If you’ve flown the New York-JFK to Amsterdam route with Delta lately, you might have noticed an older aircraft at the gate. Delta has made a temporary aircraft swap, using the older Boeing 767-300ER on a number of dates in September instead of the usual Airbus A330.

Last-minute aircraft changes are a fact of life in the airline business, often happening due to maintenance or other operational issues. For this route, it means flights DL049 and DL048 are being served by an older aircraft. The average age of Delta’s 767-300ER fleet is over 27 years, so it’s a step back from the modern A330s that usually fly the route, including the newer A330-900neo.

The 767 also has a smaller capacity than the A330, so some passengers may have been rebooked. While the cabin on some of these older 767s has been updated, it’s not the same product as the newer, more spacious A330.

Bottom line

The change appears to be a short-term solution, with the A330 scheduled to return to the route. It’s a good reminder that while airlines try to stick to their published aircraft schedules, what you book and what you fly can sometimes be two different things.

Photo source: InsideFlyer