Chalky White

I wonder how Delta feels about this:

http://www.myajc.com/news/business/a...-intern/nfLDX/

I guess DL could get some of this money if it increased or offered new int'l service.

(For those that don't subscribe to the wonderfulness that is the AJC, ATL is going to waive landing fees and offer other incentives to lure new international service to ATL, including cargo).

PRWeezer

This should be a non-paywall link to the story if the other gets blocked:
http://www.ajc.com/news/business/atl...-intern/nfLDX/

A few excerpts:
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport plans to offer up to $2 million in incentives to airlines that start new international routes from Atlanta, marking the first time the Atlanta airport has made such offers...

...Airport officials plan to seek Atlanta City Council approval for a five-year incentive program starting in July that would waive landing fees for one year to airlines starting new international routes not already served from Atlanta. Passenger airlines could also get 50 percent matching promotional funds up to $25,000, while cargo carriers would qualify for a waiver of aircraft parking fees at the airport’s cargo areas.

LivelyFL

Thanks for the link. I would like to see more international flights out of ATL. I remember back in the day, there were a lot of international flight out of Tampa.

N830MH

How about nonstop ATL-BSL?

Chalky White

While it'll probably never happen, I'd love to see service to ATL from Emirates or another middle eastern airline. Maybe it'd make DL up their in-flight service.

mmichael453

Other European destinations might make more sense than BSL. LH to MUC or DUS comes to mind, for instance. But I suspect the real emphasis on this isn't European service. A gulf carrier could be interesting, and might have the deep pockets and business model required to start a price war with DL on entry.

Air freight also seems to be an underdeveloped market.

Chalky White

Qatar made some noise about starting service here but that never materialized.

readywhenyouare

I expect to Emirates serve ATL in the not so distant future. With hundreds of widebody aircraft on order they've got to send them somewhere.

Bradhattan

I hope Delta joins the program and then ATL Hartsfield-Jackson International changes the program rules after 9 months! LOL

Dear MR. Delta:

We have some exciting new Enhancements!:

Complimentary Landing Fees are now available only to airlines who have met the new annual Sky Baubles Quota (SBQ's) minimum spend limit of $10B (US).

Routes that were* created especially for this program are no longer eligible to earn SBQ's.

New routes created for this Enhanced program will earn SQB's until they don't.

Complimentary international cargo plane parking is now limited to 30 minutes. Our top tier airlines may on occasion receive complimentary Mercedes Benz Diesel Truck usage for off-loading of cargo!

Pocket liners will be given to all passengers entering Delta Sky Clubs so that Sky Club Members (presumably elite and elite +) can take soup with them to the plane, thereby lowering your catering costs.

We know you have a choice in airports and we appreciate you choosing ATL Hartsfield-Jackson International.

brocklee9000

Personally, I think it would be neat to see more African destinations out of ATL. I think currently, it's just Lagos and Johannesburg, at least on DL. I know there are droves of West Africans that live in/around Atlanta, and DL 472 (used to be DL 26) is a direct flight from ATL to ACC, with a change of plane in JFK from an MD-88 to a 763. I've been on those flights many times, and see lots of the same faces in JFK get on the flight to ATL. It would also be neat to have a flight to Cape Town, and options to get to Eastern Africa aside from using KLM (i.e. the headache of hoping to get full milage credit, MQD, EC seats, etc). Wishful thinking, I know. But just my thoughts.

exwannabe

Why would any non ST airline fly international long haul into ATL? Pax will connect how?

The most likely airline to pick up on this would be WN flying south or southeast.

[OK. I am geographically impaired and/or a tad drunk. As much southwest as southeast.]

fanfan1

First post, long time lurker.

From the article: "Airport officials plan to seek Atlanta City Council approval for a five-year incentive program starting in July that would waive landing fees for one year to airlines starting new international routes not already served from Atlanta. "

This line leads me to believe many of the proposed routes above (LH-MUC, EK-DXB) would not qualify since they are already served by DL. Having said that, I cannot think of many (if any) international routes out of ATL that another airline serves that DL does not compete with out of ATL.

All of that makes me believe that this incentive package is targeted directly at DL. There are very few, if any, routes that a foreign carrier could start in the next five years that is not already done by DL that would be profitable long term. Maybe QR or EY. It seems to me that ATL is more interested in pushing DL to restart SVO, BOM, PVG from ATL.

exwannabe

If the city wanted to "entice" DL, it would be done so behind close doors.

In case you missed the plot line, DL kind of owns ATL.

PS: Welcome to FT!

BER Flyer

How about Berlin, Germany? A route which has never been served out of ATL.

fanfan1

Because DL owns ATL is exactly why they (ATL) are doing this program.

First, look at two of the countries listed on the 'high value' list: Indonesia and India. Both of those countries fall into category 2 with the FAA, so neither of those countries carriers can start new routes presently to the US. So that would leave either a carrier with fifth freedom rights in one of those countries to start ATL (no precedent for larger, more lucrative, US markets) or a US carrier. And I doubt AA is going start its first route to BOM from ATL.

And I would be willing to bet this deal was negotiated behind closed doors already. And now that they have reached the time when Board approval is needed, the AJC breaks the story. And while Delta's name is no where in this story, there name will be all over the checks that will be written for this program.

This program was built for DL, because DL owns ATL.

P.S. Thanks.