Delta Air Lines on Jan. 6, 2014 will retire its remaining Douglas DC-9 aircraft following Flight 2014 scheduled to depart Minneapolis/St. Paul for Atlanta at 4:20 p.m. (CST), the last scheduled commercial flight of the DC-9 by a major U.S. airline. “The DC-9 has been a workhorse in our domestic fleet while providing a reliable customer experience,” said Nat Pieper, Delta’s vice president (for) Fleet Strategy. “The aircraft’s retirement paves the way for newer, more efficient aircraft.” Since 2008, Delta has removed or retired more than 350 aircraft from its fleet including 50-seat CRJ-200s; Saab 340s and DC-9s; while adding...