Song

[csmith]

I think Song will be successful IF it differentiates itself as a new airline, separate from Delta. Instead, they're confusing customers who show up booking Delta Flight 2451 JFK-PBI and wonder why their plane is Lime Green. Then they receive outstanding service from the inflight crewmembers and wonder, well, why can't the rest of Delta be like this??? The kicker, after all the song and dance from the inflight crewmembers, their show is washed by the flight deck crew who remind all passengers that the Song flight is flown by professional Delta pilots.

Actually, they buy a ticket on Song. While some may wonder why the airplane is green, they are the ones who the paint job is exactly NOT geared towards. Delta is not mentioned on the airplane, even by the pilots. It carries the Delta call sign with ATC solely because of the shared operating certificate with Delta. A nerw operating certificate is in the works--primarily because several competing airlines have been bugging the FAA about nit-picky semantics in order to hinder the process. So Delta is planning to go through the expense of obtaining a seperate certificate.

Many, many other very impressive things are going to be spawned by this operation. It ain't just to shoot at Jblue,SWA, and AirTran. It is there to really see if indeed the paradigm shift has occured.

Stay tuned.

C

always skeptical

 

[General Lee]

Here you go, all of the info you would ever want about Song---from a press releaseress Release Source: Delta Air Lines


Song Takes to the Air
Saturday May 17, 6:30 am ET
The World's Most Innovative Low-Fare Service Debuts Boston Service
First Flight Departs from Boston to West Palm Beach
-0- *T


BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 2003-- Unique Amenities - Video on Demand, Live Satellite TV - Will Enrich
Travel Experience and Fit Customers' Individual and Changing Needs
Branded Food and Beverage Offerings Available for Purchase

Schedule to Expand to over 144 Daily Flights, Primarily between

Northeast and Key Florida Leisure Destinations

Song(TM), Delta Air Lines' new service developed to change
customer expectations for high-quality, low-fare air travel, begins
service from Boston on Saturday, May 17 with its maiden voyage from
Logan International Airport to Palm Beach International Airport.
The inaugural flight departs Boston at 8:10 a.m. and is scheduled
to arrive in West Palm Beach at 11:16 a.m. Additionally, the first
flight from West Palm Beach departs at 12:10 p.m. and is scheduled to
arrive in Boston at 3:11 p.m. Song will initially be scheduled for two
daily roundtrip flights between Boston and West Palm Beach, and plans
to add service from Boston to Tampa, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and Ft.
Myers.
"A new era in air travel has taken off," said John Selvaggio,
president of Song. "We are reintroducing fun, excitement and, most
importantly, choice into the travel experience; we are very excited to
be introducing service to Boston."
"With low fares, roomy leather seats and frequent non-stop flights
to Florida, Logan passengers are getting the latest in airline
service," said Massport CEO, Craig P. Coy. "The Boston market
continues to attract premier customer service and innovation from the
world's airlines and we are proud to welcome Song to Logan
International Airport."
Song, which will provide direct non-stop service initially between
cites in the Northeast United States and key Florida leisure
destinations, plus Atlanta, Las Vegas and San Juan, will offer over
144 daily non-stop flights by October. Additionally, Song will service
all three New York metro area airports - JFK, LaGuardia and Newark -
the only low-fare service to do so.
Song will meet air travelers' individual and ever-changing needs
through a variety of innovations, several of which are industry
firsts. These include:

-- Regular updates to amenities and services based on customer
feedback. Customers have the ability to vote on products and
services via the Song Web site: www.flysong.com.

-- Web site to allow passengers to find low fares across a range
of dates. When searching for flights at flysong.com, customers
can instantly view additional low fares by selecting a wider
range of dates rather than starting the search process from
the beginning, for an experience that offers more information
and flexibility.

-- The most advanced in-flight entertainment technology available
(October 2003). Song is partnering with Matsu**CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED**a Avionics
Systems and EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQISH - News)
and its DISH Network(TM) satellite TV service to provide a
complement of on-board amenities, which will include:

-- Personal video monitors at every seat with "touch screen"
technology and credit card "swipe" capability.
-- Live, all-digital satellite television programming from
DISH Network.
-- Digitally-streamed MP3 audio programming, which will allow
passengers to create a personal play list from an
extensive library of audio files.
-- Pay-per-view programming available on demand, which will
feature a wide-range of current offerings for all ages.
-- Multi-player interactive games that allow play between
passengers.
-- Interactive iXplor moving map program with zoom
capabilities and points of interest information.
-- Connecting gate information broadcast directly to personal
in-seat video monitors.

