Category Archives: Delta Air Lines

Delta people prepare for evacuees from Afghanistan

Delta Air Lines made this announcement:

Delta’s finest are converging on Dulles International Airport as the first waves of evacuees from Afghanistan begin to arrive on Delta jets.

The teams continued work Monday that began over the weekend, continuing to prepare for the arrival of thousands of passengers.

After getting reports from inbound flights that passengers had several basic needs, three Delta people decided to act.

Kendall Antoine, Quentin Harris and George Taylor piled into a Delta van and made a bee line for a local store to pick up diapers, formula, baby snacks and personal hygiene products. All in addition to the catering and supplies already planned for the flights.

Delta employees gather supplies for incoming evacuees from Afghanistan.

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“This is what we do,” Harris said. “We serve.”

Delta Air Lines signs transformative agreement with Travelport

Delta Air Lines and Travelport have announced a transformative global distribution agreement, designed to further enhance value-generation for the entire travel retailing ecosystem, including travel management companies, agencies, corporations and travelers.

The customer experience and value-based, multi-year content distribution agreement gives Travelport-connected travel buyers simplified access to Delta’s enriched content through the Travelport+ platform with enhanced retailing capability to better understand, compare and customize offers for travelers.

Travelport continues to evolve its worldwide retailing platform, Travelport+, with the next generation retailing tools and merchandising capabilities that provide long term value to the travel agency channel. An intelligent, multi-product display gives Travelport-connected buyers the ability to easily access the wide array of available products from all of Travelport’s global air partners, compare those to find the best options, and select the right choice for their customers.

Delta’s omni-channel, customer-centric approach invests across all channels to provide consumers with an elevated shopping experience within their preferred channel. This emerging approach to retail transformation will create value for all stakeholders in the ecosystem by enhancing traveler experiences and expanding customer choice.

18 civilian aircraft in the CRAF program are activated for refugee evacuation

The Civil Reserve Air Fleet is an important aspect of the United States’s mobility resources.

Selected long-range aircraft from U.S. airlines, are contractually committed to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF).

The selected aircraft support the United States Department of Defense (DOD) airlift requirements during emergencies when the need for airlift exceeds the capability of military aircraft.

The DOD issued this statement:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has ordered the Commander of U.S. Transportation Command to activate Stage I of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). CRAF activation provides the Department of Defense access to commercial air mobility resources to augment our support to the Department of State in the evacuation of U.S. citizens and personnel, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and other at-risk individuals from Afghanistan.

The current activation is for 18 aircraft: three each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines and Omni Air; two from Hawaiian Airlines; and four from United Airlines. The Department does not anticipate a major impact to commercial flights from this activation.

CRAF activated aircraft will not fly into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. They will be used for the onward movement of passengers from temporary safe havens and interim staging bases. Activating CRAF increases passenger movement beyond organic capability and allows military aircraft to focus on operations in and out of in Kabul.

CRAF is a National Emergency Preparedness Program designed to augment the Department’s airlift capability and is a core component of USTRANSCOM’s ability to meet national security interests and contingency requirements. Under CRAF, the commercial carriers retain their Civil Status under FAA regulations while USTRANSCOM exercises mission control via its air component, Air Mobility Command.

This is the third CRAF activation in the history of the program. The first occurred in support of Operations Desert Shield/Storm (Aug. 1990 to May 1991), and the second was for Operation Iraqi Freedom (Feb. 2002 to June 2003).

The DOD’s ability to project military forces is inextricably linked to commercial industry, which provides critical transportation capacity as well as global networks to meet day-to-day and contingency requirements. Utilizing commercial partners expands USTRANSCOM’s global reach as well as access to valuable commercial intermodal transportation systems.

The Secretary greatly appreciates the support of our industry partners in this critical mission.

American Airlines commented on the assignment:

The U.S. Department of Defense notified American Airlines that it has activated Stage 1 of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). Starting Monday, American will be ready to deploy three wide body aircraft to military bases and other secure transit points on the Arabian Peninsula and in Europe to assist with the emergency evacuation of U.S. citizens and refugees coming from Kabul, Afghanistan.

American is part of the CRAF program and is proud to fulfill its duty to help the U.S. military scale this humanitarian and diplomatic rescue mission. The images from Afghanistan are heartbreaking. The airline is proud and grateful of our pilots and flight attendants, who will be operating these trips to be a part of this life-saving effort.

