ASA adds more flights from LAX this summer

[boknowsASA]

Delta Continues Expansion in Los Angeles With New Nonstop Flights to Seattle and Los Mochis, Mexico
Monday February 12, 5:33 pm ET
New flights are part of new balance of domestic and international flights as airline continues to grow presence at Los Angeles International Airport
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 12, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Delta Air Lines is continuing its rapid expansion in the Los Angeles market with two new nonstop routes: Seattle, Washington; and Los Mochis, Mexico*. The routes are the latest in a series of more than 16 new routes that Delta has announced, added or applied to serve from Los Angeles International Airport since it began rebuilding its West Coast gateway here last summer.


``We are pleased to continue the successful transformation of our route network and the successful expansion from Los Angeles to beautiful international and domestic destinations for the benefit of our leisure and business travelers,'' said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president -- Network Planning and Revenue Management. ``Delta's transformation plan is working and this wave of growth is another example of the positive response from customers from around the globe for Delta's growing line-up of domestic and international service.''

Service between Los Angeles and Los Mochis-an important agricultural center also known for its exciting hunting and fishing seasons-begins June 2, complementing 11 other nonstop Mexican destinations served by Delta from Los Angeles. Delta flies more than 200 weekly flights to 17 Mexican destinations, making Mexico Delta's largest international market.
Meanwhile, new daily nonstop flights between Los Angeles and Seattle begin June 7, providing convenient connections to Los Mochis and many of Delta's other new destinations in Mexico, including Hermosillo, Culiacan and Loreto.
Delta's new flights are scheduled as follows: Delta's schedule between Los Angeles and Los Mochis*, effective June 2: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Flight Departs Arrives Frequency Operated by -------------------------------------------------------------------- 4855 Los Angeles at Los Mochis at Wed., Sat Atlantic 11:15 a.m. 2:35 p.m. Southeast Airlines -------------------------------------------------------------------- 4420 Los Mochis at Los Angeles at Wed., Sat. Atlantic 3:15 p.m. 4:27 p.m. Southeast Airlines -------------------------------------------------------------------- Delta's schedule between Los Angeles and Seattle, effective June 7: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Flight Departs Arrives Frequency Operated by -------------------------------------------------------------------- 4778 Los Angeles at Seattle at Daily Atlantic 6:05 p.m. 8:27 p.m. Southeast Airlines -------------------------------------------------------------------- 4761** Seattle at Los Angeles at Daily Atlantic 7:15 a.m. 9:45 a.m. Southeast Airlines

 

[RJAA]

Delta just like to piss on Alaska lately...along with LAX-ANC seasonal non-stop. The SEA-LAX non-stop will probably connect to handful of Mexican cities that Alaska already flies, but in the end, it's just a RJ.

 

[imacdog]

For Delta to compete with Alaska and the United shuttle, they're going to have to have pretty cheap tickets to get people to ride on the RJ.

 

[pilotnbr1]

They don't have to be super cheap tickets for people to ride an RJ. They just have to be the cheapest for that route. The public just gets on the internet and buys the lowest fare. They don't even know what an RJ is.

 

[~~~^~~~]

True. Probably more of a trial balloon. Alaska has a very loyal passenger base.

 

[CF34-3B1]

New EMB110 base. Maybe a few S360s if the loads are high enough.

 

[RJAA]

Trial Balloon

True. Probably more of a trial balloon. Alaska has a very loyal passenger base.

Alaska should also launch a trial balloon between SEA-ATL and SEA-SLC. They could do well. WAY overdue.

 

[asapilot]

I'm pretty stoked about Los Mochis. It looks pretty interesting when we fly over on the way to CUL and MZT. Despite the total joke that the operation has become in LAX, the Mexico flying has been a lot of fun and a pretty reliable market now that we've been in it a few months. Keep the Mexico destinations coming I say.

 

[Sinca3]

Despite the total joke that the operation has become in LAX

Being in ATL I'm not sure what you mean by this, please explain!?!?

 

[skyslug]

The flights that go LAX SLC SEA are constantly oversold in the summer. It's about time they put a direct flight from LAX to SEA to suppliment the SLC connecting flights!

 

[tired_pilot]

RJ hub?

Didnt Delta learn in DFW, that you cant sustain a viable hub with RJ's. Seattle to LAX, give me a break at least put a 170 on it at the min. But then again with the Mex flights it may be different, although Xjet (for many reasons) is pulling their Rj's from LAX to Mexico.

Got to love Aviation, management doesnt learn from past mistakes. They get the bonuses, employees take the paycuts for managements mistakes.

Sorry just rambling outloud! Good luck to everyone involved.

 

[Russ]

"Didnt Delta learn in DFW, that you cant sustain a viable hub with RJ's"

A few months of flying a hub does not make. The RJ has a place, hub raiding, route development, supplementing mainline are a few. In the case of LAX, sounds like they are in the route development phase. Should loads and yields evolve, then you might see some mainline aircraft replacing RJ's.

 

[~~~^~~~]

Didnt Delta learn in DFW, that you cant sustain a viable hub with RJ's.

No they did not, nor was there a lesson to be learned. DFW is owned by American Airlines. The high revenue passengers in that market are much more attracted to AAdvantage miles than Sky Miles. Delta could not compete with a much higher (at the time) mainline cost structure and backfilled with RJ's until they were no longer in the financial position to compete head to head with American and had to retreat.

Delta still feeds its international operation from the southern US with RJ's and those passengers are simply connecting in Atlanta, making the main hub a more efficient operation.

My speculation is if Delta can use bankruptcy to get cheap lease rates in LAX while keeping the "place holder" RJ flights maybe Delta can finally get a good start on rebuilding the old Western route structure by going head to head with Alaska and eventually Asia.

The 787 will be the international RJ - from anywhere to anywhere with the right size and cheap. Delta needs to get LAX going or someone else will beat them out of there (maybe even American, again).

AirTran tried RJ's in Atlanta and that did not work for the same reason they did not work out in DFW. But no one would argue that RJ's are hurting DAL's Atlanta operation as 81% of ASA's passengers connect to a mainline flight. AirTran has said they will keep MidWest's RJ operation.

The RJ has a niche, it is not as big a niche as everyone thought but it appears to be performing OK in LAX. The managers deploying these airplanes at Delta are Gordon Bethune's team hired away from Continental. By all accounts they are smart folks.

I think the small RJs, along with ALL commercial air service to little cities like Macon, Valdosta etc... is probably going to go away. The airplane is better suited for this international flying.

 

[John Pennekamp]

I think the small RJs, along with ALL commercial air service to little cities like Macon, Valdosta etc... is probably going to go away. The airplane is better suited for this international flying.

No argument about the small RJs, but service to these cities will not only continue, it will grow. Turboprops are making a comeback.

Mark my words: within five years, ASA will operate 70+ seat RJs to all cities over 300 miles from ATL and a next generation turboprop to all cities less than 300 miles from ATL.