FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Has DL Cut too many flights? Analysis and discussion of schedule cuts.
Old May 25, 2020, 6:14 pm
  #3  
GagaPilot
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: ANC
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Posts: 1,856
Originally Posted by coke cans and winglets
Here's my five cents on this, I think you might be reading a little too much into this, hear me out, I don't think anyone in here is advocating for Delta to completely keep their full schedule which would cost them a lot more than they're losing right now. Anyone who suggests a full schedule right now clearly doesn't understand how supply and demand works. I think we have common ground there. I think their points are that Delta has just cut too deep which I can attest to. I know you disagree but from what I've seen at least for June, Delta has consolidated way too many flights through ATL and SLC making it impossible for a lot of people to make connections (could be based on when the flight from a person's originating city may be or due to flights just being sold out and/or oversold). I am just going to use ATL-SLC as an example since that is a route I frequent. There are a lot of dates in June where that routing is a complete PITA due to most if not all of the nonstops being sold out or oversold (big problem in early June). I have a flight booked from ATL-SLC on June 3rd, wanted to go June 2nd but couldn't since everything except an 8AM flight at time of booking was full or I could connect for an obscene price. Ended up snagging a seat on the 3rd and now every nonstop on the 3rd is full too. I don't remember if it was you but I talked about the situation on the 2nd with someone and they said "oh it's schedule change Saturday stuff is gonna open up don't worry about it", it's been two weeks and no nonstop options have opened up except for that 8AM flight. As a matter of fact, my uncle who works for Delta who I called two days after the schedule change said several of those flights were oversold by at least 70 one of them by 92, I'm sure that is changed but do you really see 92 people on a 199 seat 757 with social distancing requirements in place making it more like 119 seats canceling? Not to mention the fact that my uncle also said Delta royally screwed up with June and July, I'd trust his point of view on this more than just about anyone else's. Do you really see that many people canceling schedule change, COVID, or any situation when it feels like most of Delta's flights have been consolidated through ATL and SLC which multiple people on this forum have pointed out? When I booked the flight on the 3rd there were only 2 available flights, one at 8AM, and one at 1:50PM, I got a seat on the 1:50, now everything is full or oversold. So yes, I would say Delta has underestimated demand especially if American, that's right, American has better options on a Delta hub to hub route than Delta did at time of booking. Not near as many people are canceling as Delta thought clearly even as flights are still filling up considerably well after schedule changes.
Very well said! Delta has indeed cut way too deep for June and July (and the latter part of May too, but that is almost in the past). Nice to hear your uncle's perspective coming from a DL insider. As an airline pilot myself I can attest to the demand is coming back much faster than what DL's scheduling department predicted and they have gotten themselves in a real bind.
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