[ Business]

Delta Airlines is expected to spend $770 million over the next 3 years on a major interior overhaul to most of its planes. The airline announced Wednesday that it will install new seats and bigger bins on 225 of its planes within the U.S.

Delta said Wednesday that each of the new seats on the 225 planes will have electrical power to improve passenger comfort.

More seats will be fitted onto many of those planes including 10 more on its A320 planes, 19 more on its Boeing 757-200s and 6 more on its Airbus A319s.

By using a new seat technology called “slim-line”, more space will be created because the new seats will have smaller and lighter weight frames in both the front and back. The new kitchens, known as galleys, will also take up less space on the Boeing 757s. Also, a fraction of the 737s will have the number of their business-class seats reduced and the number of coach seats increased.

Delta’s spokesman Paul Skirbec said that the legroom on the planes will remain unaltered but the seats on the Airbus planes will be a bit broader.

Delta isn’t the first airline to retrofit its airplanes using slim-line technology, Southwest and American Airlines have already gone this route. Some will argue that the real reason for the overhaul is less about passenger comfort and more about profits. The new slim-line technology will allow more seats to be placed in the cabin. For example, an additional six seats to an economy cabin that previously had 140 seats could increase revenue by 4 percent or more. Also, lighter seats result in greater fuel economy. Southwest, expected to save $10 million a year on its fuel cost with the new design.

So what about comfort? 

“When designers think seat, they think butt, but the widest part of the body is the shoulders,” said Kathleen Robinette, a seasoned designer at the Air Force Research Lab.

In addition, Americans are getting bigger- their waistlines that is. Shrinking down seat size will be good for Delta’s bottom line but will likely result in many passengers feeling cramped and uncomfortable.

Slim-line Seating may not be so comfortable after all

Image via Wikipedia

Delta New Seats: Airline Says Passengers Will Have More Comfort. Really?
10 hours ago

Jan. 9 (UPI) — Delta Airlines is pouring millions into revamping some of its older planes, adding extra seat space, updating lavatories and improving in-flight lighting.

The airline will spend $770 million through 2016 to make improvements to their A319s and A320s and their 25- to 30-year-old 757-200s.

The A319s and A320s will get new, wider seats in coach, increasing rear-room from 17.2 inches to 18 inches. And while that might sound like an inconsequential amount, research conducted by the London Sleep Centre found that quality of sleep improves by 53 percent when seat width is increased from 17 to 18 inches.

Unfortunately, Delta is also making the new seats slimmer, so they can cram more passengers on each plane. The A319s and A320s will also get new overhead bins with larger capacity to boost carry-on space by 60 percent.

Delta will also update the LED lighting in cabins and giving the on-board lavatories a spruceup.

[Time]

Delta Airlines is to add a variety of new features to its narrow-body aircraft. And the main goal of the changes is the implementation of the comfort factor for its valued passengers.

Jan 9 2014, 7:47am CST | by Sumayah Aamir

Image Credit: Delta

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Delta Add New Seats

Several of Delta Airlines’ planes will get refurbished within the next two years. Over $770 million is to be spent on making the interior of the aircraft more customer-friendly. All sorts of inbuilt facilities will be available in the seats that are to be installed on board the aircraft. 

The Boeing 757-200 and 737-800 as well as the Airbus A319 and A320 are specifically to undergo the revamping efforts. Slim-line seats along with flexible headrests and modernized lavatories are just a few of the transformations that will occur at Delta Airlines. Rest and relaxation for the clientele are the ultimate goal of these measures which are being taken.

“We’re continuing to make smart long-term investments in our products and services to meet the expectations of our customers,” said Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president – Chief Revenue Officer. “In just six years, we will have made updated to interiors throughout Delta’s fleet giving customers improved comfort and more options to work or relax and be entertained.”

The original blueprints for this reformation of sorts began about four years ago. The conversion of the seats into contraptions for sleeping purposes was especially seen to. As for the entertainment needs of the guests aboard the planes, they were also taken care of. And facilities to allow them to work while the aircraft is in the air are a fundamental change that has been made. 

Delta Airlines has access to over 165 million travelers on an annual basis. It has been nominated the planet’s favorite airline by Fortune Magazine. And as for its fine services, they span the globe and are virtually ubiquitous. 

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THE NIECE of fashion designer Ralph Lauren, Jenny Lauren (41), was fined €2,000 when she pleaded guilty to an air-rage incident at Ennis district court on Wednesday.

She was arrested on Monday at Shannon Airport after a Delta Airlines flight from Barcelona to New York was diverted.

Ms Lauren was charged with threatening and abusive behaviour on the flight and being intoxicated to an extent that could cause danger to passengers.

