Delta Air Lines is making some major changes to its route network.
The Atlanta-based airline is cutting two of its most interesting transcontinental routes and also adding a second daily frequency on one of the longest routes in its network.
There’s a lot to understand, so keep reading for more information.
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Delta Air Lines cuts two transcon flights
First, Delta Air Lines will eliminate its two longest routes from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA). Specifically, the airline will cease operating from LGA to Los Angeles and Phoenix starting January 8, 2024, as first confirmed on Cirium’s schedule and later confirmed by an airline spokesperson. .
These flights are It was announced earlier this year as part of a major expansion west of New York.
“We continually evaluate and make changes to our network to meet our customers’ needs and best allocate our resources,” Delta Air Lines said in a statement. We will continue to work with customers who have booked flights after the suspension of service.” Decide on a date to make any necessary adjustments to your trip. ”
The airline’s statement doesn’t actually reveal the reason behind the cuts, but these flights may have been doomed from the start.
This is due to LaGuardia’s “boundary rules,” which restrict airlines from flying to airports more than 1,500 miles away, with two exceptions: routes to Denver and Saturday flights.
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(LaGuardia Airport also has slot constraints, so airlines need special takeoff and landing permits to operate flights at LaGuardia Airport, but Saturday flights do not require slots.)
Saturday-only service is usually not very profitable, especially for domestic flights. Saturdays are typically the lowest-flying day, with little demand for business travel, forcing airlines to compete for a share of the leisure market for weekend travel. This segment has historically not been very profitable for airlines.
In fact, Delta Air Lines previously attempted to fly from LGA to Los Angeles in 2006, but that short-lived experiment was canceled after just six months, Cirium’s schedule shows. (During the pandemic, Spirit Airlines opened a 4,469-mile transcontinental route from LaGuardia to Los Angeles, but that service has since been discontinued.)
Delta Air Lines is cutting back on flights to Los Angeles and Phoenix, but will continue to fly from LaGuardia Airport to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas once a week on Saturdays.
Delta’s flight distance from LGA to Las Vegas is 3,242 miles, making it Delta’s longest route from LaGuardia.
Delta Air Lines adds route from Atlanta to Seoul
Delta Air Lines has consistently operated one daily flight from Atlanta to Seoul since 2017, with the exception of brief breaks during the pandemic.
This Korean metropolis is now According to Cirium’s schedule, it is Delta’s main trans-Pacific transit gateway and will receive significant convenience with the addition of two daily flights from Atlanta to Seoul starting in April 2024.
The additional flights will initially operate three times a week from April 11, 2024, before increasing to daily flights from May 6, 2024.
The additional flights will complement Delta’s daily flights from Atlanta to Seoul and its daily flights to South Korea operated by Delta’s Pacific joint venture partner, Korean Air.
The addition of a third SkyTeam-marketed flight from Atlanta to Seoul gives travelers a full range of options for traveling to South Korea and other countries.
“With three daily flights to choose from, customers across the U.S. have the opportunity to fly across the Pacific via Atlanta throughout the day,” Delta said in a statement.
The additional flights will be operated on Delta’s flagship Airbus A350-900 aircraft, with 32 seats in Delta One Suites, 48 seats in Premium Select Recliners, 36 seats in Comfort+ seats with extra legroom, and 190 seats in Standard Economy seats. We are prepared.
The new flights will operate on the following schedule.
- Delta Flight 189: Atlanta to Seoul — 9:45 a.m. — 2:20 p.m. (+1 day)
- Delta Flight 188: Seoul to Atlanta — 4:30 p.m. — 5:25 p.m.
Commenting on the strength of Delta’s Pacific strategy, Delta President Glenn Hauenstein said during the company’s third-quarter earnings conference, “We are very excited about the success of our Incheon hub with South Korea, and it truly represents our We think it’s a great place to connect if you’re accessing Southeast Asia from one of our hubs or as a dual connection.”
“There will be some announcements next year about continuing our efforts to increase capacity,” he added, apparently referring to this new frequency from Atlanta that was just added to the schedule over the weekend.
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