Swan Song for Song

[737 Pylt]

bye bye Song

While I also agree with everyone's statements that Song was a great product, you all are forgetting who you are dealing with.....This management is the most incompetent group of bafoons working in the business. Not sure, I give you Delta Express....Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. If this place is to survive, then it needs a clean sweep at the 4th floor. God help us all. I urge everyone working under the DAL umbrella to quickly update thier resumes and work on plan B because we are all doomed with this group of idiots at the helm.
737

 

[FDJ2]

The Song product is expanding to the mainline. 50 more mainline aircraft will be converted to Song service in the next two years. Song service will upgrade its amenities to include first class seating.

I think this is great news. Longer domestic routes needed to be upgraded to Song service. Song has proven itself and the domestic mainline fleet will start converting itself to all Song service for transcontinental flights.

In the next two years we'll see a doubling of Song service at DAL. 100 Delta aircraft providing Song service coast to coast.:beer:

 

[-9Capt]

Delta to Discontinue Song by May 2006

By MIKE STOBBE
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines Inc., which is reorganizing under protection from the federal bankruptcy court, announced plans Friday to discontinue its discount carrier Song and incorporate Song's fleet into Delta's regular service.
Song will continue to fly as a separate brand until May 2006, Delta officials said.
(enlarge photo)
A Song Boeing 757 airplane is seen Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2003, at the Los Angeles International Airport with a Delta Airlines jet in the background. Delta Air Lines Inc., which is reorganizing under protection from the federal bankruptcy court, announced plans Friday, Oct. 28, 2005, to discontinue its discount carrier Song by May 2006 and incorporate Song's fleet into Delta's regular service. (AP Photo/Damiam Dovarganes)

After May, Delta plans to refit the single-class Song airplanes to include first-class seating to make the planes conform with Delta's regular service. The planes will be gradually be repainted in Delta colors by next fall.
Joanne Smith, currently president of Song, has been named vice president of consumer marketing for Delta, effective immediately.
Atlanta-based Delta filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors in New York on Sept. 14. Song filed for bankruptcy protection the same day.
Delta officials said there will be no layoffs directly from Song's elimination. Any reductions that do occur are part of the 7,000 to 9,000 job cuts Delta announced last month as part of its bankruptcy restructuring, a spokeswoman said.
Delta expects to cut marketing and other costs as a result of closing Song, but the company did not release estimates.
Song was created in 2003 as a hip travel option for leisure travelers, with amenities such as increased leg room, preflight meal ordering and even a music service. It was designed to compete with JetBlue Airways Corp. and other low-cost airlines.
Song has 48 Boeing 757-200 aircraft. It flies from 16 locations, including Boston, Hartford, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlanta, five cities in Florida and three Caribbean vacation spots — Nassau, San Juan and Aruba.
Delta did not release figures on Song's profits or losses. But company officials said they considered it a hit with customers: This year Song has filled 78 percent of its seats, Delta officials said.
Song also has been a successful lab experiment that allowed Delta to try new services, said Jim Whitehurst, Delta's chief operating officer.
Delta is adopting new uniforms, new leather interiors, improved in-flight entertainment systems and other Song features. The airline already has picked up on Song's simpler fare system.
"Overall, Song has been a home run," said Paul Matsen, Delta's chief marketing officer.
Despite its success, Delta officials say they wanted the flexibility to use Song's aircraft on other routes. In addition, some Song fliers wanted a first-class option, the airline said.
But aviation industry expert Robert Shumsky, an associate professor of business at Dartmouth College, said Song should be counted as an example of a failed attempt by a hub-and-spoke carrier to create low-cost, non-hub 'airlines within airlines.'
"It's hard for me to believe they would end something that was working well," Shumsky said.
___

 

[Blue Dude]

Song was begun primarily in response to one carrier: JetBlue. There was no other reason to launch that particular brand at that particular time. It was a roll of the dice that ultimately didn't work. The product itself was fine, and it did have an effect on the competition, but it never was self-sustaining. It was therefore irrational to keep it going. It should have been killed a couple of years ago when the new CEO took over, but he saw an opportunity to use it as a test bed, so it stayed.

Ultimately, this means that Delta has finally realized that it can no longer afford to act irrationally and create entire operating divisions merely in response to a single competitive threat. That is a good thing for all concerned, even competitors. It means that a certain level of rationality has returned to Delta, and rational competitors are greatly to be desired over irrational ones, even if the latter is self-destructive. After chapter 11, Delta can't afford to play "I'm gonna git you sucka" anymore. Instead, they end up improving their product across the board, and that can't be a bad thing.

 

[Mugs]

Song was begun primarily in response to one carrier: JetBlue. There was no other reason to launch that particular brand at that particular time. It was a roll of the dice that ultimately didn't work. The product itself was fine, and it did have an effect on the competition, but it never was self-sustaining. It was therefore irrational to keep it going. It should have been killed a couple of years ago when the new CEO took over, but he saw an opportunity to use it as a test bed, so it stayed.

Ultimately, this means that Delta has finally realized that it can no longer afford to act irrationally and create entire operating divisions merely in response to a single competitive threat. That is a good thing for all concerned, even competitors. It means that a certain level of rationality has returned to Delta, and rational competitors are greatly to be desired over irrational ones, even if the latter is self-destructive. After chapter 11, Delta can't afford to play "I'm gonna git you sucka" anymore. Instead, they end up improving their product across the board, and that can't be a bad thing.

E-190 rates, the desire to do trans-con turns especially when you know guys would commute in that same day to do it..........let's be careful with the "rational competitor" crap Blue Dude. Everybody is irrational these days.

 

[Blue Dude]

E-190 rates, the desire to do trans-con turns especially when you know guys would commute in that same day to do it..........let's be careful with the "rational competitor" crap Blue Dude. Everybody is irrational these days.

I expected better, mugs. The E190 rates aren't irrational, just disappointing. I'd be very surprised to see a transcon turn ever becoming legal though. It's difficult to comment since there are no details available and may never be available.

Compare either one to spending $80 million chasing a market segment you aren't cost competitive on, and won't be after the money is spent either. Then expand that division at the expense of capturing higher yielding traffic, even as the competition you hoped to harm is getting a fare premium at a lower cost. That is irrational.

 

[pgcfii2002]

It appears that they will operate mostly 757's fitted with IFE and the like on a large number of domestic routes. Any idea what will happen when the 757's retire?? I'm guessing most are pushing 20+ years by now??

 

[pgcfii2002]

The Song product will remain, sounds like they are just repainting the aircraft, blending it in to the current fleet.

 

[8vATE]

E-190 rates, ..........let's be careful with the "rational competitor" crap Blue Dude. Everybody is irrational these days.

Yea .... right up there with 14 year USAirways F/O rates....
which are $0 per hour.


Blue dude's observation about the Emb190 rates are accurate .

They are disappointing.....
But so are paycuts, furloughs and inept management.

A rational business plan is the golden egg now.
SWA has it.
Jetblue is working on it.

 

[skykid]

I expected better, mugs. The E190 rates aren't irrational, just disappointing.

I'd say pathetic is a better word for the rates than disappointing. FIX IT! You've got 12 year Bus F/O's at 76/hour, and 4 year E190 CAPTAINS making the same thing. That's what a 3 year FedEx plummer makes. Before you post that I don't know how the total compensation package works - I do. I guess if you upgrade quickly to the left seat and make more money than you ever have, it seems like you are getting over. Your're not, legacy pilots gave up 30% and a pension to match you.