American will work to minimize the impact to customers as the airline temporarily removes these aircraft from our operation. The airline appreciates customers’ patience and understanding as it works to accommodate flights.

Delta Air Lines issued this statement:

The US Department of Defense (DoD) activated Stage I of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, calling for Delta and other carriers to support the military’s effort to carry people who have left Afghanistan.

Sunday morning, the US Department of Defense (DoD) activated Stage I of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), calling for Delta and other carriers to support the military’s effort to carry people who have left Afghanistan.

Delta has been in contact with the DoD for several days leading up to the call for CRAF and is scheduled to have multiple relief flights arriving back in the United States beginning Monday morning. The airline will operate using available spare aircraft, meaning Delta’s commercial operations are not currently impacted.

“For decades, Delta has actively played a role in supporting the US Military and our troops,” said John Laughter, Delta EVP and Chief of Operations. “And we are again proud to pledge Delta people and our aircraft in support our country’s relief efforts.”

Delta will not fly directly into Afghanistan but instead stage aircraft at various military bases and provide onward flights for passengers.

Delta routinely provides transport for US troops moving between the US and international locations through its Charter Operations group.

The airline was last tapped to provide significant military support via CRAF in 2002 in the ramp-up to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Atlas Air issued this statement:

The Department of Defense has activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) to call upon Atlas Air and other U.S. airlines to support the evacuation of U.S. citizens and refugees from Afghanistan.

We will be flying passenger aircraft to carry the evacuees safely to the U.S. and will be standing by should additional capacity be needed.

As the largest supplier of airlift to the U.S. military, we are proud to provide this essential passenger service in the region at this critical time.

Atlas is a company that cares for the world we carry, and our team feels a tremendous sense of responsibility in serving the needs of the U.S. military and our nation.

From one DC-3 to a fleet of over 800 aircraft, Delta celebrates 75 years of leading the cargo industry

Delta Air Lines made this announcement:

Launched domestic cargo service in August 1946, expanding internationally in 1953
Supporting global communities with humanitarian aid delivery

Seventy-five years ago, Delta made its official but humble entry into the cargo business: 200 pounds of freshly picked mushrooms loaded aboard a DC-3 destined for Atlanta, making farm-to-table a possibility decades before it became a culinary hashtag.

That first week of operation in 1946, the airline carried a little bit of everything to customers across the U.S.: a 64-year-old, $1,500 soup tureen; 1,100 pounds of auto parts filling six crates; 450 pounds of candy; a box of silver coins. Delta planes had served the Allied cause during World War II, transporting everything from food and surgical supplies to weapons and auto parts overseas. That helped give Delta what was needed to turn cargo transport into a full-fledged business.

In the decades since, the cargo team has marked a number of milestones, including:

1950-1953: Delta volunteers to ship blood donated through the American Red Cross to United Nations forces during the Korean War.

1953: The international cargo service launches, with flights to the Caribbean and Venezuela.

1954: Disaster relief efforts for the Haitian community after Hurricane Hazel.
1958: Frank Taylor becomes Delta’s first air freight passenger, flying with a shipment of roses from Philadelphia to Atlanta.
1959: “King” becomes the first dog to fly on a commercial jet from Houston to New York City.

1966: A Delta L-100 cargo plane carries NASA’s Surveyor 3 spacecraft from Los Angeles to Cape Kennedy, Florida, launching site—the first time a spacecraft was carried by regular commercial aircraft.
1970: The launch of DASH, which has become Delta’s most popular cargo product.

1986: Delta makes history in 1986 when U.S.-manufactured cars begin shipping to Germany via a U.S. air carrier. Two Corvettes were shipped on a L-1011-500 flight from Dallas to Frankfurt, with two Firebirds on a following flight.
1998: Delta launches the first international cargo alliance with Swissair, before becoming a founding member of SkyTeam Cargo in 2000.
2017: Delta opens its first Cargo Control Center to improve customer experience.

2017: Launch DASH Critical, with distinctive pink packaging, marking priority shipments.

“The airline has grown, and the nature of our Cargo business has changed significantly over the last 75 years, but we are still in the business of providing Best-in-Class service to our customers with any of their freight and logistics needs – large or small,” said Robert Walpole, Vice President, Delta Cargo. “We are here to support our customers and communities in the U.S. and across the globe. We look forward to another remarkable 75 years.”

