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Delta may drop flying in 24 small cities
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Delta Air Lines Inc. is looking to drop money-losing flights in 24 small cities, putting some of them at risk of losing air service altogether. Delta says it has been losing $14 mil . . . (flightaware.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Sad to say but an airline is a private business and is there to make a profit. If the government wants to subsidize service, that is up to them and DAL will bid the subsidy to make money or let sombody else fly it. As the article says, most of them are the Turboprop routes and old NWA cities. Anderson was brought in to turn the company around and get it profitable. He is doing that and should be allowed to continue
We saw the writing on the wall in Mason City, IA. First Delta retiring the SAAB 340's, then once the contract with EAS expired, the reduction of flights to two per day. Originally, service was from Ft. Dodge, stopping in MCW, then on to MSP. This usually had flights near capacity in the early mornings and late night.
We have a choice now, drive 67 miles to Rochester, MN for a flight to ORD, or down to Des Moines 120 miles away. Rochester is not an EAS city, and yet the fares were half that of Delta.
My personal contention was that you were a captive flyer with NWA/Delta to MSP. And even with the EAS subsidy, that 120 mile flight was $340 on average. Once getting to Minneapolis, you had one basic choice, NWA/Delta. Yes there are token flights from other carriers, but NWA always dominated.
Compare that to the $160 average fare on American Eagle from Rochester to O'Hare and the many choices of carriers once arriving at ORD.
How this effects the local economy is yet to be seen, but like other small towns the lack of transport tends to reduce economic development.
We have a choice now, drive 67 miles to Rochester, MN for a flight to ORD, or down to Des Moines 120 miles away. Rochester is not an EAS city, and yet the fares were half that of Delta.
My personal contention was that you were a captive flyer with NWA/Delta to MSP. And even with the EAS subsidy, that 120 mile flight was $340 on average. Once getting to Minneapolis, you had one basic choice, NWA/Delta. Yes there are token flights from other carriers, but NWA always dominated.
Compare that to the $160 average fare on American Eagle from Rochester to O'Hare and the many choices of carriers once arriving at ORD.
How this effects the local economy is yet to be seen, but like other small towns the lack of transport tends to reduce economic development.
I never understood why DAL flew to AHN anyway. It takes more time to check in and get on the plane than it does to drive to ATL.
Not talked about in this equation is the landing fees at the hubs. Those PAX from the smaller airports don't have the same ticket cost(PAX charge) as one originating from a hub so the Airports themselves may have something to do with it where the smaller airport is within driving distance.i.e you can fly US Airways from LIT to GSO, connecting via CLT cheaper than you can fly from LIT to CLT direct. For our business in NC, it is about an equal distance from either point. All other costs such as car/hotel is equal. If you can schedule the time for the connection it is over $300 cheaper to take the change and go on to GSO
Yeah Wayne, It's the same here at GSP. At least until SWA showed up. DAL's prices here have come way down. I don't know about US as we don't fly them usually. At least now I can go direct to BNA where my regional office is located. I'm lovin' it.
That is the main reason that prices in/out of RDU have been low over the past few years, because SWA has been in there, albeit from Midway, which is not worth a dang from out here in the midwest, but it sure made DAL and the rest of them get honest. We had heard last year that SWA was going to come into Columbia but they wound up at GSP and I think over at Charleston.