Song is gone, Is TED Dead next?

[AutoBus]

Just wondering

 

[AnimalTale]

I dont get it.

U cant have a High Cost (legacy) Airline startup a Low cost Airline because now u have a medium cost airline. Dont these mangmet people know that?

Then again I dont get the "whole" picture. SOmetimes it would be nice if mngmet took some advice from their employee groups.

Cya

 

[ecb]

Ted is not a low COST carrier, they are a low FARE carrier, big difference!

 

[Juniority]

FABIENNE: Butch, whose motorcycle is this?
BUTCH: It’s a chopper.
FABIENNE: Whose chopper is this?
BUTCH: Ted’s.
FABIENNE: Who’s Ted?
BUTCH: Ted’s dead, baby, Ted’s dead

 

[FutureTEDpilot]

Well since I am a Future TED guy unless I bypass until I hold a widebody F/O I guess I can take a stab at this thread..

I recently flew on Ted and didn't see one difference except no first class, so I think Ted is stupid, yes it is a lower ticket price, but my trip had me on a Ted Airbus and a Mainline Airbus, I see not real difference as far as the service goes, which I hope UAL can fix someday but I digress.....

Its all "hipe" and while I am sure "Ted is happy I flew that day" I think UAL and the rest of the Legacy carriers should focus on the core product and not go around trying to make an airline into another airline.

I believe United will become a International Carrier only and out source all the domestic to the Feeders, I hope I am wrong, but I would rather only go back to International flying anyway. ORD-DSM sucks! Already done that...

Really it is anyone's guess????

Ted out

 

[banned username 1]

Well, back to a previous post.....

You're right, it is a chopper, but you're wrong, it belonged to ZED, and "Zed's dead, baby".

Ted is very much alive and is a part of the reorganization effort. Song was part of the "old Delta", if you will.

Now, to my crystal ball. As far as UAL is concerned, its near-term (next 10 years) eventuality will be four brands: UAX, Mainline turned exclusively and entirely into TED, transcon PS for specific flights, and international full-service as it exists today.

After (and during that time as evolution) the 10 years, you will see UAL and the other Star Alliance carriers begin to be "absorbed and assimilated into the borg" of Star Alliance. You will begin to see the removal of individual branding such as livery and logo and see instead, Star Alliance branding, marketing and paint jobs on UAL aircraft. See those Star Alliance paint jobs on airplanes owned by Star Alliance? That's the nose of the camel.

And is this the future of UAL and Star Alliance exclusively? Not on your life. Virtually every carrier (even the ones deemed "bulletproof") will hook up with somebody. Never underestimate Sir Richard Branson, either.

Is it a bad strategy? Maybe not- unless you're a traditionalist. Also, for employees, more change and more challenges. If we want to continue to go down this road (and maybe a good thread for somebody to start) I can envision a future for airlines not unlike the maritime industry of today. Look at the once mighty US shipping industry. How many ships are manned and registered in the US now? If you think that is absurd, so did the people in the shipping industry 40 years ago. Or better yet, look at some of the newspaper articles and posts right here on this board about the outsourcing of jobs- jobs never in your wildest dreams only 5 years ago, going overseas. Open your eyes, sadly, it's coming. It's about time, for pilots, that ALPA get real and start taking a lesson from the AMA about credentialing and protecting the operational-side of flying here or in 50 years, the only thing "English" on air carriers is going to be the communications language.

The only thing that never changes is change.

Just my .02.

 

[FDJ2]

Yeah Song is dead, DAL is only going to more than double the number of aircraft providing Song service in the next two years.:beer:

Delta Announces New Domestic Long-haul Song Service

Airline to merge Song into Delta service
Adds first-class cabins, expands state-of-the-art digital in-flight entertainment at every seat to more than 100 aircraft

ATLANTA, Oct. 28, 2005 – Delta Air Lines announced today that it will tap the best features of its highly acclaimed Song product to launch a new and unique long-haul domestic Song service for Delta customers.

The plan to merge Song into the Delta travel experience includes:

· Adding 26 first-class seats to Song’s existing fleet of 48 Boeing 757-200 aircraft, making the service more attractive to business travelers and significantly enhancing revenue opportunities.

· Converting an additional 50-plus Delta aircraft to two-class Song service, complete with all-leather seating and new interiors throughout.

· Expanding state-of-the-art personal digital in-flight entertainment to all 100-plus aircraft, with 24 channels of live television, 10 on-demand video channels, interactive video games and MP3 programming that allows customers to create their own play lists from an inventory of more than 1,600 songs.

· Offering this exclusive Songservice initially on all transcontinental Delta flights beginning fall 2006 and expanding the service to include all routes over 1,750 miles over two years.

· Incorporating Delta’s new uniforms, improved snack service and award-winning SkyMiles® program to offer customers the best value in transcontinental travel.

“As Delta continues its transformation to become a more customer-focused airline, we are incorporating the best of Song into the best of Delta,” said Gerald Grinstein, Delta’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our new Song service will set the standard in transcontinental travel, making Delta the first choice for customers on these routes.”

