ATL to offer incentives for new int'l routes
Aug 27, 2014, 7:37 pm
#91
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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You won't see ATL-BOM again, but I don't think ever reconsider again. They tried ATL-BOM before, but they couldn't handle on it anymore. It didn't workout well. The seat availability is zeros out. You won't see happens anytime soon.
Aug 28, 2014, 7:03 am
#92
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Meechigan
Posts: 1,006
Considering how many Indian IT guys live in Atlanta, and who travel a lot because of their consulting gigs, I find it hard to believe there wouldn't be enough of a market for DL to fly to MAA or HYD or BOM. Right now, from ATL, BA is the best option and evne with BA, for whatever reason, I get direct flights from LHR -ATL but not from ATL-LHR when traveling to India via London on BA. So it's a two stop flight on the way to India. This is ridiculous considering how many Indians live here.
You should check out LH to MAA (also BLR if you go there), they have 1-stops via FRA.
Apr 16, 2015, 9:29 am
#94
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: DL DM, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 233
The rumors spreading here this week is that Delta may be planning for a direct flight from ABJ (Abidjan, in Côte d'Ivoire) to the US soon. It's hard to know because it could just be the government making stuff up about Delta being interested, but they did just get TSA certification after 15 years of trying to fly directly to the US.
It'd be a real coup for those of us who have to connect to get back to the states and are sick of the overcrowded school buses that Air France flies. I know there's a large Ivoirian population in Atlanta, but I think that JFK would be more likely if there's any chance of this happening.
Here's one of the stories mentioning Delta and new certification, but it's in French and there's no attribution as to who is asserting that Delta will come: http://www.connectionivoirienne.net/...nnees-defforts
It'd be a real coup for those of us who have to connect to get back to the states and are sick of the overcrowded school buses that Air France flies. I know there's a large Ivoirian population in Atlanta, but I think that JFK would be more likely if there's any chance of this happening.
Here's one of the stories mentioning Delta and new certification, but it's in French and there's no attribution as to who is asserting that Delta will come: http://www.connectionivoirienne.net/...nnees-defforts
Apr 16, 2015, 10:15 am
#95
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 3,394
I wonder if DL is willing to lose $$$ in the short term to develop a better foothold in Africa than the other 2 US legacy carriers. Assuming that Africa gets stronger economically in the years to come. (I'm assuming it can't get much worse)
Apr 16, 2015, 11:49 am
#96
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: LAS
Programs: PA FT, TW Gold, NW/CO PE, VK Eagleflyer
Posts: 7,173
All US carriers flirt with Africa from time to time, but it's not for the faint-hearted. DL started service to Abuja circa 2009 and even partnered with Air Nigeria (the unsuccessful successor to Virgin Nigeria) but pulled the plug in 2013. LAG/ATL seems to alway be near capacity, so DL will be in Nigeria for the foresseable future.
Apr 16, 2015, 3:24 pm
#97
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: PVU, SLC
Programs: DL Pork Medallion, PP, GE
Posts: 1,657
DL has very regular service to Accra (and onward to Sierra Leone, and vice versa), Nigeria, South Africa, and I assume they still have the 757 to Senegal? They're doing alright in West Africa, and they're the exclusive nonstop American Carrier to places like ACC. I still wouldn't be surprised to see heir next move be a Southeastern African destination like NBO. Atlanta and New York have very high populations of West Africans. But places like Detroit have lots of Eastern Africans.
Apr 16, 2015, 7:19 pm
#98
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 3,394
DL has very regular service to Accra (and onward to Sierra Leone, and vice versa), Nigeria, South Africa, and I assume they still have the 757 to Senegal? They're doing alright in West Africa, and they're the exclusive nonstop American Carrier to places like ACC. I still wouldn't be surprised to see heir next move be a Southeastern African destination like NBO. Atlanta and New York have very high populations of West Africans. But places like Detroit have lots of Eastern Africans.
