Skyteam - TPA Int'l Routes??
Nov 19, 2014, 4:50 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 3
Skyteam - TPA Int'l Routes??
I live in TPA and for over 7yrs, I have been Gold/Platinum w/ Delta. I fly at least 4 or 5 trips internationally every year and w/ the new announcement from Lufthansa to add a non-stop flight b/w FRA and TPA, I wonder why Skyteam is not adding a route to connect TPA to either CDG or AMS. Both Star Alliance and One World have direct flights to Europe (Lon, Zurich, and now FRA) from Tampa. The Skyteam lounge is always packed w/ passengers going internationally! If Skyteam does not add a route to Europe, life would be much easier if I switch to a star alliance airline.
Nov 19, 2014, 7:03 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Pagus Bracbatensis, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Programs: DL SPlat, KLM Bump, Privium Plus, GOES
Posts: 2,066
Why not? Seems to work for average airports in Europe. Got AMS, BRU, DUS at around 100 miles. CDG is around 200 miles, LHR 250 miles from me.
Nov 19, 2014, 7:24 am
#5
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Pagus Bracbatensis, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Programs: DL SPlat, KLM Bump, Privium Plus, GOES
Posts: 2,066
At NRN there are more foreign license plates then german ones at times.
Nov 19, 2014, 7:45 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
Go for it. Network coverage is among the best reasons to change carriers. If your travel is heavily weighted on TPA-FRA/ZRH you could save a lot of time. If you also routinely travel to MAD, FCO, CDG and a host of other cities, the availability of connections via Atlanta (and ~15 flights a day TPA-ATL) shouldn't be ignored.
Nov 22, 2014, 3:22 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 3
Thanks for all the responses. I do connect to various places in Europe and ME beyond FRA/ZRH/CDG/AMS, so any of those stops would work for me. I am a big fan of Delta but the lack of direct international route out of TPA is going to force me to switch to Lufthansa. I am going to try to get a status match w/ Lufthansa in 2015 and start flying them out of TPA. Delta has ignored the int'l market in TPA even though the agents here tell me that we have one of the highest concentration of elite members in the nation.
Nov 22, 2014, 4:21 pm
#8
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: KUL/TPA/OTP
Programs: UA1k, DL
Posts: 3,138
Nonsense. Delta serves the TPA market quite well. I've been to countless countries across the globe via a one-stop in ATL, JFK, or DTW. Would I like a DL flight to CDG or AMS from TPA, sure. But, I cannot agree with you concerning DL ignoring the INT market in TPA. No way...
Nov 22, 2014, 4:49 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 3
take it easy Denolloyd, I am not criticizing delta. I am a big fan too. I usually avoid going through ATL, and instead go through JFK - I am w/ you but if I have to make another stop in Europe, that's 2 and that's why having a direct flight to CDG or AMS would be ideal. Not to mention the impact that flight will have on local economy.
Nov 22, 2014, 5:20 pm
#10
In memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PIT
Programs: DM life is over 2MM PM now & NW MillionAir Wyndham Rewards Plat -Hotels.com Silver -Accor Silver
Posts: 15,408
What is the correlation between number of Elites in a city and filling up large international sized planes? Frequently, when I look at seat maps for TATL flights, the EC and Preferred seats are WIDE OPEN, while the "cattle" portion of the plane is full.
Last edited by davetravels; Nov 22, 2014 at 5:47 pm
Nov 22, 2014, 5:46 pm
#11
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
Would you be connecting to any of the ~25 trans-Atlantic destinations served by DL from ATL or JFK? If so, TPA-FRA-XXX may not be any better than TPA-ATL or JFK-XXX.
Nov 22, 2014, 6:01 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: BOS, BWI, DCA, IAD
Programs: American, Delta, JetBlue, United
Posts: 2,049
Is KLM allowed to fly its planes from BRU or DUS nonstop to North America?
Nov 22, 2014, 6:47 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: TPA
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 259
In another thread they just said that DL will run a PHL - LHR flight. Why does that make more sense then TPA? TPA, FL in general, is a tourist destination and central to all the locations in FL. 60 min from the mouse, 30 min from gulf beaches. I think it would make more sense for the ST member to fly to TPA then necessarily DL to make those runs. But I agree with the OP, I myself have often wondering why not more Intl routes. The airport also regularly ranks as one of the best for service.
Nov 22, 2014, 6:59 pm
#15
In memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PIT
Programs: DM life is over 2MM PM now & NW MillionAir Wyndham Rewards Plat -Hotels.com Silver -Accor Silver
Posts: 15,408
In another thread they just said that DL will run a PHL - LHR flight. Why does that make more sense then TPA? TPA, FL in general, is a tourist destination and central to all the locations in FL. 60 min from the mouse, 30 min from gulf beaches. I think it would make more sense for the ST member to fly to TPA then necessarily DL to make those runs. But I agree with the OP, I myself have often wondering why not more Intl routes. The airport also regularly ranks as one of the best for service.