US airlines boost domestic use of aging Boeing 767 amid international decline

Delta Air Lines continues to show an affinity for the aircraft, referencing its historical significance within the company: "In 1982, employees purchased Delta's first Boeing 767 as a gift to the company. Led by three flight attendants, 'Project 767' was an inspiring effort to raise $30 million through the combined donations of Delta employees, retirees, and friends. Ship 102 was christened 'The Spirit of Delta' in honor of the Delta people, and it’s now on display and open for tours at the Delta Flight Museum."

Delta accounts for most domestic traffic with the Boeing 767-400ER in September, scheduling approximately 330 flights using these jets that seat up to 238 passengers each. These services provide nearly 78,540 seats and over 183 million ASMs for travelers across routes such as New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX), which remains one of the most frequently operated city pairs.

United Airlines’ use of the Boeing 767-400ER domestically is more limited, with just 69 flights planned across three routes—primarily connecting Newark (EWR) with San Juan (SJU), along with a few services between Washington and Honolulu and between Newark and Washington.

The older but more numerous Boeing 767-300ERs continue to play a key role in domestic schedules as well. While United plans only one U.S. domestic flight using this variant—a Newark-to-Chicago service on September 25—Delta will operate around 985 such flights within the country this month.

Both airlines primarily use their fleets of Boeing 767 aircraft on long-haul or transcontinental routes. Notably, Delta’s longest scheduled domestic route for this type is New York to Honolulu at nearly five thousand miles.

Since its introduction in October 1982, more than thirteen hundred units of the widebody twinjet have been delivered from Everett, Washington.