Sat, Jan 06, 2007
Bankrupt Carrier Seeks Options For 30 More
Delta Air Lines asked a
bankruptcy court judge for permission to purchase up to 60
Bombardier CRJ900 regional airliners. The carrier plans to buy
30 planes outright, with options for 30 more. Papers filed in court
Thursday seek clearance to obtain financing and pay
pre-delivery costs.
Bombardier spokesman Marc Duchesne told Reuters, "We've signed a
letter of intent, not a firm order for 30 CRJ900 regional jets,
together with options for a further 30 aircraft. We will continue
to hold commercial discussions with them."
The CRJ 900 is a 76-seat, twin-engine regional jet. Delta plans
to use the new aircraft at its Atlanta, Cincinnati and Salt Lake
City hubs.
With a list price of just over $35 million, Delta's deal would
figure at about $1.1 billion for 30 planes -- assuming the
airline pays full price. That's unlikely as most larger purchasers
are able to swing discounts. Neither side on the deal was willing
to share financial details.
Another selling point for the CRJ 900 is its two-class cabin.
Industry observers say two-class cabins can boost revenue for
regional carriers normally shunned by the typical business-class
traveler willing to pay a premium for comfort.
Bloomberg says Delta is in talks with its regional carriers --
wholly-owned Comair and SkyWest Inc. unit Atlantic Southeast
Airlines -- to discuss changes in the way it handles its regional
flight schedule.
In its filing, Delta said the new aircraft "will permit Delta to
expand into new markets that it cannot now profitably serve and to
upgrade, where appropriate, markets being served with smaller
aircraft."
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