Delta Air Lines announced today that its DC-9 will fly for the last time come Jan. 6 from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Atlanta, USA TODAY reported Dec. 27.
According to the report, Delta has officially confirmed that its final DC-9 flight will depart Minneapolis/St. Paul at 4:20 p.m. on Jan. 6 and will arrive in Atlanta perhaps a little before 7 p.m.
Delta recognizes the DC-9's retirement, which is now tagged DL2014, by noting the final year of service of the said aircraft. Additionally, the preceding flight from Detroit to Minneapolis/St. Paul is tagged DL1955 to commemorate the aircraft's initial year of service.
Multiple sources and even Delta Air Lines said that this will be the last scheduled commercial flight of the DC-9 by a major U.S. airline.
"The DC-9 has been a workhorse in our domestic fleet while providing a reliable customer experience," Delta Air Lines' VP-Fleet Strategy Nat Pieper said in a statement. "The aircraft's retirement paves the way for newer, more efficient aircraft."
Delta records reveal that a total of 305 DC-9s have been flown by the airline since 1965.
Alongside the announcement of the retirement of its last DC-9 jets, Delta has noted that it has already removed or retired over 350 aircraft from its fleet since 2008. Other aircraft that were phased out from Delta's fleet include CRJ-200s and Saab 340s.
Meanwhile, as replacement to the retiring jets, Delta has already added "economically efficient, proven-technology aircraft such as the Boeing 777-200LR; two-class, 65 and 76-seat regional jets and variants of the 737 and 717, largely on a capacity-neutral basis."
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