Delta Airlines (NYSE:DAL) announced today it placed an order with Airbus to buy 40 of their planes. Typically an order this big should cost the airlines $5.6 billion dollars but they are getting a substantial discount on this one. The planes which are expected to be delivered between 2015 and 2017 include 30 A321 narrowbody planes and 10 A330-300 widebody planes. Delta played this deal the right way because they waited out longer than more other airlines did before purchasing their Airbus planes, because they knew the plane maker was desperate for more market share and a bigger presence in U.S. markets.