Aircraft Fleet & Notes
Delta continues modernizing its fleet with newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft.
The airline has 343 firm aircraft commitments, plus additional purchase options.
The Airbus A350-1000 is expected to join the fleet beginning in early 2027.
Additional Airbus A330-900, A350-900 and A321neo deliveries are expected later this decade.
The Boeing 787-10 will become a new aircraft type for Delta, with initial deliveries currently planned for 2031.
Delta’s fleet strategy is focused on replacing older aircraft, improving efficiency, expanding premium seating and supporting international growth.
Pilot Retirements
Hiring & Career Outlook
Delta hired 817 pilots through June 2, 2026, bringing the pilot seniority list to approximately 17,710 pilots.
The June 2 new-hire class included 57 pilots with an average of 3,874 flight hours.
Delta expects to hire thousands of pilots over the next decade.
The airline has 343 firm aircraft commitments, supporting continued fleet growth, training and staffing needs.
Pilot retirements should continue creating hiring and seniority movement opportunities.
Some pilot categories remain understaffed, contributing to additional open-time and reserve coverage needs.
Hiring and class sizes may fluctuate based on aircraft deliveries, capacity plans, fuel prices and economic conditions.
Pilot contract negotiations are underway, with possible future changes to pay, scheduling and work rules.
Overall outlook: Positive, with active hiring, substantial aircraft orders and continued long-term pilot demand.
Pay Notes
2026 pay increase: 4% effective January 1, 2026; 36.7% cumulative increase over the contract term.
Lineholder guarantee: 65 hours per month. Scheduling caps are 91:30 for narrowbody pilots and 92:30 for widebody pilots.
Reserve guarantee: 72–80 hours per month. Reserve scheduling limits range from 86–100 hours.
Premium flying: 150% for designated premium trips and up to 200% for qualifying open-time or inverse assignments.
Reserve days off: Flying on scheduled days off is paid above the monthly guarantee.
Holiday pay: 5:15 hours of additional pay for qualifying trips touching one of seven contract holidays.
International override: $6.50 per hour for Captains and $4.50 per hour for First Officers on qualifying international flying.
Reroute pay: 150% before the first break in duty and 200% after the first break in duty.
Late return premium: Additional pay may apply when a reroute returns more than 4 hours late or more than 25 hours late on qualifying transoceanic flying.
Minimum duty credit: 2:00 hours per duty period.
Average daily guarantee: 5:15 hours.
Extended duty: Additional 1:1 pay may apply for duty exceeding 10 hours.
Long sits: Scheduled sits exceeding 2 hours may receive pay at a 1:2 ratio.
Qualification training: 3:05 hours of pay per training day.
Continuing qualification training: 5:00 hours of pay per day.
Distributed training: 1 minute of pay for every 1.5 minutes of assigned training, with a 1-hour minimum.
Retirement contribution: Delta contributes 18% of eligible pilot earnings.
Profit sharing: 10% of pretax income up to $2.5 billion and 20% of pretax income above $2.5 billion is allocated to the profit-sharing pool.
Performance rewards: Monthly incentive payments generally range from $25 to $100.
Per diem: Most recently listed at $3.30 per hour domestic and $3.55 per hour international, subject to annual adjustment.