.

3

McDonnell Douglas MD-90

In the late 1980s, McDonnell Douglas was working on an improved version of the MD-88, with better fuel efficiency performance and reduced noise levels. Delta became the launch customer of the MD-90-30 in November 1989, placing an order for 50 examples with options of 110 more. The first aircraft was delivered on February 24, 1995.

Photo: Delta Flight Museum

On April 2nd, the airline became the first carrier to fly the MD-90, servicing several cities, including Dallas, Atlanta, New Orleans, San Diego, Albuquerque, Orange County, Salt Lake City, and Knoxville.

$1 billion in savings.

More than a decade later, Delta expanded its MD-90 fleet. As it continued to seek cost savings, the airline purchased 49 used MD-90s, including two extended-range models between 2009 and 2013. As opposed to buying new planes, it is estimated that Delta saved at least $1 billion by acquiring the used aircraft, according to the Delta Flight Museum. The MD-90 was retired jointly with the MD-88 fleet in June 2020.

4

Boeing 747

Similar to the DC-9, Delta operated the Boeing 747 across two different stints. The carrier received its first 747-100 on October 2, 1970, and had a fleet of five aircraft by November. The fleet was used between major cities in Delta’s network, such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco.

The jumbo aircraft was also deployed on the airline’s European exchange with Pan American Airways, flying on transatlantic routes from Atlanta and Washington DC, to London and Frankfurt.

Photo: Delta Flight Museum

In the mid-to-late 1970s, Delta found that its 747s were too large for its routes and began trading them back to Boeing. Its last 747 flew on April 23, 1977.

747s make a comeback.

After a 31-year hiatus, the 747 returned to Delta’s operations, thanks to its merger with Northwest. The airline acquired a fleet of 16 larger 747-400s, which included the first-ever -400 built by Boeing. The planes had a capacity of 403 passengers, with 65 seats in business class and 338 seats in economy.

Photo: Delta Air Lines

Delta retired its 747 fleet for the second and final time in 2017, as it favored the Airbus A350. The first-ever 747-400, known as Ship 6301, was retired in 2015 after logging over 61 million miles. As an undoubtedly historic airframe, the plane rests on the ground at the Delta Flight Museum at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where guests can visit it up close and in person.

5

Boeing 777-200

Delta welcomed its first two Boeing 777-200s in March of 1999. The aircraft went into scheduled service on May 1st from Atlanta to London-Gatwick, with Cincinnati to London and Atlanta to Frankfurt service commencing later that year.

Photo: Delta Flight Museum

As the official airline of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Delta painted one aircraft in a special livery, and named the aircraft “The Soaring Spirit II”.

Photo: Delta Flight Museum

The plane carried the Olympic flame from its home in Athens, Greece, to North America and then operated twice daily charter flights between New York and Salt Lake City for the duration of the Olympiad.

Longer-range 777s.

Six years later, Delta became the first US carrier to operate the 777-200LR, which was known as the world’s longest-range commercial aircraft. The plane allowed the airline to expand its global footprint through key global destinations in Atlanta, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, and Sydney. The 777-200LR had a range of 8,800 miles and accommodated 276 passengers with a crew of 15.

Photo: Thiago B Trevisan |Shutterstock

In an effort to simplify its fleet and relieve the negative impacts of the pandemic, Delta decided to retire its 777-200 fleet. The final flights were DL8787 from Atlanta to Los Angeles on October 30, 2020, and DL8777 from New York to Los Angeles on October 31, 2020.

Which aircraft was your favorite? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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