Delta ! DL ! DAL

Delta Air Lines reported a first-quarter net loss of $256 million, narrowed from a $794 million deficit in the year-ago period, and CEO Richard Anderson said continuing evidence of "the right trends in the revenue environment" have the company "optimistic about the rest of the year" and anticipating a "solidly profitable" second quarter.

"We continue to see solid advance bookings. . .across all geographic regions," President Ed Bastian told reporters and analysts yesterday. "Clearly the improved strength we're seeing comes from improved corporate travel. We're seeing corporate travel improve across all geographic regions, certainly in New York and across the Atlantic. . .We're not quite at 2008 levels [of business passengers]. We're close to 2007 levels and we expect to be up to 2008" later this year.

"It appears that the economy has pretty good legs under it," Anderson said. But he cautioned that "the issue we have ahead of us" is not generating revenue but keeping costs under control with fuel prices "volatile."

Regarding the merger with Northwest Airlines, Bastian said DL/NWA are "now operating on a single technology platform" and the "heavy lifting of integration is behind us." He claimed DL achieved $200 million in merger synergies in the first quarter and is "now at $1 billion in annual run rate synergies." It did incur $46 million in merger-related expenses in the quarter and expects another $70 million in merger costs for the remainder of the year.

The decision to ground NWA's fleet of 14 747-200 freighters last year (ATWOnline, April 22, 2009) produced $60 million in expense savings in the first quarter, Bastian said. Meanwhile, DL continues to be noncommittal on NWA's order for 18 787s placed in 2005 (ATWOnline, March 5, 2009). When asked if DL is still a 787 customer, Anderson responded, "Technically yes." But he added that he's happy with the airline's current long-haul fleet: "We're in good shape in terms of transoceanic airplanes."

First-quarter revenue rose 2% to $6.85 billion while expenses decreased 5% to $6.78 billion, producing operating income of $68 million, turned around from an operating loss of $483 million last year. Net income was heavily affected by $326 million in interest expenses.

Consolidated traffic dipped 1.4% to 42.37 billion RPMs while capacity dropped 4.4% to 53.3 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 79.5%, up 2.4 points. Yield lifted 5.1% to 13.7 cents as PRASM jumped 8.4% to 10.89 cents and CASM dipped 0.5% to 12.46 cents. CASM ex-fuel increased 1% to 8.72 cents.

More than 600 angry Delta Air Lines passengers were stranded at JFK Airport yesterday after three of its 767s developed mechanical problems in the space of six hours.
The three flights were scheduled to depart for European destinations. A flight to Barcelona turned back after taking off; the others, to Dublin and Istanbul, never left the ground.
"The delays are incredible, there are no supervisors to talk to and my luggage is held hostage," said Wendy Levy after spending 10 hours at the airport.
A Delta spokeswoman said one plane had engine problems, another a faulty indicator light, and the third delay involved "maintenance."
Asked about three of the same-model jets having problems at the same airport at virtually the same time, she conceded, "These issues do not happen very often."

Delta CEO Richard Anderson says, in no uncertain terms, that he wants Airbus and Boeing to re-engine the A320 and 737 aircraft, respectively.

Asked about Airbus and Boeing re-engining during a Sept. 21 interview in his Atlanta office, Anderson first referenced Bombardier’s plans for a CSeries with a Pratt & Whitney PW1000 geared-turbofan engine and the narrowbody jet being developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China. The latter’s C919 is being developed with the CFM International LEAP engine.

“There is constantly innovation in this industry, and we need that innovation. So we think the manufacturers need to re-engine these airplanes and give us the benefit of that innovation,” Anderson declared. Delta does not want to wait for the next generation of narrowbody aircraft, he added.

Anderson put Delta’s need in the context of pollution reduction, rather than fuel efficiency and cost savings.

“We have very aggressive CO2 reduction goals, and part of that is to have the engine technology that will result in reduced fuel burn over time, so that we can meet our CO2 reduction goals,” he said.

Airbus seems to be close to deciding to re-engine the A320, but Boeing has been ambivalent about doing the same for the 737.

Anderson called Bombardier's CSeries an "interesting airplane," but said the main issue will be proving the reliability of a geared turbofan engine. In the interview, Anderson also had high praise for the potential benefits of the Boeing 787. His remarks seemed to suggest it is not a question of whether Delta will take delivery of 787 aircraft, but of when.

When Delta merged with Northwest, it inherited Northwest’s $2.2 billion order for 18 787-8s as the North American launch customer for the aircraft. But earlier this year, Anderson confirmed that Delta has been negotiating with Boeing “to figure out what’s going to happen with those positions,” because Delta has a sufficient and relatively young transoceanic fleet right now (DAILY, April 21).

Delta recently renewed leases for an average of five years on its 16 Boeing 747-400 aircraft—all of which are being fitted with new flat-bed seats—and has increased its Boeing 777 fleet to 18 aircraft. The airline operates a total of 167 transoceanic aircraft, with an average age of 11 years.

In his comments on Sept. 21, Anderson reiterated his belief that Delta’s transoceanic fleet is “in really good shape right now,” and he did not say much to dispel the belief that Delta will not be taking delivery on any 787s for a while. But he also was effusive in his praise for the aircraft’s potential.

“It will end up, I think, really revolutionizing aviation because it gives you the range and seat-mile costs that you need to really develop long-haul global markets in a free-trade economy,” he said.

“The 787 is still going to be a great airplane. It just has some growing pains here along the way,” Anderson continued. “An airplane that will do a 7,000-mile stage length with the same seat-mile costs as a 747 with 220, 230 seats, with the composite design and the new engines, is going to work. It’s just a question of when.” Anderson, however, would not quite commit to taking the 787 at some point, saying only, “I think eventually it could be part of Delta’s fleet.”

Delta Air Lines Inc. said Monday that it will take delivery of the first of 18 Boeing 787s in 2020, ending long-running uncertainty over the fate of the order.

The second-largest U.S. carrier by traffic inherited the order when it acquired Northwest Airlines and has been in talks with Boeing Co. about the planes’ fate after protracted delays in the aircraft’s entry into service.
Delta said in a regulatory filing that it had reached a deal to reaffirm the order for the 787-8 variant for delivery from 2020 to 2022. They were originally slated to arrive between 2008 and 2010.

All Nippon Airways Co. is due to receive the first 787 in February 2011, almost three years late.

Continental Airlines, a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc., is the U.S. launch customer for the plane, with the first of its 25 due to arrive in the second half of next year.

Admin a écrit:Je poursuis,

Elmer, il semble que Delta conserve des options sur les 777-200LR ?

Admin a écrit:Elmer pourra confirmer mais :

- pas de 787-9 en commande à ce jour
- Delta a des 767 (dont des 400 assez modernes) et des 777-200 ER et LR
Pas de commandes en cours sur ce le haut du segment bi-couloir
Age moyen de la flotte 11 long courrier ans.

C.F. message 32 et le lien initial

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/avd/2010/09/23/03.xml&headline=Delta+CEO+Foresees+Bright+Future+For+787&channel=comm



Delta modernise sa flotte actuelle dans un premier temps