Since its inception in April 2003, Song has become a customer favorite. However, Song flying has been limited primarily to leisure markets. “As part of our restructuring, we have the opportunity to deploy Song aircraft seasonally to more profitable flying — including into our hubs — and to further simplify our operations while expanding the great travel experience on Song to more Delta customers,” according to Jim Whitehurst, Chief Operating Officer for Delta. “We’ve learned a lot from Song and have already incorporated many of its positives into Delta. Features like new leather interiors, new uniforms, a simplified fare structure and faster turn times have resulted in 11 consecutive months of year-over-year improvement in customer service ratings at Delta.”

Song will continue to fly as a separate brand and customers will be able to book flights on Song until May 2006. The aircraft will then be scheduled on high-demand routes throughout the Delta network during the transition, replacing wide-body aircraft that will be re-deployed from domestic to international destinations as part of the largest international expansion in Delta’s history. Through the end of 2006, Delta will reconfigure the Song fleet into the new two-class, long-haul standard and introduce them on transcontinental routes. In all, more than 100 aircraft will be outfitted for Song service, giving customers access to the largest fleet of video-on-demand aircraft in the U.S.

To maximize the value of Song’s success at Delta, Joanne Smith, currently president of Song, has been named vice president of Consumer Marketing for Delta, effective immediately.

“Joanne Smith brings the energy and marketing expertise to our consumer marketing team that we need to continue improving the customer experience on Delta,” said Paul Matsen, Delta’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Her leadership will ensure the efficiencies, service enhancements and innovations of Song are integrated into Delta’s ongoing transformation.”

 

[jetalc]

You're right, it is a chopper, but you're wrong, it belonged to ZED, and "Zed's dead, baby".

I think they were making a joke, there UAL78...it's called "a play on words."

 

[Dizel8]

I am curious, why DAL would only convert a 100 airplanes, why not the entire fleet, except of course those that are disappearing?

 

[banned username 1]

Gee, thanks for pointing that out. I never would have known otherwise

That's called sarcasm.

 

[Booster]

"Offering this exclusive Songservice initially on all transcontinental Delta flights beginning fall 2006 and expanding the service to include all routes over 1,750 miles over two years."

Sounds like they (Song -> Delta) do not want to compete with B6. Song had been B6's biggest competition in the New York to Fla market. That market is less than 1750 miles. Has JB won that round? Looks like it......

 

[SoCentralRain]

FABIENNE: Butch, whose motorcycle is this?
BUTCH: It’s a chopper.
FABIENNE: Whose chopper is this?
BUTCH: Ted’s.
FABIENNE: Who’s Ted?
BUTCH: Ted’s dead, baby, Ted’s dead

It's a fine quote from the film Pulp Fiction, yes.

Alas, the character's name was "Zed."

Good choice, though.

I rather enjoyed the sequence about "this watch" by Christopher Walken's character. Hi-larious.

SCR

 

[Stealthh21]

“As Delta continues its transformation to become a more customer-focused airline..."

I find this statement really funny. Who was Delta focused on before? That's nice that they have figured out that they might want to please the customer?!

Whatever.

Heres hopeing for the best!!

 

[Juniority]

Yes, everyone know's it was Zed's chopper. Yes, it was a play on words.... Sort of like interrupting a FedEx thread with:

Fabianne: Where's my MD-10-10F?
Butch: Sorry baby but I had to crash that MD-10-10F.

 

[GogglesPisano]

After (and during that time as evolution) the 10 years, you will see UAL and the other Star Alliance carriers begin to be "absorbed and assimilated into the borg" of Star Alliance. You will begin to see the removal of individual branding such as livery and logo and see instead, Star Alliance branding, marketing and paint jobs on UAL aircraft. See those Star Alliance paint jobs on airplanes owned by Star Alliance? That's the nose of the camel.

And is this the future of UAL and Star Alliance exclusively? Not on your life. Virtually every carrier (even the ones deemed "bulletproof") will hook up with somebody. Never underestimate Sir Richard Branson, either.

Is it a bad strategy? Maybe not- unless you're a traditionalist. Also, for employees, more change and more challenges. If we want to continue to go down this road (and maybe a good thread for somebody to start) I can envision a future for airlines not unlike the maritime industry of today. Look at the once mighty US shipping industry. How many ships are manned and registered in the US now? If you think that is absurd, so did the people in the shipping industry 40 years ago. Or better yet, look at some of the newspaper articles and posts right here on this board about the outsourcing of jobs- jobs never in your wildest dreams only 5 years ago, going overseas. Open your eyes, sadly, it's coming. It's about time, for pilots, that ALPA get real and start taking a lesson from the AMA about credentialing and protecting the operational-side of flying here or in 50 years, the only thing "English" on air carriers is going to be the communications language.

The only thing that never changes is change.

Just my .02.

I foresee exactly the same thing.

 

[FDJ2]

I am curious, why DAL would only convert a 100 airplanes, why not the entire fleet, except of course those that are disappearing?

It's probably just a matter of getting the most bang for the buck for right now. You can't reconfigure over 500 aircraft overnight. You have to make choices on which fleet goes first. DAL has approximately 120 757s. I suspect that the 757 will be around for sometime at DAL so it's worth the investment and the typical routes flown by the 757s give that investment the most bang for the buck. Does DAL really need to invest in satelite TV for a MD flying between Huntsville and Atlanta, or is that money better spent on a 757 flying from FLL-JFK?

 

[General Lee]

They probably have the 757 modifications down to a science by now. I think 100 757s criss crossing the nation with personal tvs will help Delta, more than just having 48 Song 757s doing it. It's a start.


Bye Bye--General Lee