Delta: Customers Can Book Song Flights Until May
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
October 28, 2005 8:58 a.m.
ATLANTA -- Delta Air Lines Inc. (DALR) confirmed it will merge its
low-cost Song unit into its mainline service, with plans to implement
many of Song's characteristics as part of the bankrupt carrier's plan to
transform itself into a discount airline.
In a press release Friday, Delta said Song will continue to fly as a
separate brand and customers will be able to book flights on that
service until May.
The company will upgrade its mainline fleet to match many features
found in Song planes. Delta will convert more than 50 Delta aircraft to
two-class Song service, with all-leather seating and new interiors, and
it will expand personal digital in-flight entertainment to all of its
more than 100 aircraft.
In addition, the company will add 26 first-class seats to Song's
existing fleet of 48 Boeing 757-200 aircraft, in an effort to make the
service more attractive to business travelers.
Delta pans to deploy the Song aircraft on high-demand routes throughout
the Delta network during a transition period, replacing wide-body
aircraft that will be re-deployed from domestic to international
destinations. Starting in the fall of 2006, the company will reconfigure
the Song fleet into the new two-class, long-haul standard and introduce
them to all transcontinental routes.
The company will expand the Song service in the next two years to
include all routes over 1,750 miles.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the plan to appropriate
Song's features into Delta's mainline service reflects the turnaround of
the low-cost unit, which was launched in 2003 at a cost of $65 million.
Song at first appeared to be a distraction amid Delta's financial woes,
but gained traction as it proved a potential blueprint for competing
with lower-cost giants like JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU).
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
October 28, 2005 8:58 a.m.
ATLANTA -- Delta Air Lines Inc. (DALR) confirmed it will merge its
low-cost Song unit into its mainline service, with plans to implement
many of Song's characteristics as part of the bankrupt carrier's plan to
transform itself into a discount airline.
In a press release Friday, Delta said Song will continue to fly as a
separate brand and customers will be able to book flights on that
service until May.
The company will upgrade its mainline fleet to match many features
found in Song planes. Delta will convert more than 50 Delta aircraft to
two-class Song service, with all-leather seating and new interiors, and
it will expand personal digital in-flight entertainment to all of its
more than 100 aircraft.
In addition, the company will add 26 first-class seats to Song's
existing fleet of 48 Boeing 757-200 aircraft, in an effort to make the
service more attractive to business travelers.
Delta pans to deploy the Song aircraft on high-demand routes throughout
the Delta network during a transition period, replacing wide-body
aircraft that will be re-deployed from domestic to international
destinations. Starting in the fall of 2006, the company will reconfigure
the Song fleet into the new two-class, long-haul standard and introduce
them to all transcontinental routes.
The company will expand the Song service in the next two years to
include all routes over 1,750 miles.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the plan to appropriate
Song's features into Delta's mainline service reflects the turnaround of
the low-cost unit, which was launched in 2003 at a cost of $65 million.
Song at first appeared to be a distraction amid Delta's financial woes,
but gained traction as it proved a potential blueprint for competing
with lower-cost giants like JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU).