A sitting of Killaloe District Court this Tuesday heard that Ms Lauren asked the arresting garda “can you say that in English please” when she was being charged with the offences.

Having spent the Monday night in Garda custody at Shannon Garda Station, Ms Lauren achieved bail from the court after €2,500 in cash was lodged for her release until this Wednesday where the matter was dealt with in Ennis.

Ms Lauren did not leave the three star hotel at the Oakwood Arms where she was ordered to stay overnight but for to sign on at Shannon Garda Station.

At the hearing this Wednesday in Ennis, the court heard that €31,718 costs were incurred as a result of the flight diversion.

Tags: air rage, Barcelona, Delta Airlines, ennis district court, featured, Jennifer Lauren, new york, Ralph Lauren, Shannon airport

Category: News

[ Business]

Following a flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta on Monday, Delta retired the last of its DC-9 aircrafts after nearly 50 years of use.

The DC-9 was the oldest passenger plane left in service in the United States. It was originally constructed by McDonnell Douglas in 1965, and its production was halted in 1982. Throughout its run, 976 total DC-9 planes were made.

The small plane gained popularity due to its ability to take off and land on small runways in smaller cities, replacing older and less-efficient propeller-driven planes. Due to its use in smaller airports, it was mainly a passenger plane for smaller airlines, such as Delta, Northwest, and Continental. The plane that made the flight Monday was built in 1978 and flew for North Central Airlines before it was bought by Northwestern Airlines.

Delta originally retired all of its DC-9s in 1993, but after acquiring Northwest Airlines (who had a stockpile of DC-9s), it put the DC-9 back into commission.

The DC-9 had several distinctive qualities which made its appearance unique from other passenger planes. First and foremost, it was smaller than most other passenger planes. When Northwest put the DC-9 back into commission in 1995, it completely refurbished the interiors to create more room.

The DC-9 is also known for its unique T-tail design, a feature that was later adopted by such planes as the McDonnell-Douglas MD-80 and Boeing 717. Along with its T-tail design, the cockpit of the DC-9 contains dials rather than more modern computer systems, making it a “pilot’s airplane,” according to pilot Scott Woolfrey, the man who flew the DC-9s last flight.

As it currently stands, Delta has put all 6 of its DC-9s out of commission. However, it has kept two in reserve to serve as “substitute” planes in case of emergencies or repairs.

“The DC-9 has been a workhorse in our domestic fleet while providing a reliable customer experience. The aircraft’s retirement paves the way for newer, more efficient aircraft,” stated Nat Pieper, Vice President of fleet strategy for Delta.

Images via YouTube and Wikimedia Commons

Last DC-9 Retired by Delta Airlines
January 7, 2014

Ms Lauren pleaded guilty to causing a
breach of the peace on board the Barcelona-JFK flight and being
intoxicated. A third related air rage charge was withdrawn by the State
in court.

Lauren bit her lip and looked to the ground in the dock as Garda Inspector Tom Kennedy told the judge air crew were left frightened by the attack.

He said the flight had been in the air for two hours when an air hostess noticed the defendant crying in her seat, 21G, which would not recline properly.

He revealed Lauren told stewardess Constance Topping to ‘get the f*** out of my face’ as she tried to help, and when told to calm down she became more abusive.

Guilty: Lauren leaves Ennis District Court having been fined two thousand euros for the air rage incident

Ms Lauren (pictured) suffers from depression, has overcome anorexia and has bi-polar and general anxiety disorders, the trial heard

The court heard Ms Topping went to
brief her supervisor Jennifer Simpson at the top of the plane and Lauren, who was not a first-class passenger,
nevertheless followed her through first class and in to the galley ‘at speed’ where
she ranted, roared and shouted incoherently.

Insp Kennedy said: ‘Passengers were getting concerned and standing up out of their seats. She
told the air hostess she was going to go ballistic and pushed the air
hostess hard and she hit her back against the wall of the aircraft.’

He revealed
her frightening experience continued with Lauren calling Ms Topping a
‘f****** ugly, blonde b***h’ and Ms Simpson a ‘fat ugly, unhappy, blonde
b***h’.

When a pilot on a rest break in the cabin intervened he was told ‘you’re an a*****e’ by the defendant, Mr Kennedy added.

The flight had to be diverted almost 400 miles back to Shannon Airport, with the abuse continuing for more than an hour until touchdown when Lauren was arrested by gardai.

Lauren, dressed in a black jumper, burgundy velvet skirt and boots, did not speak during the hearing and looked back to her friends for reassurance as the details were outlined to the packed courtroom.