Apr 17, 2015, 4:02 am
#99
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: DL DM, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 233
DL has very regular service to Accra (and onward to Sierra Leone, and vice versa), Nigeria, South Africa, and I assume they still have the 757 to Senegal? They're doing alright in West Africa, and they're the exclusive nonstop American Carrier to places like ACC. I still wouldn't be surprised to see heir next move be a Southeastern African destination like NBO. Atlanta and New York have very high populations of West Africans. But places like Detroit have lots of Eastern Africans.
The only question is whether AF would pressure DL to not enter the Abidjan market as it is highly lucrative for them, filling A380s most days of the week. The other consideration is that the African Development Bank has come back to Abidjan and that brings a huge amount of premium passenger business.
Apr 17, 2015, 10:45 am
#100
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: PVU, SLC
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Air Senegal is barely functional now, so as a regional hub, Abidjan is in a much stronger position with the regional Air Côte d'Ivoire flights (which is aiming to join Skyteam, making codeshares a possibility), so perhaps they'd shift over here. Or perhaps they'd do a stopover on the ACC-JFK route, as those flights are usually half-full.
The only question is whether AF would pressure DL to not enter the Abidjan market as it is highly lucrative for them, filling A380s most days of the week. The other consideration is that the African Development Bank has come back to Abidjan and that brings a huge amount of premium passenger business.
The only question is whether AF would pressure DL to not enter the Abidjan market as it is highly lucrative for them, filling A380s most days of the week. The other consideration is that the African Development Bank has come back to Abidjan and that brings a huge amount of premium passenger business.
Apr 18, 2015, 5:28 am
#101
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: DL DM, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 233
They fill A380s to Abidjan? Wow. And I didn't know The ACC-JFK loads weren't full. Every time I've gone, it's been packed (and even J goes from half full 24 hours out, to completely full at departure time, and not even from nonrevs necessarily). I don't know what loads are like to Dakar, but Accra and Abidjan seem really close together. Can DL sustain 230 passengers per plane for three countries that are (almost) all touching? Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria? Maybe.
I've taken the DL ACC-JFK flight twice in the past year and both times the plane was only half full. The most recent time returning from JFK-ACC it was completely full, so I got an Op-Up to J, which was a nice treat. I don't even know if there is public data on how full those flights are on average.
The way I see it, DL could switch from DKR to ABJ for more high revenue passengers and a much stronger regional hub system. South African was toying with doing exactly this and shifting the DKR stopover to ABJ from the JNB-IAD flight, but that seems to have fizzled out for now. Both DL and SAA are leaving money on the table and both AF/SN are just cleaning up.
Apr 18, 2015, 6:24 am
#102
Join Date: Oct 2002
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Apr 19, 2015, 10:58 am
#103
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: ATL, GA
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Posts: 131
Apr 19, 2015, 4:37 pm
#104
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: PVU, SLC
Programs: DL Pork Medallion, PP, GE
Posts: 1,657
It's nuts -- it takes about two hours to get out of the airport when the AF A380s come in to ABJ from CDG, especially for passengers who don't have SkyPriority luggage and/or diplomatic credentials. And the ABJ airport is far better operated than ACC or DKR now too.
I've taken the DL ACC-JFK flight twice in the past year and both times the plane was only half full. The most recent time returning from JFK-ACC it was completely full, so I got an Op-Up to J, which was a nice treat. I don't even know if there is public data on how full those flights are on average.
The way I see it, DL could switch from DKR to ABJ for more high revenue passengers and a much stronger regional hub system. South African was toying with doing exactly this and shifting the DKR stopover to ABJ from the JNB-IAD flight, but that seems to have fizzled out for now. Both DL and SAA are leaving money on the table and both AF/SN are just cleaning up.
I've taken the DL ACC-JFK flight twice in the past year and both times the plane was only half full. The most recent time returning from JFK-ACC it was completely full, so I got an Op-Up to J, which was a nice treat. I don't even know if there is public data on how full those flights are on average.
The way I see it, DL could switch from DKR to ABJ for more high revenue passengers and a much stronger regional hub system. South African was toying with doing exactly this and shifting the DKR stopover to ABJ from the JNB-IAD flight, but that seems to have fizzled out for now. Both DL and SAA are leaving money on the table and both AF/SN are just cleaning up.
And if only the flights I was on we're half full... Especially back in the day of the old 76Us...