Very interesting and well written article in the Journal today:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203406404578072960852910072.html
Josh
ATLANTA—A jetliner parked in a cavernous hangar here boasts a gleaming paint job, 160 pristine blue leather seats and a new-airplane smell. But this latest addition to the Delta Air Lines Inc. fleet isn't new.
Not by a long shot. The twin-engine MD-90, acquired from <a class="companyRollover link11unvisited" href="http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=600029.SH">China Southern Airlines Co., is more than 13 years old. It is one of 49 used McDonnell Douglas MD-90s Delta is rehabbing after scooping them up from global airlines that were thrilled to get rid of a plane that no longer is built by a manufacturer that long ago was taken over by Boeing Co.
Most large carriers prefer fuel-sipping new planes with the latest high-tech gadgetry. But Delta, which has one of the oldest fleets in the U.S., is making a habit of succeeding by zigging when its rivals zag.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203406404578072960852910072.html
Josh