Delta May Change Boeing Orders: Report

Delta Air Lines (DAL Quote), integrating its fleet with recently acquired Northwest Airlines, plans to seek significant changes to aircraft orders that both carriers had placed individually with Boeing, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Delta is likely to scale back a Northwest order for Boeing's new, but delayed, 787 Dreamliner, and ask the manufacturer to expand a Delta order for the 777-200LR, a long-range aircraft that carries at least 50 more passengers and would better enable the combined carrier to continue pursuing Delta's strategy to shift a greater percentage of its flights to long overseas routes, the newspaper reports.

No final decisions have been made regarding new aircraft, according to people familiar with Delta's plans, and Delta has yet to officially ask Boeing to alter its order book, the Journal reports.

A change in Delta orders is unlikely to disrupt Boeing's manufacturing schedule or hurt its bottom line because other customers are lined up behind Northwest for 787s, and the manufacturer is happy to expand its order book for the more expensive 777-200LR, the Journal reports. ...