I’ve been meaning to write about this topic; in a round about way. Today I found out via Bloomberg it’s possible, and not unheard of, to make Delta Captain in 6 months. There is a catch, however.
Delta Captain In 6 Months
It’s no secret Delta has an old fleet. I used to think the DC9 was ancient. I was actually remember one of the last flights I flew with Delta on this plane. Sadly, Delta continues to fly their “newest” (refreshed) oldest plane, the MD88. This diagram from Bloomberg shows that Delta not only has the oldest average fleet age, but they also fly the oldest aircraft of all the US carriers.
Turns out, I’m not the only one who tries to avoid this plane. Along with the most frequent of flyers, Delta’s most senior pilots avoid flying this plane. I don’t blame them. They are relegated to shorter routes to smaller cities, noisy, and worst of all for passengers, the MD88 one of the notoriously worst seats in all of history.
So what does this tell us? It means Delta will continue to fly these relics for another 3 years until they retire them.
Until then, if you are a Delta pilot and want to make captain “early”, get qualified and fly this old plane.
I personally really enjoy flying the new Delta A321’s which feel so wide for a single aisle plane. Second, I enjoy the new 737-900’s. And my last choice, is certainly the Boeing 717 and MD88s.
Do you prefer flying newer or older planes and which is your favorite?
About The Weekly Flyer
The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
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When I had Delta status and flew with them rather frequently, it was o oh around the SE US and always through ATL. So basically, it was always an MD-88. I don’t feel like I knew any different!
*only #oops
The plane (N927DA) on which that incident happened is still in service too. About to do a run from ATL-CHS.
I wonder if there have been any problems with passengers finding out what happened on that plane, especially with those sitting near the engines.
I love the Mad Dogs. Seats are fine for me.
Reminds me why I don’t fly Delta. Pretty scary to think you may have less than a years experience in the cockpit!