Tag Archives: N401EA

40 years later, part of McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 N401EA to be sold as Delta Gift Cards

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McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 was originally delivered to Allegheny Airlines as N920VJ (msn 47682) on October 10, 1975. The airframe was traded to Eastern Airlines (1st) as N401EA on November 16, 1978. Northwest Airlines (above) acquired the airliner on March 24, 1994 and kept the Eastern registration mark. With the merger by Delta Air Lines, the aircraft transitioned to Delta. Delta retired N401EA on January 5, 2013.

Now Delta is selling gift cards made from the aluminum skin. The airline issued this statement and photo:

Delta DC-9-51 N401EA Gift Card

Delta is giving customers and aviation enthusiasts an opportunity to own a piece of history as the airline has begun selling limited edition gift cards on eBay made from a recently retired DC-9 aircraft.

Only 2,500 cards have been produced from the aluminum skin of the jet and are selling for $250. Each card is marked with a unique sequence number ranging from 1 to 2,500, and the cards are loaded with $50 of non-expiring gift card value which can be used towards the purchase of airfare from Delta for any Delta-marketed flight worldwide.

Delta annually sells tens of thousands of gift cards at various denominations for purchases on delta.com/giftcards. The DC-9 collector gift card is the first specialized card that Delta has produced.

The DC-9 used to create the Delta Gift Cards flew under four different airline brands—Allegheny Airlines, Eastern Air Lines, Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines—during its lifespan. The gift cards come encased in a durable card-stock carrier designed to display and protect the collectible. The carrier features a history of the DC-9 aircraft as well as images capturing the production of the limited edition Delta Gift Card.

The cards are made from aluminum cut from various locations on the DC-9’s fuselage and tail. Because of the authentic nature of the materials, slight variations exist, including physical imperfections from natural wear and tear of the aircraft. As a result, each card will be unique in color, texture, and thickness. The front of the card may be white, blue, red, gray, multicolored, or metallic in color with the back being completely metallic. Each card has been protected with a clear-coat sealant.

About the aircraft

The DC-9-51 aircraft used to create these limited edition Delta Gift Cards was manufactured on Aug. 25, 1975, and began service as N920VJ with Allegheny Airlines. Eastern Air Lines changed the registration to N401EA in 1978, which was later kept when acquired by Northwest Airlines and Delta.

The tail of this DC-9 was repurposed to create the one-of-a-kind vintage reception desk now used by Delta’s Elite Services Team in the premium check-in area of Delta ONE at LAX.

Aircraft spec:
Registration: N401EA
Serial/Line: 47682/788

Top Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com.

Part of Delta’s retired DC-9-51 N401EA lives on at the refurbished T5 at Los Angeles International Airport

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has decided to make of horizontal stabilizer of McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 N401EA (msn 47682) “ship 9885” as part of the newly refurbished Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport.

The airline issued this statement and photos:

There’s plenty to see at Wednesday’s (June 10) unveiling of Delta’s $229 million refurbishment of Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport. But don’t miss the unusual reception desk Delta is using to honor its past by incorporating it into its state-of-the-art LAX expansion.

The three-year renovation of T5 features Delta’s first exclusive check-in area, officially named Delta ONE at LAX, and includes a dedicated curbside drop-off, a private check-in, expedited security and personalized customer services.

The T5 debut is creating excitement among media, customers and employees, including buzz about the reception desk sitting in Delta ONE. The desk is actually the top of the DC-9-51 Ship 9885 horizontal stabilizer – also referred to as the back T- tail.

Photos above: Delta Air Lines.

Ship 9885 (above) had a long airline career and a Southern California history, befitting of its new home at LAX. Built in Long Beach by McDonnell Douglas in 1975, the DC-9 was the largest of the original DC-9 series. Delta was an original operator of the DC-9 starting in 1965.

While Delta’s Product Development and Brand Communications teams were brainstorming a concept for Delta ONE’s reception desk, the idea surfaced to fashion it out of material from a reclaimed aircraft.

The Delta team contacted MotoArt in El Segundo, Calif., just minutes away from LAX, which recycles vintage airplane parts into futuristic furniture, including beds, coffee tables, chairs and desks. MotoArt was hired to make the desk for Delta ONE.

A crew was dispatched to the Arizona desert, where the DC-9 had been resting since retirement in 2013, to dismantle the tail from the airplane and truck it directly to the studio.

“Kevin Cowart [Delta’s Manager of Asset and Project Management for Technical Operations] is in the group that manages our stored aircraft and also handles the recycling of permanently retired aircraft,” said Jeff Coons, Delta’s Manager of Customer Experience. “He was instrumental in helping us identify the airplane and ensure that the team at Marana Aerospace properly remove the tail and prepare it for transit to the MotoArt team.”

The tail was removed in March and the artistic folks at the studio did their thing.

“When I designed this piece, I wanted to truly keep the sensation of flight when you first saw it,” said Dave at MotoArt Studios. “The vertical and horizontal lines on the DC-9 wing stabilizer make it look as if it’s actually taking off. We couldn’t be happier with the final outcome.”

The reception desk sits at the entry to Delta ONE and will be used daily by the Elite Services team to assist customers who are eligible to use the check-in area.

“The design and customer experience for Delta ONE is unique and high touch – and includes several elements local to Southern California,” said Jeff. “Designing and implementing this desk is an excellent way for us to celebrate Delta’s history by using components from a retired Delta aircraft. It also brings a part of that airplane home. The DC-9 production line was just a few short miles from LAX at the Long Beach Airport and was repurposed by the craftsmen at a studio less than a mile from LAX. It’s the ultimate round-trip journey for Ship 9885.”

Top Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured McDonnell DC-9-51 N401EA (msn 47682) came to Delta from the Northwest Airlines merger and is pictured in their colors. However the airframe was delivered new to Allegheny Airlines as N920VJ on October 10, 1975. The airliner was swapped to Eastern Airlines (1st) on November 16, 1978 and became N401EA. Both Northwest and Delta retained the Eastern registration. N401EA was retired by Delta and was flown to Marana, Arizona for storage and disposal on January 5, 2013.