Deltas' Song

[flaps30]

http://biz.yahoo.com/oo/030129/77356.html
Deltas' Song

 

[flaps30]

says 10% of Delta flying, recall pilots?

Reuters
Delta Unveils New Low-Fare 'Song' Airline
Wednesday January 29, 9:27 am ET


ATLANTA (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines (NYSEAL - News), moving aggressively to woo cost-conscious customers, on Wednesday unveiled a new low-fare airline named "Song" that will fly some of the same routes as low-budget rival JetBlue Airways Corp. (NasdaqNM:JBLU - News) and offer many of the features JetBlue made popular.
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Delta's new offshoot, which will offer one-way fares ranging from $79 to $299, will operate flights between the Northeastern U.S. and Florida starting in April.

Delta hopes Song will lure travelers looking for cheaper tickets and trendier service away from low-cost airlines, which have siphoned off Delta passengers in the growing market.

Major U.S. carriers are struggling to win customers back from lower-fare, profitable airlines like Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - News), JetBlue and, particularly in Delta's southern U.S. markets, AirTran Holdings Inc. (NYSE:AAI - News)

Delta, the No. 3 U.S. air carrier, has especially targeted famously loyal JetBlue customers with its new venture. Song, headquartered in Atlanta, will run along some of the same New York-to-Florida routes as New York-based JetBlue, offering the in-flight live satellite television pioneered by JetBlue.

Delta said Song airplanes will also have personal touch-screen monitors, pay-per-view, an MP3 audio library and in-seat Internet connections.

The new airline will fly Boeing 757s with 199 coach seats, starting with one airplane for its April 15 inaugural flight and adding another plane each week for 36 weeks. Song will eventually fly 144 flights daily between Boston, Hartford, Washington, DC, all three New York airports, and four Florida cities -- Orlando, Fort Myers, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale.

Delta said it would keep Song's costs low by turning its airplanes around quickly, employing fewer flight attendants and using its planes for 13.2 hours each day.

John Selvaggio, Song's president, said its lower costs would let it succeed in the same business in which other major U.S. airlines failed.

But analysts have said Song's costs will probably still be higher than those at low-fare rivals, because it has more expensive employees and bigger planes.

Song will replace Delta's "Delta Express" unit, and should account for about 10 percent of Delta's total capacity in its first year of operation

 

[GuppyPuppy]

I visited the Song website, but it had very little information.

I was curious if anyone had a link to a picture of the new livery for Song.

Cheers!

GP

 

[General Lee]

Guppy Puppy,

I haven't seen a picture, but apparently the 757's will be lime green. They will be interesting looking (?) and will be easy to spot at airports. I guess they are going "retro" with it. I don't know why they came up with that name, but it will be easy to remember. I read a little about Song and there are some interesting points. Service will be out of all three New York Airports, not just JFK like Jetblue. Song will have video monitors at each seat with Direct TV (not LiveTV like Jetblue)---so I guess that means a type of LiveTV, along with Email access and a music library. The passengers will be able to PURCHASE food----which should be GOOD FOOD if you have to purchase it. (probably like America West's food deal) And, passengers will get frequent flyer miles on all of Delta's codeshare partners---including NW/CO. So, flying a lot on Song will get you a free trip eventually from JFK-Tokyo on NW, a free one on CO to Rio, or a free one on Delta to Moscow. The fares will be low ($79-299), self check-in kiosks, and 50 min turns on the 757's. All I can say is atleast Delta is trying to do something against the LCC's. I know the name is interesting, but hopefully this will compete well against Jetblue and eventually head transcon. It will be interesting.

Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[flx757]

I visited the Song website, but it had very little information.

I was curious if anyone had a link to a picture of the new livery for Song.

Cheers!

GP

The livery is a well kept industry secret....however, I sent my cracker-jack research staff to see what they could find, and although they couldn't come up with the complete livery, it will feature this logo on the tail.

 

[Networ-King]

General Lee,

Man oh man.... you have got to be the most optomistic person I've seen on this forum. I also got F'd by Delta and I hope they pull this one out of their arsses. They just seem to be interested in growing one thing and thats DCI. No offense to any of those guys, but man I hope they like where they're at cause that'll be their resting place unless they go to jetblue, swa or airtran. Anyways..... about the color of the airplanes....... I for one flew the bus for a company called JMC overseas for a few years and their colors are Lime green and you aint kiddin when you said that they'd get noticed. But...... there is getting good attention and getting bad attention. .... I personally dont want people looking at "song's" airplanes and doing that thing people do with their faces when they just smelled shi_. Flying those lime green airbuses got that look...... but I personally thing that people wouldn't give a care it the price is right. I also had the pleasure of flying a hansa jet for a while and Im just sick of getting that look from people and hearing ..... you fly that thing? what is it?

Good luck to all the US Air and United guys and gals, its a shame whats happening to our profession and how you see people lashing out at the companies they would have given a testicle to fly for...... oh well........

 

[CoopDog]

Song livery

Saw it on Headline News a couple of hours ago. It's sort of an old Braniff look, with just lime green on white. Not something I'd see sticking around for very long. Delta still has 3 paint schemes flying around, and can't seem to make up their mind on the look they want to stick with anyhow.

I have to wonder about the name "Song" though. I can just hear Cindy Brady now, "Let's take Thong down to Miami."

 

[General Lee]

Networ-King,

If I don't stay optimistic, I will cry for hours. Anyways, I think Song has a good chance of doing well. Atleast Delta is trying to do something to combat Jetblue. Look at AA, they are melting away because they do not have a plan. United sorta has a plan, but it failed big time before. Now they are really making their pilots mad with the possibility of breaking up the airline into two parts with two senority systems. I know the name Song is corny, but it is easy to remember and the lime green paint will be easy to see in the air and on the ground. The lime green is "retro" and reminds me of the swinging 70's. (I wasn't very old then, so it is kind of hard to remember) The video units sound interesting also. The only thing I question is how we can still be under Force Mejeur when Delta spends $65 Mil on Song? When will that be over? Hopefully that will be answered when we meet with the arbitrator on Friday. The furloughs should stop now, and a recall in the near future. Take it easy bud.

Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[Networ-King]

aahhh General, General, General,

Man I know what you mean about crying yourself to death.... FM what the hell is that anyways? I know, Iknow..... we're not going back to work until managment wants us to go back to work. Not holding my breath for that Dick Bloch thing ....... anyways JMC had the lime green planes and they did stick out, they had a fruity ......aaaaahhhh not the word Im looking for...... gayish way of looking at things and tried to make you feel like you were on vacation right when you stepped on the plane. You know the old ATA slogan.... on ATA your on vacaaaaatttioioonn...... like I said GAY. Your right about the setup they're planning on having though. That ought to be good if it comes through. I got a few buddies at Jetblue and he told me that Neilman told him Jetblue bought DirectTv....... Im pretty sure thats true, can any blue suiters verify this? Anyways..... if big D decides to use directTv then Jetblue will charge a good penny ..... Ironic..... pay the owner a lot to make a little. Hey isn't that how Airtran started.....with Delta's old DC-9's.... sshheeesshhhhhh I just gave myself a headache......... see you all around the patch.

 

[greg20]

Networ-King said:

if big D decides to use directTv then Jetblue will charge a good penny ..... Ironic..... pay the owner a lot to make a little

Delta is going to be using a more advanced system from DISH Network, not DirecTV. It was in the PR about Song yesterday.