It's difficult for Delta Air Lines.
A pilot shortage is plaguing the Atlanta-based carrier and the larger U.S. airline sector, with the regional affiliates being the hardest hit.
Due to a lack of personnel in the pilot ranks, these smaller carriers have been forced to halt operations and park aircraft.
In contrast to some major airlines, like United, which have resorted to abandoning smaller areas, Delta wants to continue offering as much service as it can, particularly as travel demand is surging from COVID-era lows.
In order to avoid route cuts, the airline must immediately increase the number of mainline aircraft flown by Delta employees as opposed to regional aircraft operated by Delta Connection contractors who are facing personnel shortages.
That's exactly what Delta is doing.
As initially reported by Airline Weekly and verified by an airline spokesperson, the airline introduced its first of 33 used Boeing 737-900 aircraft last month, registration N951DX.
These aircraft were acquired as part of a contract with Lion Air from the previous year.
The Indonesian low-cost carrier decided to sell the aircraft to Delta since it no longer needed them, perhaps at a big discount over the cost of purchasing brand-new aircraft.
(In addition, Delta would receive the planes considerably quicker than it would have if it had purchased new aircraft from Boeing.)
Although Delta already uses the 737-900 model, the passenger experience on these older aircraft will be noticeably worse.
This is due to the airline's current plans, which do not include retrofitting these aircraft to meet Delta requirements.
Instead, they will have a significantly less expensive configuration known internally as the "73J" and "73R" configurations.
Only 12 first-class seats, one row of extra-legroom Comfort+ seats, and 162 regular economy seats are available on "73J" aircraft.
These aircraft have eight fewer first-class seats and fifteen fewer Comfort+ seats than Delta's famed 737-900s, respectively.
23 additional coach seats are included as well.
Although the "73J" subfleet has power outlets and screens for in-flight entertainment, Wi-Fi is not currently available.
The "73R" subfleet has 137 basic economy seats, 24 Comfort+ seats, and 12 first-class seats.
Wi-Fi, power outlets, and entertainment systems are not currently available aboard these aircraft.
The experience will seem significantly different from Delta's norm even though the planes have been repainted and the seats have been given the airline's distinctive red and blue finishes.
These aircraft are presently scheduled to depart from Atlanta for the following destinations:
• Memphis.
• Panama City, Florida.
• Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
As the subfleet expands, Delta intends to only use these aircraft on flights from its hub in Atlanta that are less than 450 miles, or about an hour's flight.
These amenities won't be lacking from these flights indefinitely because Delta will install them in the upcoming months.
Beginning in January 2023, Wi-Fi will be installed, and by the end of April 2023, every 737 aircraft will have it.
In 2024, a more extensive cabin renovation is anticipated, according to the Airline Weekly article.
According to a declaration made public by a carrier:
Customers on select domestic short-haul routes may encounter a temporary seating arrangement and may not have access to in-flight Wi-Fi or seatback entertainment while these previously owned aircraft are being modified to fit our current 737-900 fleet.
The addition of these aircraft will boost our flying capacity and make it easier for us to transport our customers where they need to go this winter and beyond.
For any short-term inconveniences this may cause, we sincerely regret it.
Although adding a subfleet of aircraft to its fleet may seem out of the ordinary for Delta, the airline that prides itself on consistency, this is really the second time this year that the carrier has done so.
The used Airbus A350s that Delta purchased from LATAM will preserve the exact same LOPA, or layout of passenger accommodations, as they did with the South American mega-carrier, according to the original report in March.
Delta maintained the subpar 2-2-2 business-class seating arrangement and spared no effort to add a Premium Select cabin like you would on the airline's regular A350s.
Even those paying top dollar (or SkyMiles) for Delta One don't have direct aisle access on these aircraft.
(At least Delta installed Wi-Fi before adding these aircraft to the fleet.)
The airline is using the less-than-stellar A350s on a select number of routes, especially leisure-heavy ones that may not have enough demand for Delta's premium A350 interiors, similar to what Delta is doing with the Lion Air 737s.
In a similar vein, the airline rushed to get these aircraft inducted in order to make up for a large number of widebodies it had to retire due to the epidemic.
Although Delta still intends to convert the old A350s with its distinctive cabins, no timetable for when such reconfigurations will occur is currently known.
The problems with the supply chain that airlines around the world are experiencing are another significant factor worth highlighting.
Patrick Quayle, the airline's senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, claims that these shortages are to blame for United's tardiness in completing its fleet-wide upgrade project known as United Next.
However, the airline is still on track to meet its original target of the third quarter of 2023, according to Tony Roach, vice president of customer experience and engagement, who recently spoke at the airline's media days in Dallas. Supply chain delays, particularly for computer chips, are affecting Southwest's large Wi-Fi upgrade rollout.
Perhaps Delta believes that by delaying the retrofits for a few months, the supply chain difficulties will subside, allowing the airline to finish them more quickly.
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