-- Expandable in-flight entertainment technology which will
facilitate the opportunity to integrate additional services in
the future such as in-flight shopping and on-line product
purchase capabilities.

-- Premium branded beverage and food choices available on-board
for purchase, including:

-- Stolichnaya Bloody Mary cocktails and Kahlua White
Russians
-- The "Song Sunrise," a cocktail created for Song containing
a blend of Stolichnaya Vodka and fresh cranberry and
orange juices and served in the first-ever in-flight
martini glasses
-- Pizzeria Uno pizzas
-- Cinnabon Breakfast Coffee Cakes
-- Lender's bagels
-- Yoplait and Stonyfield Farms organic yogurts
-- Fresh, seasonal organic fruit

-- Complimentary Coca Cola(TM) products, including Dasani water.
-- A simple unrestricted low-fare pricing structure with most
one-way fares expected to be no more than $299.* Song will
provide customers simple, user-friendly pricing options,
including 14-day, 7-day, 3-day, walk-up fares and sale fares.
Fares will not require a Saturday-night stay.
-- 33 inches of seat pitch, or more legroom, throughout the
entire aircraft. This is the most legroom available from any
low-fare service's fleet and more than most major carriers.
-- Frequent flyer benefits through the Delta SkyMiles(R) program
and other partner programs.
-- Simple, one-step connections with Delta's worldwide service,
including interline with SkyTeam(TM) members and other partner
airlines.

"Our customers will play a major role in the development of Song,"
said Selvaggio, a 30-year veteran of the airline industry. "They will
be able to vote products and services onto the aircraft. They will be
able to make each flight what they want it to be."
Selvaggio added, "We've put a great deal of thought into
everything we will offer, understanding that each time a person flies,
he or she has different expectations. They may be on business and want
the ability to prepare for a meeting. They may be flying with children
and need something to keep them entertained. Or they may be flying for
pleasure and are looking for a way to relax on board. We will be able
to serve each of those customers on Song, on every flight."

Assets Unique Among Low-Fare Segment

Technology: Unlike its competitors, Song has the advantage to
leverage Delta's world-class technological infrastructure to create
the world's first all-digital airline product, thereby offering
customers a wide-range of conveniences, including:

-- Dedicated Web site - www.flysong.com. On the Web, Delta's
technology infrastructure will support flysong.com, a simple,
easy to use, information-rich site on which customers can
purchase tickets, find lower fares, check-in for flights and
print boarding cards from the convenience of their home or
office.
-- First-ever book to ticket automation. (Available in fall 2003)
Over the phone, customers will book and complete purchases
directly with Song through voice-recognition technology.
-- Self-service kiosks. At the airport, self-service kiosks will
continue to help customers avoid lines by electronically
executing high-demand transactions.
-- Efficient gate and boarding. At the gate, exclusive gate
information displays will ensure that customers remain
informed up-to-the-minute. Additionally, gate and boarding
technology will facilitate efficient, expedited boarding.

Cost savings through higher aircraft utilization: Delta has
developed a process that facilitates Song's aircraft utilization rates
to be among the highest in the industry - 12.7 hours per day, a 22
percent improvement over mainline Delta's average 757 aircraft.
"Song is an aggressive initiative to compete in the low-fare
market," concluded Selvaggio. "We will not only offer low fares but
lower operating costs, so we can be successful where previous attempts
by other major airlines have failed."

Song is an innovative low-fare service, which will provide
non-stop flights between the Northeast and key Florida leisure
destinations, plus Atlanta, Las Vegas and San Juan, with over 144
daily flights on 36 Boeing 757 aircraft. All Song flights are operated
by Delta Air Lines. Song tickets can be purchased by visiting
flysong.com or by calling 1-800-FlySong.


If ALL of this actually becomes true and the experience is EXACTLY like this---I think Southwest and Spirit might have some good competition on the East Coast, and eventually transcon. Jetblue has done very well with it's entertainment package, and Song will have a better one. We shall see.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Intruder One]

Delta guys don't fret....JB is a knat on your butt and thats about all.According to Blue Dude nothing can stop them.If Delta wanted to commit a quarter of its resourses to the demise of JB they would be gone,but I don't believe thats the big picture.I don't know whats in that blue Kool-aid but it must be halucinatory

 

[Networ-King]

I can't believe there are people out there still with this mentality. In the worst possible time in aviations history JB is making money and people are still saying stuff like this. Herk your opinion is your opinion, thats fine, but these guys got a good thing going and it will continue to grow and be prosperous. Just over 3 years old and they are almost as big as ATA, if not bigger by the end of the year. There is something in the koolaid, but it doesnt effect all the pilots, just a few. Just like Delta..... there is something in the koolaid, but it doesn't effect all of us. Im hoping someday I'll return to DAL, but to think that these guys are a knat, is pretty ballzy and short sighted. I guess time will tell............ As for what Delta can do?.......

we're singing the blues right now.......


