As many who fly the route will know, DL has been loading up the ATL to IAH route with crop dusters... especially in the summer when regional jets "do so well" between two of the most weather-impacted airports in the south.

I checked for a Sunday in August... 7 flights rom ATL to IAH and four are now sardine cans.

For a while, connecting through DTW and flying a real jet was a refreshing alternative to connecting thru ATL and flying in a beer can. Now, of the 5 flights from DTW to IAH, 4 of the 5 flights are on puddle jumpers.

Looks like DL/NW are shifting flights from the east coast (my origination) to connections thru MEM and, as one might imagine, MEM to IAH is on a Barbie jet.

So, the rhetorical question is... how long will it be before climbing onto a narrow tube of discomfort is the only way to fly from the east coast to IAH on DL/NW?

The more ponderable question is... what form of financial benefit does DL achieve by throwing reliable service and customer comfort out the window in order to put these tiny tin cans on routes between major metropolitan airports?