Delta has signed on to bring in eleven 777-200ERs, formerly operated by Singapore/Scoot. This adds to the 18 current 777-200ER/LRs in the Delta fleet. A largely unnoticed but significant fleet addition.
Tie this to Delta’s mentioned intention to feed China Eastern’s hub at Shanghai, along with their recent request to get back an Haneda slot recently released to American, and there is no question that Delta is going to continue to double-down on Asian growth. Given the expected growth – particularly in China-US traffic – it’s solid strategy.
Delta’s fleet planning bears watching. They have 12 remaining 747-400s, which is a number similar to the 777s just acquired. There’s a good chance that within the next 18 months, there will no longer be any 747s in US scheduled passenger fleets. United is the only other operator, and neither it nor Delta have shown any public interest in the 747-8.
Unlike American and United, Delta apparently is not a big proponent of the 787. It still has 20 787-8s on the books at Boeing, but given that the deliveries are not scheduled for another 4-5 years, it’s not real likely that these may see Delta colors. Certainly, it’s not likely that -8s are in the cards.
On the other hand Delta may be waiting to get performance numbers from the 787-10 and could switch orders. Or, it’s possible that Airbus has already filled that need with the A-350s that Delta has coming.
Boyd Group Internationam
Scoot becomes first “all Dreamliner” airline
SINGAPORE: Scoot, Singapore’s great value budget carrier, became the first airline in the world to operate an all-Dreamliner fleet when its seventh 787 entered scheduled service yesterday.
In a statement, the airline said Scoot’s last 777-200 retired in style with a pyjama party on its final flight on the Singapore-Taipei-Tokyo route.
Scoot’s chief executive officer Campbell Wilson said: “Since deploying our first Dreamliner in February this year, we have transitioned to an all-787 fleet in record time – just seven months.
“It is therefore appropriate that our latest Dreamliner sports the name ‘Lickity-Split’.”
Campbell added that Scoot’s 787 had allowed the airline to set a new standard in budget travel, with great new offerings such as WiFi Internet connectivity, streaming entertainment and in-seat power throughout the aircraft, complementing the many choices already enjoyed by its guests.
Scoot has a firm order of 20 787s, split equally between 335-seat 787-8’s and 375-seat 787-9’s.
To commemorate being the first in the world to operate an all-787 fleet, Scoot is practically giving away tickets to destinations across the network.
It is offering an Economy Fly ticket from Singapore to Bangkok from only S$8 and to other Scoot destinations from just S$48, as well as ScootBiz perks starting from S$138.
The sale started yesterday until 11.50 pm on Sept 6.
The one-way fares from Singapore exclude taxes and surcharges. — Bernama
Borneo Post