On touchdown officers noted she was incoherent and smelt of alcohol, despite airline crew stating she drank little or no alcohol on board.

When arrested under caution at the airport she replied: ‘Can you say that in English please?’ She later claimed she thought she had landed in Spain.

More than 200 passengers and crew were on board the flight when the air rage incident took place.

The diversion cost Delta 43,158 US dollars (31,770 euros/£26,269).

Ms Lauren’s solicitor, Sharon Curley, said that her actions on the aircraft were ‘bizarre’ and completely out of character.

She said Lauren has little memory of the incident despite only consuming three alcoholic drinks.

‘My client is extremely embarrassed and extremely upset by her actions,’ Ms Curley said, offering her apologies to the airline crew, passengers and gardai.

She said when the ‘stimulants’ wore off and Lauren ‘returned to herself’ she was unable to believe what happened.

Ms Curley revealed Lauren – a fine arts graduate with an unblemished record and no other convictions – has previously suffered from anorexia and written a book on her experience and won awards from eating disorder charities for her work.

The jewellery designer, left, has two older brothers. One of them is Greg Lauren, an artist, pictured here with his wife Dancing With The Stars contestant Elizabeth Berkley

Arrested: Jenny Lauren, pictured with her father Jerry in October 2011 at an evening hosted by Oprah Winfrey at the Lincoln Center in New York City

Troubled niece of one of the world’s most famous designers who lost her mother to cancer and battled eating disorder

Jenny Lauren
first began to make jewellery after a manager from Urban Zen, a boutique founded with the help of Ralph Lauren’s rival Donna Karan, admired her work. Unaware of her design pedigree, the Sag Harbor, N.Y., store offered her  a trunk show.

She was raised in Manhattan and her father Jerry is the executive vice president for men’s design at the Ralph Lauren fashion house.

Her mother Susan died from lung cancer in October 2008.

She has two older brothers: Brad, who
is in the restaurant business, and Greg Lauren, an artist, who is
married to Dancing With The Stars contestant and former Saved By The Bell star Elizabeth Berkley.

She is said to be close to her first cousins, Ralph’s children, including David, the executive vice president for global advertising, marketing and communications at Ralph Lauren; Dylan, the owner of ‘the largest candy store in the world’, and Andrew, a film producer.

Jenny Lauren battled an eating disorder and
related health problems during her younger years which she documented in a 2004 book, ‘Homesick: A Memoir of Family, Food and
Finding Hope.

Her uncle, born Ralph Lifshitz in New York in 1939, is the man behind the
world-renowned Polo Ralph Lauren brand and the 162nd richest person in
the world.

He has an estimated wealth of $7.7billion after starting off selling ties in Manhattan in the 1960s.

Last year alone, his company reported revenues of $6.9billion.

A testimonial from Ms Lauren’s father, Jerry, was read out in the hearing.

He wrote: ‘I know that this will not be repeated. This is not the Jenny everyone knows and cares for.’

Ms Curley added: ‘She lost her Mum several years which she found extremely tough and she has indicated to me that she was upset over the Christmas period as it is a family time thinking about her Mum.

‘She found the combination of the drinks, the altitude, medication and separation from her travelling companion made her act completely out of character.’

Ms
Curley said that her client ‘is aware that the element of compensation
is something that she may have to face, possibly in another forum.’

Judge Durcan said that Ms Lauren’s actions in abusing the staff were reprehensible.

He described the ‘very personal insults’ directed at the two air hostesses and pilot ‘as nothing short of reprehensible’.

‘By virtue of the behaviour of this woman over 100 people had their schedules disrupted,’ he added.

‘All of that in my view is serious in the extreme.’

However, he said that Ms Lauren was of impeccable character and accepted what happened was completely out of character.

All the charges were brought under the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1973.

Lauren owns a jewellery line called Jenny Lauren Jewellery

A
close friend said on Monday that Lauren had her alleged drunken
meltdown on a transatlantic flight because she has a ‘long history’ of
anxiety on planes.

Melanie Beck said that Jenny could have turned to drink to calm her deep rooted ‘fear of flight’.

Ms
Beck claimed that the incident was just a one off and her friend had
‘matured’ from the days when anorexia controlled her life – with no
intention of going back.

Ms
Beck used to live with Jenny in Santa Fe, New Mexico when she was
recovering from the eating disorder and said the two have a ‘long
history’ together.

She said that Jenny had been in Barcelona recently and her posts on Facebook suggested she was having a great time.

Ms
Beck said: ‘It’s inexplicable. She’s not in a dark place, she has long
outgrown that. I think that she has a history of anxiety on airplanes.

