DL Mainline Returns To AVL, CHA, ROA, TRI, ILM Fall 2012
 

DL is adding more mainline flying back to routes out of ATL that traditionally have not seen DL mainline service much, if not all for a better part of the decade.

Most of the flights are RON flights, leaving ATL in the evening, departing for ATL in the morning. In many markets they are compensating with the reduction of a CRJ frequency. This is adding more capacity at peak travel times and adding a 2-class service on the more popular business flights. Note that most other service throughout the day will remain on 50 seat CRJs

AVL: DC-9-50 (Sept 2012)
CHA: DC-9-50 (Sept 2012
ROA: A319 (Sept 2012)
TRI: DC-9-50 (Sept 2012)
ILM: DC-9-50 (October 2012) (ILM goes from 6x CRJ to 4x CRJ, 1x CR7, 1x CR9 in Sept, and to 4x CRJ, 1x CR7, 1x D95 in Oct)

Additional ATL upgauging:
GSO: Going from: 4x CRJ, 1x CR7, 2x D95, 2x M88, 73W To: 1x CRJ, 1x CR7, 6x M88
FAY: DC-9-50 upgauged to MD88
MOB: Going from 7x CRJ, 1x A319, 1x MD88; To: 6x CRJ, 1x A319, 2x DC-9-50

Some additional service changes coming this fall too:
ATL-ONT ends on 9/4/12
DTW-HKG ends on 8/3/12 (previously mentioned)
ATL-DAL starts 9/5/12 (previously mentioned, MEM-DAL stays for now)
MSP-APN starts 9/5/12 (EAS route- MSP-APN daily, DTW-APN weekdays only)

I'm pretty sure this is due to the contract negotiations DL made with it's pilots. There is a thread around here somewhere about it. Basically DL promised to give them more hours, and decrease usage of regional partner airlines (Pinnacle, SkyWest, etc). Meaning the CRJs and such will be replaced with mainline equipment.

Well yes, but that was in part due to the deal to acquire the 717s starting in 2013.

This is essentially starting that process earlier using existing equipment. This more or less shows why DL is planning to keep the remaining DC-9s around until the 717s start to arrive.

In addition, many of these markets were in need of additional capacity, and to appease elites on flights at peak business travel times during the day.

In the case of AVL at least, the motivation might be to avoid stranding too many pax in ATL at the end of the day. The performance of the CRJ's becomes something close to atrocious as the aircraft cycle through the flying day.

For the view from CHA, see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...attanooga.html

CAK goes completely mainline in September to ATL ( was 2x CR7, 1x CR9, 1x M88, will be 3x M88 ). CLE goes from 2x 319, 1x M88, 1x M90, 2x CR9 to 1x 319, 4x M88 and 1x CR9 to ATL as well.

What interesting is no other hub gets planes larger than a CRJ to either CLE or CAK. Is there that much demand on the ATL routes versus DTW/MSP?

Wow mainline to ILM...thought it would never happen. :)

However, the DC-9-50 stops on 1-Dec-12.

I'd give anything for DL to upgrade service at MDT. I usually try to fly into PHL or BWI to avoid 90 minutes in the torture tube.

Insanity! ROA's largest aircraft right now from Delta is a plain old CRJ. Upgauging that all the way from 50 seats to a 319 (not even a DC-9) is really surprising. The only time I remember an FC-capable aircraft visiting in recent history was for Virginia Tech bowl games... and that was a CRJ-700.

Will the ground handling go mainline too or will it be RegionalElite contract handling?

Yep – that plus that fact that New Belgian, Sierra Nevada and Oskar Blues are all building breweries here. Traffic to BeerCity USA is just going to keep growing.

I've wondered things like that before as well, specifically regarding DTW. One example is ORD/MDW, but especially MDW. All mainline (but for 1) to ATL, but lots of RJs sprinkled in to DTW and MSP (at least they're with F) and MDW is even worse, with all mainline to ATL and all CR2 to DTW.

I guess Chicago is a bit peculiar in that connecting over DTW would only be necessary for eastbound flights (as MSP would be preferred going west), and New York is a big eastbound destination, but which is served direct from ORD...so remove that, and demand is less for a NE-headed flight.