3Cforme

Trying to stay on-topic, I don't believe that DL has resources available in the summer schedule to take up the slack - not without cutting something else.

Work has shown widebody aircraft utilization to be quite high.

Other work has shown that DL is planning very high reserve pilot crew utilization across some fleet types.

It's not as if they could just pick up half a dozen 333s or 777s in a week, open a bid, staff, and train replacements for the crew who bid up. By the time September rolls around the crisis/opportunity may be largely over.

flyerCO

Funny..German efficiency and aviation are two things that don't go together nowadays. The new Berlin airport finished construction a few years ago and it's still not open to traffic.

kop84

Theoretically, while not an expert, I bet DL could find some markets to down gauge freeing up some planes/crews. OR if AF/KL have some slack in their fleet they could each pick up three current DL metal flights to CDG/AMS respectively that would free up the planes/crews without even increasing DL's flight loads.

But AZ is unlikely to just stop flying TATL in the near future.

And DL is supposed to start taking delivery of the first of the 350's in the fall (I think) right after summer travel season ends, and that frees up the extra capacity to add the flights.

I'm not saying it's likely, but I'm saying there very likely is a way DL could do it if they wanted to...especially if it meant sticking it to EY even a little bit

danielonn

Could Delta/Air France take over Alitalia and their planes and operate it under a Codeshare where the flights and infrastructure stay AZ but its operated by Alitalia dba Air France, Delta and KLM just like Delta does with their Express Flights operated by Compass Air?

Then all AZ passengers would not notice a difference just that Delta Air France KLM take over the operations to keep Alitalia but under the finances of the other SKy Team partners?

readywhenyouare

LOL you just gave Delta's pilot union a heart attack. They absolutely hate codeshares. They threw a huge fit about the codeshare with VS.

KDCAflyer

From a practical standpoint, no one should worry if they used SkyMiles to book an AZ seat. DL will rebook you onto an alternative itinerary.

If (for some reason) you used AZ miles for DL metal, I'm not sure what would happen in that situation.

Worcester

Italy does not have an equivalent of Chapter 11, in fact it has some of the harshest bankrupty laws in the developed world.

Mist likley is is the state will muddle something together to keep it flying another 12 months. Unless the EU steps in for a mercy killing.

The Situation

I think the safe bet is that they will simply restructure (i.e. lay off a bunch of people, renegotiate with unions and discount some debt). Doesn't mean some people don't have some creative ideas running through their minds. I would imagine some stakeholders would like to see AZ chopped up, but it would be too complicated from a regulatory and practical standpoint to have the domestic/intra-EU flights as a codeshare split between 3 skyteam members especially w/ uncertainty about the future of the EU.

kop84

AZ basically already severed it's EU relationship with AF/KL.

And I'm guessing if you hooked up the leadership of DL/AF/KL to a lie detector test and asked them if they would prefer working with AZ, or just have it drug out back and shot, and they'ed pick up the slack to FCO, you'd get the answer you expect.

kop84

The only worry I would have is if you're going to somewhere like CTA where there isn't another SkyTeam option.

Other than that I wouldn't worry.

KDCAflyer

CTA has KLM service. For cities where AZ is the only option, I would hope that DL would do what they did when NRT-BKK was dropped. Fly pax into FRA or something and send them the rest of the way on LH.

jbeans

Would Delta care if the availability costs more points? When I booked my flight it was only 62.5k Skymiles each way in J on AZ. Currently there's a Delta flight on the same day but it costs way more. If AZ goes away, would they be obligated to book me on the Delta flight without any additional miles?

flyerCO

AZ has slowly been moving iut of ST. Etihad owns a major chunk of AZ and is the only reason AZ is still alive. AF/KL aren't going to be doing anything in regards to AZ.

nolesaid

And if you booked an AZ seat through DL on 006 ticket stock (revenue, not SkyMiles), how much flexibility would there be in the rebook? I'm supposed to be flying MXP-JFK on AZ in late May, and am wondering if instead of the DL nonstop (which is inconveniently early for me that day), I could do a XXX-AMS/CDG-JFK on KL/AF...

And relatedly, how soon can one contact DL about making such proactive changes? Or should I just wait and see if the flight is eventually cancelled?

Dieuwer

Another thing to keep in mind: what makes people think there are actually open seats available on DL metal early summer? Sure, you may get your Skymiles back in case AZ folds, but that does not mean there is anything available as substitution.