‘I
think that’s true. She has had a long history of fear of flying. She
could have been drinking to ease that. I think that’s how most people
drink on planes (to ease anxiety).’

Lauren’s
old friend added the person Jenny describes in her memoir – it features
a frank account of her battle with anorexia – is the person she was
‘years ago’  and that she is a ‘grown woman now’.

Ms Beck admitted that her friend had a ‘lot of explosive energy’ when she was younger but she claimed that was ‘years ago’.

She
said that when Jenny used to live in her home in Santa Fe together,
which was more than a year ago, they travelled on long haul flights
together including to Brazil with no issues.

Ms
Beck said: ‘This doesn’t seem like the Jenny that I know. She is a
sophisticated woman. Totally sophisticated. ‘I’ve travelled many places
around the world and I have never seen her act out on an airplane or in a
restaurant or a public place like that. I’m shocked.’

In defense: Melanie Beck used to live with Jenny Lauren in Santa Fe, New Mexico, when she was recovering from the eating disorder and said the two have a ‘long history’ together

Dressed
in a smart black dress, coat and boots, the New York-based jewellery
designer wept before her court hearing and then clutched her hands as
she appeared before Killaloe District Court.

The
unusual sitting was held in the downstairs function room of the Brian
Boru pub – named after the ancient High King of Ireland – as there is no
dedicated courthouse in the area.

Ms
Lauren sat only feet away from Guinness and Heineken taps and under
switched off disco lights as her name was called out in the licenced
premises.

She left the initial hearing on Tuesday in a black 4×4 and covered her face as she ducked past photographers into the vehicle.

The
case is due to be heard again tomorrow at Ennis District Court where
sentencing will be decided on a guilty plea from Lauren.

The flight was able to continue its journey to New York just over two hours after touchdown.

Her company Jenny Lauren Jewellery operates in the US and sells items prices from $350 to $5,000.

Speaking from his Manhattan apartment, Jenny Lauren’s brother Brad said he was unaware of the incident – but was not surprised.

He
said: ‘That seems like Jenny. She can be explosive with her temper. I
don’t know what could cause her to snap. She just has an explosive
personality.’

Brad Lauren,
46, said that he did not believe his sister’s demons were coming back to
haunt her and that it was just her temper that was to blame.

He
said: ‘Things are going really well for her…The jewelry business is
terrific, everything is really good. I know that she was in Europe for
the holidays but I don’t know anything else.’

Brad Lauren added that his sister would be ‘very embarrassed by this’ and would be glad to get back to New York.

Clothes horse: Jenny’s uncle Ralph Lauren, flanked by wife Ricky, runs a billion-dollar empire built around his clothing label Polo Ralph Lauren

The Delta Airlines plane was diverted to Shannon Airport, Country Clare, on Monday afternoon

.

UPDATE: Jan. 6, 2014, 11 a.m.

An Idaho man who admitted to slapping a crying toddler on a Delta Airlines flight in February 2013 has been sentenced to eight months in federal prison.

The Associated Press reports that Joe Rickey Hundley was sentenced Monday morning in a federal courtroom in Atlanta.

The AP reports that prosecutors had recommended six months in prison. But the judge said he imposed a higher sentence in part because of Hundley’s criminal history, which includes a prior assault.

Hundley’s lawyer objected to the deviation from the recommendation in the plea agreement and said after the hearing that she believes the sentence is disproportionate.

ORIGINAL POST: Jan. 6, 2014 9 a.m.

• Joe Rickey Hundley pleaded guilty to assault.

The incident, in February 2013 aboard a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta, went viral. And in short order, the mugshot of 61-year-old Joe Rickey Hundley of the North Idaho community of Hayden was everywhere.

Hundley surrendered to the FBI after being accused of slapping a toddler aboard the flight, allegedly telling the child’s mother to shut that [racial slur] baby up.” Hundley ended up being fired from his position as president of Unitech Composites and Structures in Hayden.

Hundley’s attorney, Marcia Shein, said Hundley made the derogatory statements because he was grieving. She said her client was traveling to Atlanta in order to take his only child off of life support after his son had overdosed on insulin.

“He said something inappropriate to Mrs. Bennett he shouldn’t have said even in his darkest hour,” said Shein. “We hope for Mrs. Bennett’s sake and our client’s sake that everyone will forgive him for what he said and to heal.”

Bennett said she wanted Hudley to pay for what he allegedly said and did to her son.

Hundley ultimately pleaded guilty in October 2013 after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. His admission to assault carries a possible sentence of up to a year in prison and fines of up to $100,000. Prosecutors are recommending six months behind bars.

Hundley is scheduled to be sentenced in a federal courtroom in Atlanta today.