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LAX-DCA,BOS-SFO become Delta One flights

LAX-DCA,BOS-SFO become Delta One flights

Old Mar 24, 2017, 12:29 pm
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Dieuwer
Wonderful to have more competition on BOS-SFO, but I still don't understand the logic.
Anyone?
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 12:35 pm
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by Dieuwer
Anyone?
Delta sees an opportunity to steal premium traffic away from United. For those paying to fly up front, a lie-flat seat is very attractive, as is better onboard service. Right now UA mostly uses 737s on that route.
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 12:37 pm
  #33  
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Originally Posted by WWads
Delta sees an opportunity to steal premium traffic away from United. For those paying to fly up front, a lie-flat seat is very attractive, as is better onboard service. Right now UA mostly uses 737s on that route.
I would think that with so many carriers operating BOS-SFO, yields would go down a lot. Why do you think DL can command a premium and actually make more money than simply flying those DeltaOne planes e.g. internationally?
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 12:39 pm
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by Dieuwer
I would think that with so many carriers operating BOS-SFO, yields would go down a lot. Why do you think DL can command a premium and actually make more money than simply flying those DeltaOne planes e.g. internationally?
The 757s can only be used for a limited number of TATL destinations. If they're available in the rotation, why not try to poach some business from the competition? Lie-flat seats and D1 service should be able to command a premium if advertised properly. I would also add that DL's operation at SFO is designed to cater to the premium cabin traveler. If someone flies SFO-JFK a lot in D1, DL can now get those same passengers to BOS as well, with the same type of experience.
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 12:42 pm
  #35  
 
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I was looking at the DCA-LAX flight for May a couple of weeks ago and the F cabin fares were around $900. Now they're starting around $1400. Well played Delta.

Anyways, I think it's nice to see the premium product come to DCA. I think D1 will do very well on this route and this really turns up the pressure on AS and AA which also operate this route.

I just want to confirm, it appears Regional Upgrade Certificates do work on the DL JFK-LAX/SFO D1 upgrades, but they haven't upgraded the chart on DL.com to indicate DCA. I'm assuming it will be the same.
http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...tificates.html
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 12:47 pm
  #36  
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Originally Posted by WWads
The 757s can only be used for a limited number of TATL destinations. If they're available in the rotation, why not try to poach some business from the competition? Lie-flat seats and D1 service should be able to command a premium if advertised properly. I would also add that DL's operation at SFO is designed to cater to the premium cabin traveler. If someone flies SFO-JFK a lot in D1, DL can now get those same passengers to BOS as well, with the same type of experience.
I understand.
But DL is not trying to make SFO a focus city or hub, correct?
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 12:52 pm
  #37  
 
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Really glad to see that DL is continuing to pay attention to the SFO market. They have been leaving money---real money--- on the table here for years. The Bay Area is now one of the wealthiest regions in the world, and DL is the premium US carrier, it's a natural fit.

Perhaps they are hoping to really tap the transcon premium market and add even more routes. When people with the kind of money people here have are looking at 6 hours in the air, I suspect many are willing to pay to not sit in coach.


This also helps explain why they made such a big investment in the Sky Club here (showers, enhanced food, high end decor, etc).
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 12:52 pm
  #38  
 
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Originally Posted by Dieuwer
I understand.
But DL is not trying to make SFO a focus city or hub, correct?
Correct, but DL has repeatedly shown that it can make the right O/D routes work. SFO probably has enough long-haul F/J demand to go around, especially since UA is now running an inferior product on this route.
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 12:54 pm
  #39  
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BOS certainly is a focus city however.
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 1:14 pm
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by rylan
I'd love to see BOS-LAX become D1... that would be more interesting than the BOS-SFO route.
Why? I think there's more synergy between Boston and the Bay Area than Boston and the LA Basin. Both Boston and the Bay Area are tech, healthcare, and biotech heavy.

Plus, BOS - SFO is longer than BOS - LAX.
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 1:22 pm
  #41  
 
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I would imagine that not including LAX-BOS is simply a matter of equipment.
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 1:27 pm
  #42  
 
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Originally Posted by mills1090
I'm surprised they did BOS-SFO only and not BOS-LAX as well.
No need to keep up with the Joneses with LAX-BOS. Nobody is making a move. With UA scheduling all flat-bed service this summer on SFO-BOS, DL would be hoeing a hard row with the lowest frequency and neither their F or Y product standing out compared to UA/B6/VX.

Originally Posted by aCavalierInCoach
not sure i really agree, considering UA has actually downgraded SFO-NYC to "united business" rather than slotting it in with "united polaris" and the e.g. lounge benefits thereof. UA is also deploying its high density 772s (10-across in Y and 8 across in C) which, while lie front upfront, are definitively pieces of garbage.
UA hasn't downgraded anything in NYC-SFO/LAX. Not sure what you're talking about. The domestic 777s that are scheduled for SFO-BOS are a minority of the flights and are comparable to preferable to any narrowbody in back if you can live without the PTV. The fact that DL is doing this to SFO-BOS and not LAX-BOS indicates to me that they are playing catchup to UA before they even launch their route.

Originally Posted by jdrtravel
The Bay Area is now one of the wealthiest regions in the world, and DL is the premium US carrier, it's a natural fit.
Hardly. Their aircraft configurations are decidedly less premium-heavy. And from my experiences, their product isn't premium either. This is about BOS and trying to grow a focus city. SFO-BOS would be in trouble before it starts without DL upping their product.
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 1:33 pm
  #43  
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Originally Posted by SJC ORD LDR
Why? I think there's more synergy between Boston and the Bay Area than Boston and the LA Basin. Both Boston and the Bay Area are tech, healthcare, and biotech heavy.

Plus, BOS - SFO is longer than BOS - LAX.
I would think that BOS-SFO sees a markedly higher proportion of business travelers than BOS-LAX.
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 1:37 pm
  #44  
 
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Originally Posted by minnyfly
Hardly. Their aircraft configurations are decidedly less premium-heavy. And from my experiences, their product isn't premium either. This is about BOS and trying to grow a focus city. SFO-BOS would be in trouble before it starts without DL upping their product.
To be clear, what I meant by premium is that Delta seems to be, currently, considered the best domestic airline. People want to fly Delta and they really don't want to fly United. The NWA/DL merger was the first and they were able to build a fantastic product and costumer service system while UA and AA scrambled to play catch up. And they are still scrambling, though AA seems to be doing a better job.

Perhaps you don't like their product, but many of us do, especially in C+/F/D1 and many of us are looking forward to PE being rolled out this week. And the soft product of DL, from on board service to the whole customer service experience is without question leaps and bounds ahead of the other legacy carriers.

I flew UA for the first time in years recently and the product was disgusting. Dirty old cloth seats on a 757 with "screens" that were the size of a smart phone and looked like something straight out of the 80's.
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Old Mar 24, 2017, 1:38 pm
  #45  
 
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Originally Posted by minnyfly

UA hasn't downgraded anything in NYC-SFO/LAX. Not sure what you're talking about. The domestic 777s that are scheduled for SFO-BOS are a minority of the flights and are comparable to preferable to any narrowbody in back if you can live without the PTV. The fact that DL is doing this to SFO-BOS and not LAX-BOS indicates to me that they are playing catchup to UA before they even launch their route.
UA explicitly moved the NYC flights to "united business" versus "polaris business" - my point is that they are not putting these flights in the "international premium cabin" category as Delta is.

Second, the 777s are strictly worse than every narrowbody in the back given the 10-across squeeze.
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