I hope no one's really surprised by this:
Tomorrow Delta will announce in our first quarter earnings call that the B747-200 fleet, which includes seven freighter and two passenger aircraft, will be retired from service by the end of 2009. As a
result, Delta Cargo will adjust freighter schedules beginning this spring and Delta will discontinue B-
747-200 operations by the end of 2009.
Prior to the merger, Northwest began a review to consider the retirement of the 747-200 aircraft, as
this fleet was reaching the end of its economic lifespan. This is not unique in our industry. Due to the
economic environment, Air France, KLM, FedEx, Polar, and DHL have all grounded freighters and/or
taken other actions to reduce capacity. Also, the current cargo environment does not justify continued
operation of the 747-200 freighter aircraft, nor investment in new freighter aircraft.
As a result of this process, which commenced more than a year ago, we will close the ANC pilot
domicile and remaining 747-200 categories. Pilots who are impacted will be able to exercise the
options available under the Pilot Working Agreement (PWA). We also are working closely with ALPA on
this matter.
While these plans will be announced soon for the benefit of our customers, we believe in keeping you
informed by communicating all changes which may have employee impact. The process for
accommodating displaced pilots is well defined and a review of the Transition Working Group Notepad
#09-04 will provide additional information.
While decisions like this are never easy, this move will help us keep pace in our industry’s dynamic
environment, address cost pressures, increase shareowner value and further improve our competitive
position.
From our customers’ perspective, it will remain business as usual during the transition period. We will
honor our commitments to customers, and we plan to continue to serve all their main deck cargo
needs. For Flight Operations, we will continue to provide you with more detailed information as it
becomes available. Feel free to contact your Chief Pilot or myself if you have any questions.