Today, Delta Cargo offers access to industry-leading shipping solutions and carries on average 2.2 billion cargo tons every year. Whether it’s transporting life-saving pharmaceuticals, organs for transplant, fresh flowers, seasonal produce or beloved pets, Delta Cargo’s strong product portfolio provides world-class service for every customer’s needs.

The team also regularly assists with humanitarian efforts in the communities it serves, carrying over 800,000 pounds of supplies to cities in need after Hurricane Maria struck in 2017.

Delta also has carried essential protective equipment and medical supplies around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For further information about Delta Cargo’s products and services, visit deltacargo.com.

Top Copyright Photo: Delta Air Lines Lockheed 382E-6C (L-100-20) Hercules N9259R (msn 4176) ATL (Bruce Drum). Image: 105572.

Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (Historic):

Delta refreshes its menu from top restaurants

Delta Air Lines made this announcement:

Starting in September, acclaimed cuisine from San Francisco-based Souvla and New York City’s Union Square Events will join Delta’s onboard menu lineup.
Delta recently reintroduced fresh meals in select coast-to-coast markets featuring menu items from L.A. chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.

Fast-fine Greek cuisine from San Francisco-based Souvla and American classics from New York’s Union Square Events will be the latest to join Delta’s onboard offerings as the airline continues to resume its award-winning in-flight food and beverage service.

More of Delta's expanded in-flight food offerings

“At Delta, we are focused on delivering moments of delight for our customers, and our restaurant partners will help us do just that,” said Kristen Manion Taylor, S.V.P. of In-Flight Service. “Our specially curated menus will wow customers as we continue to create a best-in-class onboard dining experience that builds on our premium service and culture of innovation.”

Delta One and First Class customers on select U.S. coast-to-coast flights will be able to enjoy these meals starting next month. As premium business and leisure travelers return to the skies, Delta is taking a fresh approach to customers’ onboard dining experience, serving unique flavors inspired by some the most popular restaurants across the U.S.

Over the past few months, Delta has thoughtfully reintroduced its onboard food and beverage offerings, serving customers new and better-for-you treats to enjoy. First-Class customers on select routes 1,500 miles and greater within North America, the Caribbean and Latin America are also served fresh meal options including premium sandwiches, salads and bowls.

SOUVLA: San Francisco favorite serves Greek cuisine with a twist

Souvla fans travel far and wide for their spit-roasted meat sandwiches and salads, many of which will be available on Delta flights alongside new dishes created exclusively for Delta. Customers will be able to enjoy Souvla’s famous chicken salad and signature frozen Greek yogurt topped with vissino, a traditional Greek sour cherry syrup.

“As a longtime Delta flyer and Diamond Medallion Member, seeing Souvla meals served onboard is truly a dream come true,” said Charles Bililies, Founder & CEO of Souvla. “We’re so honored to bring our creative take on Greek cuisine to the skies and to be working alongside such a visionary team at Delta. We are thrilled to share the unique Greek flavors Souvla is known for with Delta’s premium customers from our hometown of San Francisco.”

Souvla will be served in Delta One and First Class on flights from San Francisco to Boston and New York-JFK.

UNION SQUARE EVENTS: New York City staple returns onboard with American classics

Delta customers have enjoyed menu items from Danny Meyer’s Union Square Events (USE) onboard since 2013. USE menus will return to Delta flights this September, serving seasonal fan favorites like braised short rib with cheesy twice baked potato and a spinach and goat cheese frittata served with bacon and hash browns.

This fall, USE will move to a new, 70,000-square-foot space in Brooklyn that will house a best-in-class commissary operation to support Delta’s catering operation in serving the fresh meals onboard.

“It’s never been more important to deliver moments of enlightened hospitality by developing meals that bring together just the right amount of familiarity and creativity,” said Tony Mastellone, Division President of USE. “We know USE and Delta share the same vision of providing excellent service and delicious dining experiences, and that common vision helps us achieve the best customer experience.”

Union Square Events will be served in Delta One and First Class on flights from New York-JFK to Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

JON + VINNY’S: Customers will indulge in new menu items with a refreshed menu

Delta partners and chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo will bring refreshed menu items onboard launching this September. In June, Shook and Dotolo headlined Delta’s return of hot food with their acclaimed fare, and they’ll feature new items in September, including vegetarian pearl couscous salad, a hot pork shoulder sandwich, and caramelized red onion and rosemary focaccia.

