5:53 a.m.

A Tow and a Tuneup

A truck called a supertug, which has been described as “the unholy matrimony of a Hummer and a Batmobile,” pulled the plane to a parking spot between Terminals 4 and 2. Two mechanics from Delta’s TechOps team descended with tool kits and manuals. They had three hours to do their work.

On the exterior, they checked the pitot tubes – twiglike devices near the nose of the aircraft that measure airspeed – the wheels, the brakes and the landing gear. They inspected the engines and checked the oil level and the pressure. They also inspected the fan blades for signs of damage.

Inside, they followed up issues that the flight crew had logged. The screens and software for the in-flight entertainment systems were all in working order. They tightened one seat in business class and four in the main cabin. They also replaced items in one of the first-aid kits on board.

Just after 6 a.m., a cleaning crew replaced pillows and blankets. They vacuumed and wiped down seats, tray tables, overhead bins, bulkheads and other surfaces in the cabin with disinfectant.



The maintenance crew finished its work by 8 a.m.