I crack myself up.

 

[General Lee]

Networ-king,

I don't think we are singing the blues right now. Sure, our financial picture isn't very good at the moment, but as far as Jetblue goes, atleast we are trying to do something. We know they are a threat, and we have a plan to try to compete. The people who should worry are other airlines without a plan---like USAir. They are going to have to compete up and down the East Coast without much entertainment or fanfare, and it sounds like their major defense will be a lot of EMB170's etc---which will not compete well with 757's or A320's on longer flights. Try not to be so negative, the War is over, gas prices are lower, SARS isn't affecting Delta, and the passengers are starting to return.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Flying Freddie]

Networ-king,

Try not to be so negative, the War is over, gas prices are lower, SARS isn't affecting Delta, and the passengers are starting to return.

But when will the profit return for Delta? Any predictions?

 

[General Lee]

Flying Freddie,

Well, we know the losses in the June quarter will not be even close to last quarter because we will receive $422 million from the Gov't. That's a start--try to stop the bleeding. The passengers have started to come back, especially to Europe---which caused most of our losses during the War---people not going to Europe on our 19 daily 767 flights from JFK a day for example. Most of them are filling up fast---and it is still May, not Summer break yet. That also will help with the bottom line. We have cut back on our staffing (unfortuanately 1310 pilots....), and other ground positions, and have added Kiosks, that are replacing ticket counter people. More of our reservations are now online, which helps. We got approval for a huge code-share with NW and CO---which really hasn't started in full yet, but it will bring approx $200 million a year extra to the bottom line eventually. I would have to say that with the economy seemingly getting better (except today's dow) and people coming out of their shells this summer, eventual profitability will come about. We have some debt we need to pay, and it may take awhile to pay it off, but we are in no means close to shutting the doors. We are stronger than the other majors, and we also have a LCC called Song that will compete and potentially hurt the other LCC's. To say that the others will not be affected is ridiculous. I would say that brighter days are coming.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Flying Freddie]

I would imagine Delta will be in the strongest of all the airlines after this is all over. There will also be room for all those that remain. After all, most were around until now. USAirways will be the one to struggle for a new niche. I expect that even UAL will hold out and redefine itself. Just my two cents. Not trying to provoke anything.

 

[General Lee]

Flying Freddie,

I know. I don't mean to be so defensive, it just seems like I have to defend my airline everytime I come on here, and my airline is not in the worst shape. I think many airlines will make it, barring anymore aviation terrorism. I have many friends at many airlines, and I want us all to do well, you included.

Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[Skank]

Intruder,
If Jetblue seems like a gnat on Delta's butt to you, then explain why we are posting this on a thread about Song. Does Delta usually spend this much money starting up "the world's most innovative" low cost airline to counter the presence of a gnat? I really love that part about "the world's most innovative." You never know, somone may even believe it.

 

[Networ-King]

General,

Dude........ I know we're on the same team, but you are absolutely killing me man. You are the poster child for optimism. I hope that everything you say will happen, but Im a realist and things aint looking so hot. Spare me the "Delta Plan" speech. A good niche in this industry can still be destroyed if the leaders are self indulging, greedy pieces of SH*T. Mullin is no genius, HE IS A BANKER and out for numbero number uno. All he knows is the bottom line---->$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$<----- Please don't make me look up old articles to try and prove your next post wrong. Until we get good leadership, nothing is going to change. The fact that we're replacing people with machines is the absolute wrong thing to do. Customer service is being compromised in the absolute worst way at Delta. Dial up 1(800) I FLY SWA and the first thing you hear is better fares at swa.com and then a real person. Man thats refreshing in this day and age. Not dial 1 for english, 2 for sh*t service...... blah blah blah.

Whats your position anyways? TK+ What?

I've been out for almost 2 years now and planning on being out for another 5 minimum with the growth of DCI, I think thats very realistic. Sorry you don't agree, but when I fly, my call sign is not Delta anymore. Take it away ...................

Oh wait, let me start your reply.

Networ-King

yeah but Delta is the best of the best of the best of the best and we'll make it for sure and Song is--------> take it away General.

 

[CU@OSHKOSH]

Networ-King

I have to agree with you 100%.

May 1, 2002 Hostage.

 

[loosecannon]

I gotta agree with Network King & CU on this one. Things aren't looking to rosey with 900+ furloughees sitting on top of me. Of course I'm still better off than if I had stayed at T-dub.
dc