Delta to Pony Up $1 Billion in Equipment, Services

Delta Air Lines said it will invest $1 billion, or about $300 million per year, through mid-2013 to improve the customer experience in the air and on the ground. The capital investment will improve the consistency and level of service provided to Delta’s BusinessElite, First Class and elite-level flyers, as well as increasing the efficiency of the airline’s fleet.

Delta will install full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite on 90 trans-oceanic aircraft, including 14 Boeing 767-400ERs, 52 Boeing 767-300ERs, 16 Boeing 747-400s and eight Boeing 777-200ERs. Upon completion, each of these fleets will have full flat-bed seats on all aircraft.

Delta is also adding in-seat audio and video on demand throughout Economy Class on 16 Boeing 747-400 and 52 Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. With these additions, Delta will offer personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and economy class customers on all wide-body aircraft. It is adding First Class cabins to 66 CRJ-700 aircraft operated by Delta Connection carriers ASA, Comair and SkyWest, bringing to 219 the number of regional aircraft with First Class seating.

It is completing the modification of 269 pre-merger Northwest aircraft to feature Delta’s signature blue leather seats, updated lighting and enhanced cabin amenities such as increased overhead bin space on pre-merger Northwest 757-200s. It is installing winglets on more than 170 Boeing 767-300ER, 757-200 and 737-800 aircraft to extend aircraft range and improve fuel efficiency by as much as five percent.

Delta is also renovating and expanding Delta’s Los Angeles Sky Club lounge, and introducing new Sky Club locations in Seattle, Philadelphia and Indianapolis. Delta’s upcoming fleet and product investments build on recently announced improvements including the relaunch of the Red Coat program at Delta’s international hub at JFK and subsequently at all domestic hubs; the addition of BusinessElite service on Delta’s transcontinental routes between New York-JFK and Los Angeles and San Francisco; the introduction of the full flat-bed seats on all flights between the United States and London-Heathrow; and the announcement of plans to create a domestic hub at Delta’s No. 1 business airport -- New York-LaGuardia, subject to government approvals.