TOKYO, Aug. 7, 2003—Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today announced it will introduce its custom-designed Boeing 777 aircraft on daily flights between Tokyo’s Narita Airport and Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport beginning in January 2004.

“As a result of customer demand, we are pleased to replace our present MD-11 aircraft with our wide-body Boeing 777 flagship. The aircraft was designed exclusively with our long-haul passengers in mind, especially those traveling from Japan to Atlanta, the world’s busiest international airport,” said Paul G. Matsen, Delta’s senior vice president, International & Alliances.

The B777 is outfitted with the airline’s BusinessElite cabin, which features 52 seats for premium passengers. Delta offered the first intercontinental business class with five feet of space between its sleeper seats and a two-by-two configuration with no middle seats.

Delta’s passenger-friendly design extends to the 225 seats in the main cabin where passengers will enjoy personal video screens and adjustable footrests, headrests and lumbar supports. A benefit of the 20-foot diameter of the B777’s fuselage is that passengers throughout the aircraft experience a unique sense of spaciousness created by nearly vertical walls and pivoting, hide-a-way overhead storage bins.

“Delta’s eight 777s are more than just a flagship for our fleet,” Matsen said. “They symbolize our commitment to excellence, to leadership in the industry, and to becoming the very best airline in the eyes of our customers.”
The Delta B777 is equipped with a satellite communications system, a Global Positioning System for navigation, as well as the latest Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System to provide flight crews with early warning of potential threatening terrain.

The power for Delta Air Lines’ B777s is delivered by twin Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines, each generating a maximum thrust of 92,000 pounds. Although they are 40 percent more powerful than older engines, they actually produce less noise than the engines on the Boeing 767.

The aircraft’s range of more than 8,600 statute miles allows it to serve the Tokyo-Atlanta market, as well as all of the airline’s current transatlantic route system. With cruising speeds at Mach 0.84, the B777 flies faster than other aircraft types in its class, reducing travel times for passengers.

“Flexibility is one reason the 777 is such a good match for Delta,” said Matsen. “As a member of the Boeing family, the 777 shares the same flight deck, airframe, systems, spares and ground equipment as the other Boeing aircraft in our fleet. That reduces training, operations and maintenance costs.”

Delta engineers, pilots, in-flight service personnel and suppliers worked with Boeing to integrate specific enhancements into Delta’s B777.

Delta Air Lines, the world’s second largest airline in terms of passengers carried and the leading U.S. carrier across the Atlantic, offers 5,813 flights each day to 447 destinations in 81 countries on Delta, Song, Delta Express, Delta Shuttle, Delta Connection and Delta`s worldwide partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. For more information, please go to delta.com.
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