Premium #303 – Old aircraft and the example of Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is well known for its commitment to older aircraft.  Delta has a world-class MRO in Atlanta.  Even with such an MRO, it must be tough to keep that big fleet at work.  We decided to take a look at delays, and searched the US Department of Transportation on-line database.

Delta Airlines operates older aircraft, and appears to take more delays than its counterparts.  The following table shows the average carrier delay for 2016 for domestic operations.  Delta is at the bottom of the list.