Jon + Vinny’s will be served in Delta One and First Class on flights from Los Angeles to New-York JFK, Washington D.C.-DCA and Boston. Learn more about Jon and Vinny’s here.

COMING SOON: Locally sourced menus for Seattle customers

Later this fall, customers departing Seattle will also see special menu items made with local, fresh ingredients. Highlights include Skagit River Farms Polish kielbasa with Beecher’s cauliflower mash, pan roasted chicken with fingerling potatoes, Skagit River Farms bacon, and Walla Walla caramelized onions in a kimchi butter sauce. Other menu items feature locally sourced ingredients like apples, trout, nuts, porcini mushrooms and halibut. Additionally, Delta will serve fresh bread and desserts from local Seattle bakeries.

Seattle favorites will be served in Delta One and First Class on flights from Seattle to New York-JFK and Boston.

Delta issues 3Q profit warning due to slowing demand due to surging Delta variant

Delta Air Lines is joining with other U.S. airlines to report a slowing in demand and a rise of cancellations this month due to the surging Delta variant of COVID-19.

The airline warned it is unlikely to report a profit again in the third quarter (usually a profitable quarter).

SkyWest adds 16 new E175s for the Delta contract, will replace 16 CRJ900s

SkyWest, Inc. today announced an agreement with Delta Air Lines to purchase and operate 16 new E175 aircraft under a multi-year capacity purchase agreement.

These aircraft are scheduled to be placed into service beginning in the first half of 2022, and will be placed into service ratably through year-end 2022.

The aircraft will be purchased by SkyWest from Embraer and delivered new from the factory.

SkyWest continues to be the largest owner/operator of the Embraer E175 aircraft in the world.

SkyWest expects the 16 new E175 aircraft will replace 16 SkyWest-owned or financed CRJ900s currently under its Delta contract, with expirations ranging from the second half of 2022 to early 2023. SkyWest is evaluating the impact of the anticipated displacement of the CRJ900s, including a potential non-cash impairment charge

Delta adds more U.K. flights

Skyline of London before sunrise with famous landmarks, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, boat and clear blue sky – London, UK |

Delta Air Lines has made this announcement:

Delta to restart Seattle/Tacoma and Detroit service to London Heathrow in October, adds more New York-JFK flights.
U.K. welcoming fully vaccinated Americans without any quarantine requirement.
Delta’s FlyReady tool takes the guesswork out of travel between the U.S. and London.

Delta is ramping up service across the pond to nearly 30 weekly flights this fall, as the global gateway between the United States and United Kingdom reopened to fully vaccinated U.S. residents without quarantine Aug. 2.

Customers can choose nonstop service to London Heathrow (LHR) via four U.S. hubs as Delta restarts three-times-weekly service from Seattle/Tacoma (SEA) Oct. 7, and four-times-weekly service from Detroit (DTW) Oct. 11. Additionally, New York-JFK flights will double to twice a day beginning Oct. 6. Customers can also continue flying daily from Atlanta (ATL).

With Delta’s joint venture partner Virgin Atlantic, customers can also seamlessly connect to LHR with over 30 flights from Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX) and Miami (MIA), as well as ATL and JFK. Today, the airlines offer a combined 43 weekly flights, operated in conjunction with KLM and Air France.

The U.S.-U.K. corridor is critical to international travel and commerce with 22 million people and 900,000 tons of cargo flown between the two countries in 2019.

To travel to London, customers will need to:

Provide both proof of vaccination and a negative test (PCR, LAMP or antigen) taken within three days of departure.
Take a PCR test on or before two days after arrival.

To re-enter the U.S., customers must provide proof of a negative test within three days of departure.

Delta reports second quarter GAAP pre-tax income of $776 million

Delta Air Lines reports its financial results for the second quarter:

Delta Air Lines today reported financial results for the June quarter 2021 and provided its outlook for the September quarter 2021. Highlights of the June quarter 2021 results, including both GAAP and adjusted metrics, are on page six and are incorporated here.

