Delta Air Lines acquired the Boeing 777 partly to replace its L-1011 Tristars. The carrier only had 18 777s. Some 10 were the Long-Range variantwhich has always been unpopular with airlinesand the remaining eight were the standard Extended Range. The pandemic accelerated the retirement of the Triple 7, which helped with fleet modernization, greater simplicity, and better fuel consumption. Still, they were with Delta for a hefty 21 years.