Hey y’all
Recently I have had the fortune to fly on my second favourite airplane (behind the mad dog of course): the Boeing 757. Back in December I flew N547US from ATL to RSW when there was only 1 daily 752 frequency on that route. Now, Delta has about 4 752s and a 753 on that route (I am flying the 753 frequency on Thursday morning. The flight is supposed to be on N586NW, and it will be my second time flying that particular aircraft, Third 753 overall).
Overall, I really like the 757. Both engine options are very good, with Delta using the deep, powerful roar of the PW2000 while United uses the more calm, but still powerful sound of the RB211-500 (and I honestly like both engine options equally, both sound really good). It is a versatile aircraft, and can take off from shorter runways like SNA (@Jacob_Layton ’s home airport) and St. Thomas! It can also fly some transatlantic routes like Washington-Dulles to Edinburgh. It’s a shame they are leaving the skies, as I really like the versatility and feel of the 757 when it hurls down the runway and lifts off from an airport. Reason I like Classic airliners like the 757 and MD-80: they make their presence at airports known LOUD and CLEAR.
But onto Delta 757s: they kind of come from all over the place. Most have been with Delta their entire lives (DL-DA-DN-etc registered aircraft and some all-number and one letter registrations). These ones have the big overhead lockers and up-to-date IFE screens. There are also a lot of 757-200s (and all the 757-300s) that came from Northwest (US or NW registered, some all number and one letter aircraft). All of the ex-DL and NW aircraft have the 10 door configuration with 2 forward doors, 2 in front of the engines, 4 overwing exits, and 2 aft doors (obviously excluding the 757-300 which adds a set of doors behind the wing because of its length).
There are also a handful of aircraft that came from TWA (TW registered aircraft and some others), as well as one sole ex-AeroMexico 757 (N624AG) that are used on premium services such as JFK-LAS and JFK-SFO. There are also a few ex-Shanghai Airlines aircraft (the DX-registered aircraft) that are in a similar configuration to the domestic configured 757s, just with more Comfort+ seats and the 8 door configuration seen on ex-TWA 757s.
If that wasn’t confusing enough, Delta also has a handful of the DL 752s in a VIP configuration (including everyone’s favourite 757, N666DN) used for charters.
Some 752s (mostly DL aircraft) don’t have winglets, and it’s a nice surprise when one of those shows up to your gate (I flew N678DL back in March 2019 on ATL-RSW and I didn’t expect it to depart from E or have no winglets).
Like I said, recently I flew N547US, which unfortunately isn’t quite on par with the DL 757s, and has the big overhead bins but the old, smaller screens found on the 737-700. The 757-300s have smaller overhead bins but the bigger screens. I am unsure about the TW and Shanghai Airlines aircraft but I believe they are similar to the 753.
Overall, flying a Delta 757 is a nice treat as it can serve as a nice change from the usual 739, A321, A220, or, I can’t believe I am saying this, 717. It’s always a fun one to fly no matter what 757 you are on and certainly has a place as a workhorse of the Delta fleet. I hope these don’t go too soon as I love seeing the 757s around and, after all, flying them is one hell of an experience.
Here is my takeoff video for the N547US flight back in December and my 753 takeoff video from October on N584NW that was honestly one of the most breathtaking takeoffs I’ve ever experienced.
N547US: https://youtu.be/xcQ1db2CLfY
N584NW: https://youtu.be/nKLrdjGkKeA