June quarter 2021 GAAP pre-tax income of $776 million and earnings per share of $1.02 on total revenue of $7.1 billion
June quarter 2021 adjusted pre-tax loss of $881 million and adjusted loss per share of $1.07 on adjusted operating revenue of $6.3 billion
With an improving demand environment, achieved a solid pre-tax profit in the month of June and recently announced the opportunistic addition of seven A350s and 29 737-900ERs to our fleet

“With the best employees and operation in the industry and an accelerating demand environment, we achieved significant milestones in the quarter including a solid pre-tax profit in the month of June, positive free cash flow for the June quarter, and our people and our brand being recognized with the top spot in the J.D. Power 2021 Airline Study,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive officer. “Looking forward, we are harnessing the power of our differentiated brand and resilient competitive advantages to drive towards sustainable profitability in the second half of 2021 and enable long-term value creation.”

“Domestic leisure travel is fully recovered to 2019 levels and there are encouraging signs of improvement in business and international travel. With the recovery picking up steam, we are making investments to support our industry-leading operation. We are also opportunistically acquiring aircraft and creating upside flexibility to accelerate our capacity restoration in 2022 and beyond in a capital-disciplined manner,” he said.

June Quarter Financial Results

Adjusted pre-tax loss of $881 million excludes $1.5 billion of benefit related to the first and second payroll support program extensions (PSP2 and PSP3, respectively) and mark-to-market adjustments on our investments
Adjusted operating revenue of $6.3 billion, which excludes refinery sales, declined 49 percent on 39 percent lower sellable capacity (see Note A) versus June quarter 2019
Total operating expense, which includes $1.5 billion of benefit related to PSP2 and PSP3, decreased $4.1 billion relative to the June quarter 2019. Adjusted for the benefit related to the PSP programs and third-party refinery sales, total operating expense decreased $3.3 billion or 32 percent in the June quarter 2021 versus the comparable 2019 period
Generated $1.9 billion of operating cash flow, $1.5 billion of free cash flow and $195 million of free cash flow, adjusted in the June quarter
At the end of the June quarter, the company had $17.8 billion in liquidity, including cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and undrawn revolving credit facilities. The company had total debt and finance lease obligations of $29.1 billion with adjusted net debt of $18.3 billion

Aircraft Acquisition

The company recently announced it will add seven A350s and 29 737-900ER pre-owned aircraft to its fleet. This follows the announcement in April to exercise 25 A321neo options. The A350s and 737-900ERs will enter service over the next 24 months, starting in summer 2022. These fleet decisions align with the fleet renewal strategy and will drive improved unit costs going forward by replacing older, less efficient aircraft. The company will lease the seven A350s and acquire the 29 737-900ERs, driving incremental capex of approximately $700 million in the second half of this year. The company now anticipates full year 2021 total gross capex of approximately $3.2 billion

It’s official: Delta to add additional Airbus and Boeing aircraft to the fleet

Delta Air Lines has made it official with this announcement:

Delta Air Lines has entered into agreements to add 29 used Boeing 737-900ERs and lease seven used Airbus A350-900s as it continues to streamline and modernize its fleet. The 36 additional aircraft will improve fuel efficiency and enhance the customer experience, while supporting Delta’s fleet renewal strategy focused on simplification, scale, size and sustainability.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to simplify Delta’s fleet and accelerate retirements of 18 wide body 777s, and the MD-88 and MD-90 narrow body fleets, all of them older and less efficient. The pandemic also provided unique business opportunities to add newer generation aircraft at attractive prices.

Wide body fleet renewal is instrumental to Delta’s recovery, and will help position Delta for sustained profitability and future growth. As Delta’s flagship aircraft, the A350 provides a world-class customer experience, enhances cargo capacity, reduces unit costs and contributes to a more sustainable future.

The next-generation A350s burn 21 percent less fuel per seat than the 777s they replace. Improved fuel efficiency is paramount to Delta’s ongoing efforts to reduce its carbon emissions and its Flight to Net Zero. The acquisition of 29 narrow body 737-900ERs also complement Delta’s existing fleet.

Delta will lease the A350s through AerCap and purchase 27 of the 737-900ERs from funds managed by Castlelake, L.P., while the remaining two 737-900ERs will be financed from funds also managed by Castlelake, L.P. Both transactions are subject to closing conditions. Deliveries of the aircraft will be completed by the first quarter of 2022, and they will enter service after modifications are completed.

In addition to the seven A350s that are part of this announcement, Delta currently has 15 A350-900s in service and 20 on order. The addition of the 29 737-900ERs will bring the total to 159 in its fleet.

The agreement follows Delta’s decision in April to exercise options on 25 additional A321neo jets, which will start to deliver next year. Those aircraft offer the lowest seat costs in Delta’s fleet.