Originally Posted by
nypdLieu
Why is it that you,and others, seem to think that DL's premium cabin is only filled with nonrevs? What kind of inside information do you have to back that up with?
Sure,there are some routes certain times of the year where you will most likely find more Non revs then paying pax, but you make your statement seem like its a blanket statement.
As DL's product gets revamped, I would gladly pay more to fly on the upper deck of a 747 in a 1 - 1 config then that of UA's 2 - 2 747 config. I'm not the only one either as Delta's international long haul fleet, once complete, will leave the competition in the dust... more and more corporations will pay the extra $$$$ to have that flat bed, direct aisle acess.
I would not claim knowing the exact numbers, but countless personal experiences and info from FAs (limited as it is, admittedly) tell that BE filled with non-revs (or, on occasion, flown pretty much empty, and on other occasions filled with gate UG from the oversold Y cabin) is a standard occurrence, not an exception.
All the talk about "protecting their business product" is laughable! Recent examples include LAX-HND, ATL-LGW, JFK-LHR, JFK-SVO, NRT-HKG, NRT-BKK, ...
Sorry, but I cannot agree that DL fleet will "leave the competition in the dust." First, I am flying now, not in the future, and second I am not about to pay 2-3x for a product that is not worth that high a premium (and am definitely not paying these ridiculous fares for the "premium" routes such as LAX/SFO-TYO, JFK-SVO flown in the old recliners; I personally find ex-NWA A330 recliners even worse than old BE). Add to that the declining quality of the soft product, especially noticeable on the TPAC routes (for which even the improved hard shell would not compensate), and the decision becomes a no-brainer, unless you are spending someone else's money are are careless doing so.