DCI adds more ATL-JFK flights

[flaps30]

Why is Comair getting these routes ? Is this part of the contract game with management and ASA ? I'm sure the mainline guys aren't too happy either.

Delta Air Lines Offers Customers More Flights Between Atlanta and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport; New Service Doubles Options For Customers
Thursday February 6, 3:51 pm ET


ATLANTA, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL - News) today announced it will offer customers more service between its hub at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport with five additional flights to begin June 1.
With the new flights, customers traveling between Atlanta and New York-JFK will have a choice of 10 daily departures, a 100 percent increase in service. The additional flights will be flown by Delta Connection carrier Comair using Bombardier CRJ regional jets.

"Our customers have told us they want more flights during the early morning and early evening hours to facilitate their business travel needs, as well as more options for travel between our international gateway airports in Atlanta and New York," said Subodh Karnik, Delta's senior vice president of Network and Revenue Management. "We heard them and responded."

Delta and Delta Connection currently offers 66 daily flights between Atlanta and New York City's three major metropolitan airports, LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International and Newark.

Travelers at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport have a choice of more than 900 daily departures to 188 non-stop destinations worldwide, including 46 departures to European, Caribbean and Latin American destinations. From John F. Kennedy International Airport, travelers can choose from 84 departures to 50 destinations, including 27 departures to European, Latin American, and Caribbean destinations.

"Delta is the only airline offering service from all six New York area airports, and we are committed to continued growth in New York, especially JFK," said Karnik. "New York has always been an important part of Delta's worldwide network and will continue to be so."

The new flights are:

From Atlanta to New York-JFK

Flight Departs Arrives
5083 9:30 a.m. 11:40 a.m.
5105 12:30 p.m. 2:40 p.m.
5086 3:40 p.m. 5:50 p.m.
5107 6:55 p.m. 9:05 p.m.
5088 9:30 p.m. 11:40 p.m.

From New York-JFK to Atlanta
Flight Departs Arrives
5082 6:00 a.m. 8:15 a.m.
5089 8:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m.
5084 12:45 p.m. 3:00 p.m.
5106 3:45 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
5087 6:40 p.m. 8:55 p.m.

 

[jetflyer]

Comair management might be just trying to make us all feel warm and fuzzy, but they tell us that for many reasons we've become Delta's "go to regional".

 

[General Lee]

As a Delta pilot--I don't see this as being bad for anyone. For the last 10 years or so, mainline has not offered many flights from ATL-JFK----only one or two widebodies daily to connect to the International bank of flights leaving JFK after 5pm. ASA added about 2 daily RJ's to the mix within the last year or so--one in the morning and one late at night. Adding 5 daily RJ's to the route is obviously for the business pax who lives near JFK. (LGA is closer to Manhattan) I think that is a smart move, and all of the profits go to mama Delta anyways. If loads increase to justify an MD88 eventually, I am sure Delta would do it.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[skiddriver]

One other thing to remember is that at many airports, if the gates aren't used, the airline has to give them up or sell them.

As lines become thinner, the company is left with the choice of flying almost empty big planes, flying less empty small planes, or losing the gates forever. Economically, maintaining frequency with half-empty RJ's makes sense right now.

RJ's also provide a way to incrementally add seats to a line. Comair just added a seasonal round-trip to New Orleans (where y'at!) for Mardis Gras to complement the mainline trips direct to and from Cincy. The RJ is scheduled to go away in the Spring, after Easter.

As the economy eventually recovers (and it will), and travel increases (which I hope it will), I expect that Delta mainline will recover some, if not all of these legs.

 

[Freight Dog]

One other thing to remember is that at many airports, if the gates aren't used, the airline has to give them up or sell them.

Doesn't AA hold gates at LGB and not using them? I heard that JetBlue is trying to get those gates.

 

[skydiverdriver]

Gates are important, but it's the landing slots that they don't want to lose. Sometimes we will fly an rj empty just to keep the slots. That's how valuable they are.

 

[Freight Dog]

Yeah, it was landing rights, I stand corrected.


Thanks SDD!

 

[FlyinT]

Back to the original question as to why ASA wasn't getting a lot of this new ATL flying, I think I have 2 reasons for you.

First, remember the fact that we are rapidly retiring our Brasilia fleet this year. This is really killing our growth. We are getting a bunch of jets this year, but we aren't gaining any airplanes due to the Brasilia retirements. On top of that, the training dept will be going nuts as they try to get all of us Brasilia guys retrained in a short period of time.

Second, we are getting new routes, they just aren't in ATL. We are doing the bulk of the new flying out in DFW, as well as expanding a little bit west finally. So, it seems that we are being moved in another direction.

I would expect that when the fleet realignment is completed, we will continue to see growth as well, just for now Comair is better able to handle it. Also, ATL is still a bit of a fortress for us, so I'm sure that DAL wants to thin that out a bit still, and to start working on thining out SLC.

My .02

Sabreliner (on a friends machine.)

 

[AFELLOWAVIATOR]

You hit it right on the head. I expect us to have an ATL domicile by next year. We now operate 19 daily out of ATL, another 14 will be added in April, and now 5 more for June.

Our VP flight ops was in an instructor meeting the other day, and he said they were looking at SLC, ATL, BOS, LGA, DCA, and others as bases. We have to have X amount of flying to justify the cost, and we will most likely end up with three new domiciles by the end of 04.


Another thing he said is quite alarming, and I wanted to ask some of you ASA guys about it. He said ASA has decided to park all 120's in April, and would be furloughing pilots. I assume I would of read about it on here by now if that was the case. This was from the same mgt. that told us the sky was going to fall if we did not accept the first two final offers during our strike though. Any of it true?

 

[Caveman]

General Lee wrote:

"As a Delta pilot--I don't see this as being bad for anyone. For the last 10 years or so, mainline has not offered many flights from ATL-JFK----only one or two widebodies daily to connect to the International bank of flights leaving JFK after 5pm. ASA added about 2 daily RJ's to the mix within the last year or so--one in the morning and one late at night. Adding 5 daily RJ's to the route is obviously for the business pax who lives near JFK. (LGA is closer to Manhattan) I think that is a smart move, and all of the profits go to mama Delta anyways. If loads increase to justify an MD88 eventually, I am sure Delta would do it."

As a Comair pilot I agree and if the loads justify it I also agree that Ma Delta should upgrade to the larger a/c. I don't care who is putting money in the til, us or mainline. Let us fly the routes that won't support a mainline a/c or when frequency is more important than the # of pax moved on each flight. When a big airplane works better use them. In the longrun we both win when our company profits. Nothing would make me happier than to see DAL mainline kicking the snot out of every other mainline airline. It is in our best interests when mainline prospers and it's in mainline's interest when we prosper. It doesn't have to be an adversarial relationship. Unfortunately, things are changing from the way they used to be and change almost always generates fear. As soon as we all get past that and figure out how to use each others strengths we'll all be better off.