Delta Air Lines  Boeing 777-232ER   N867DA      (c/n  29743)

                                       

                                          Another excellent shot from the Steve Hill collection. This 777 is on short finals into Atlanta's Hartsfield
                                          International Airport in December of 2003.   Although physically similar  to the 767-400ER, the 777 is
                                          actually quite a bit larger and has longer range.  Seating up to 440 is possible (although I would not like
                                          to journey long distances on one so configured).   Since first putting the 777 into service in 1999 Delta
                                          has run into a financing crunch (see below) and has had to defer the deliveries of some aircraft.  As of
                                          early 2006 there are only 8 of these handsome machines in service (with 5 on order).

                                           Footnote on Delta Airlines:

                                           Delta Air Lines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2005.  This was the first time
                                           in the 76 year old history of the company that it was forced to do this.  The Board of Directors voted to
                                           so file in the the "best interests of the company".  At the time of the filing, Delta had $20.5 billion in debt,
                                           $10 billion of which had accumulated since January, 2001.  There was talk of merging with Northwest
                                           Airlines but that appears to have come to nought.   An announcement was made outlining the restructuring
                                           of the company, targeting an additional $3 billion per year in cost reductions by 2007.  Part of this includes
                                           altering its network structure by "right-sizing" hubs and increasing point-to-point routes.  Other savings are
                                           slated to come from debt relief, lease and facility savings, and fleet modifications.  Non-union workers'
                                           salaries will be reduced by a minimum of 9% across the board, with a 15% reduction for executive officers
                                           and a 25% pay cut for CEO Gerald Grinstein.  The company plans to reduce domestic capacity by up to
                                           20% while growing the more profitable international route capacity by 25%.  New routes in this segment
                                            include Atlanta to Moscow, Edinburgh, Tel Aviv, Nice, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen and Venice and New
                                           York to Budapest, Dublin and Manchester, England  . Based on these new initiatives, Delta projects a
                                            return to profitability within two years based on a crude oil price model of $66 per barrel, in contrast to
                                            other bankrupt carriers' restructuring models based on $55 per barrel.  The saga continues.