StayingHomeIsBetter

What is most lacking is the lack of a club at IAH.

(I miss the old club.)

Beckles

While they have certainly announced they would like a bigger presence at Love, they've only said they want to add service to their hubs that is currently not allowed under Wright, not to debate a term like 'big presence', but I wouldn't consider just hub service to be a 'big presence' at an airport, that's what any airport serving a metropolitan area its size would have (if not more).

youngdlplat

I guess I'm foolish for thinking Delta would want to compete for corporate contracts including all the major energy companies and the subsidiary service companies not to mention private equity firms and the like (or medical contracts, for that matter, since Houston has the largest medical center in the world now). I would think there is a major competitive advantage DL would build were it to build up service some at HOU. DL has invested in focus cities in RDU and BNA (note, BNA has a lot of WN service, just like HOU). Yet the amount of business traffic available in those cities is smaller than Houston.

You're probably right that DL is profitable now and simply doesn't care to try and gain even more market share. But as one who lives in the loop and works downtown, IAH is very inconvenient. The same is true of many Houstonians. There is a strong opportunity for a legacy at HOU (as I said, analogize it to DCA).

youngdlplat

Agree, DL's service to the West Coast is particularly lacking. A simple flight or two to LAX would make a big difference. Most of the time DL wants to route me through ATL to fly to CA. It's one thing to go a little out of the day, but two hours of the way is a bit much.

pbarnette

In your opinion, why are UA and AA similarly not "competing" in SEA, MSP, ATL, DTW, etc. at the same levels DL does?

Chasing market share is a losing strategy in the airline industry.

StayingHomeIsBetter

Don't forget, now that DL is a refiner, those major energy companies are competitors...

DaveNC

Indeed. Even a mini club would make flying out of there less painful -- it would be different if it were a modern terminal.

worldwidedreamer

As a DL SkyClub member I have never encountered any difficulty entering the amazing KL lounge at IAH---it really blows domestic SCs out of the water.

StayingHomeIsBetter

See bolding above... that is setting the praise threshold pretty low.

But, KL lounge might not be much help when you are flying DL domestic out of Terminal A. How long does it talk to get from A to D via the train?

StayingHomeIsBetter

Used to have one. Accessible via a stairway just down the hall to the left of the current DL check-in area.

It was a nice little club.

uavking

It's a pretty easy five minutes. The killer, though, is the odd hours that never really seem to match what KLM publishes on its own website. Especially when there's only one flight departing to AMS and it closes pretty early (3 PM, I think?)

VladQ

Daily nonstops to/from SEA:
IAH-SEA DL9259 (operated by AS), SEA-IAH DL9202 (operated by AS).

TechMarauder

KLM recently extended the hours of the club in D (something like 10-7). This makes it much better.

I can't see DL adding a new flight to SEA (more likely that AS adds a second) unless AS gets closer to AA. LAX seems more likely with a E170/175 like LGA.

troyintn

Texas does not need DL, but enough of the DL strong holds do business in Texas to warrant the service. How many people from the Southeast, prefer and mainly fly DL, but choose CO/AA since DL does not have flights to Midland and decent service to ELP. Those two cities are booming with business flyers.

pbarnette

My condolences to anyone that has to take a business trip to Midland.