Will "Song" succeed?

[ifly4food]

I vote no. Though this is merely my opinion, I form it through statements like this:

"It’s our goal to make flying the way it used to be – fun, exciting, interesting or simply relaxing – whatever the customer is looking for that day," said John Selvaggio, president of Song and a 30-year veteran of the airline industry. "We’re introducing choices back into the experience. And, we’re going to ask customers to vote products and service on or off the aircraft. So, when we say ‘the choice is truly yours,’ we mean it."

The problem with the major airlines, Delta in particular, is that they try to be "everything to everybody".
The the fluff in the Delta.com press release about customer choice shows that they still don't get it.
Customers want cheap seats to places they want to go. They don't need a "digital flying experience" nor a "harmonious expression of individuality". Until the airlines realize they're selling seats and not ideals, they're doomed.

If they really wanted to succeed at this they should have copied AirTran.

What do you all think?

 

[generaltso]

I think they are just trying to combine what makes all the low fare carriers successful - a little bit of Southwest, Jetblue, and airtran all wrapped in to one really gay sounding airline.

"Song's lime-green planes will be equipped with in-flight live satellite television that was pioneered by JetBlue, as well as personal touch-screen monitors, pay-per-view, an MP3 audio library and in-seat Internet connections"

I found it odd that a low fare airline would offer this stuff... this stuff is great in my opinion. If the fares were the same, I would take an airline that offers internet connections.

I say good luck to Delta. The odds are stacked against them, big time. No major has ever really been successful in starting a low fare airline within it self.

 

[FlyingSig]

Very mixed emotions on the whole thing but I will say this... I'm happy DAL managment is trying to generate new forms of revenue instead of trying to cut their way to profitability. Actions like that tell me they just might "get it".



editon a sidenote.... all the reporters who have been writing that Delta Express was a failure don't really "get it" either. At the time, DalEx was used to free up high yield seats from the ATL market that were normally taken by leisure travelers. While the DalEx "routes" didn't generate much profit, the end result helped DAL set records in profitability for several years. Today's market doesn't generate many high yield seats thus there is no need for the DalEx product/business plan..... The new "plan" is not to free up seats but to offer a unique product. We'll see if it works...

Again, the name is stupid, the colors are ugly, but kudos to those that recognize the problem is revenue and not costs.

 

[bobbysamd]

Song Sung Blue

Apologies to Neil Diamond.

I'd say "no," based on previous history, but it won't surprise me in the least to see at least a couple of the household-name majors try to remake themselves into LCCs. I thought I saw where United will try.

 

[surplus1]

Aside from the less than imaginative name, the real "problem" with this "LCC" will be realized when Delta follows UAL's announced intention to operate it's LCC with a different contract and different compensation package for pilots.

UAL can "go public" with its true intent courtesy of bankruptcy protection. If they really do it, Delta will ultimately be forced to follow suit. In the longer term we will all come to realize that there is nothing "good" about this for Delta's pilots. The new "subsidiary" will ultimately be used to destroy their PWA.

It may well succeed in generating revenue for the Company, but it will ultimately reduce "revenue" for pilot employees as well as others. It's only a matter of time. Not a pretty prospect.

 

[Bluestreak]

Ah,er,umm,Yeah ! Just like Continental Lite™ ("Peanuts Fares !"-remember the commercials with the peanut farmer ?) Shuttle By United™,MetroJet™.....Did anybody see where some U employees complained to Ford because of all the parked 'MaterJets seen in the background of a Ford truck commercial ? Anyway,any profits realized by this entity will be quickly swallowed up by the money-losing majority of the company,in the same manner that all the U Express companies turn a profit,but the parent company still hemmorhages (sp?) red ink.Now,if the entire DAL operation went this way except for the trans-Atlantic stuff,you might have something.One small,profitable operation will not save the entire company.

 

[Indapool]

so they are going to pay the crews mainline wages AND spend $30 million per A\C. Yup, that's going to work out really well

 

[601Pilot]

Inflight entertainment

Why doesn't Delta put this new inflight entertainment in
their "full-fare" aircraft and used stripped down 757s for the
LCC?

Crazy!

 

[abatista]

I feel that Song can make it. But on the other hand it could replace Delta. I feel a change is on the way for all airlines. The all have to do something different. The Jetblue's, SouthWest and even AirTran have made money.

Times are changing. The only thing that will put a stop to this would be if people start flying more from GA airports in either Air Taxi's or Fractionals. I feel this is where the future is at.

 

[greg20]

601 Pilot said:

"Why doesn't Delta put this new inflight entertainment in
their "full-fare" aircraft and used stripped down 757s for the
LCC?

Crazy!"


The reason is simple. Song was created at least partially to compete with B6 in the NE. I say "at least partially" because it may have nationwide service as its long-term goal. Anyway, in order to be competitive with IFE features, Delta had to 'one-up' what B6 offers in the same markets. JetBlue does fly a few transcons, but in general Delta's mainline IFE (however old and limited) rivals that of the other majors in most markets.