N947DL, one of Delta’s MD-88s, at Gate E15 at DFW. This is one of the early MD-88s in Delta’s fleet- this aircraft was delivered in December 1989 and Delta flew its first MD-88 services in January 1988. The first eight MD-80s delivered to Delta in 1987 were actually MD-82s that were later upgraded to the 88 standard later on. Delta is set to have its MD-88 fleet retired by 2020-21 with 13 of them being retired by the end of this year. While there are cost efficiencies in retiring the MD-88, the primary driver for the Delta’s retirement of its MD-88 fleet is that Pratt & Whitney is no longer supporting the JT8D-219 engine. The MD-90s with their IAE V2500 engines and the Boeing 717s, oops, I mean MD-95, oops I mean DC-9 Series 95s and their Rolls Royce BR715 engines will have manufacturer support for a decades to come, so those two aircraft types will be part of Delta’s fleet for the foreseeable future. #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KDFW #DFW #dfwavgeek #airport #planespotting #airlines #McDonnellDougas #MD80 #MD88 #Delta #instagramaviation #Avgeekery #N947DL #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #splendid_transport (at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport)