48% of Delta Revenue From Coach, Down From 63% Six Years Ago. D1/FC is 32%.
Dec 14, 2018, 3:13 pm
#31
Join Date: Feb 2017
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My holiday travel on DL has had worse UG %s of late than I was seeing on my M-TH business trips, and I chalk it up to DL making extremely low buy-up offers on flights that are probably 90-95% non-medallions. I've seen more than a few people sitting up front who must have skipped out on buying personal hygiene products and put that money towards an F buy up. It's a shame no domestic carrier actually enforces any sort of dress code anymore - then DL could deny boarding, keep whatever buy-up revenue they collected, and still have seats for UGs.
But yes, I agree with the jist of your post - Delta does aggressively sell leisure routes and non-biz travel days in F.
Dec 14, 2018, 4:03 pm
#32
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I'd say that the "once a year flyers always buying up to C+/F" theory has some legs. Every news story about airline ticket prices, holiday travel, etc makes "flying coach these days" out to be unbearable torture, and your average customer doesn't know enough to draw a distinction between the ULCCs and Basic economy fares that are highlighted in news segments and the regular DL economy product (which is an entirely tolerable experience). That scares a lot of once a year fliers into buying up to C+ or First, and Delta makes if VERY easy to do so.
My holiday travel on DL has had worse UG %s of late than I was seeing on my M-TH business trips, and I chalk it up to DL making extremely low buy-up offers on flights that are probably 90-95% non-medallions. I've seen more than a few people sitting up front who must have skipped out on buying personal hygiene products and put that money towards an F buy up. It's a shame no domestic carrier actually enforces any sort of dress code anymore - then DL could deny boarding, keep whatever buy-up revenue they collected, and still have seats for UGs.
My holiday travel on DL has had worse UG %s of late than I was seeing on my M-TH business trips, and I chalk it up to DL making extremely low buy-up offers on flights that are probably 90-95% non-medallions. I've seen more than a few people sitting up front who must have skipped out on buying personal hygiene products and put that money towards an F buy up. It's a shame no domestic carrier actually enforces any sort of dress code anymore - then DL could deny boarding, keep whatever buy-up revenue they collected, and still have seats for UGs.
I think my question would be "why am I paying for a product to get a bonus that would have previously made me eligible to get the product for free in the first place?" In other words, I'm not going to buy C+ for the MQMs, I'm going to ditch chasing MQMs and buy the best product at the price, regardless of carrier.
Dec 15, 2018, 1:57 am
#33
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Join Date: Jun 2005
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while I would take a C+ middle on a short domestic flight, I’ll take an aisle in the back of the bus over C+ on any long haul flight.
Dec 15, 2018, 5:33 am
#34
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Not surprising, since the underlying seats mapped into the premium bucket have nearly doubled (at least for domestic pax). It's a Investor speak slight of hand, IMHO
Dec 15, 2018, 5:49 am
#35
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They made the seats available and they're selling them - not giving them away. That sounds like successful strategy, not Corporate Communications spin.
Dec 15, 2018, 5:58 am
#36
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Not everybody on FT works for a for-profit company and not everyone who does has a profit-sharing or profit-linked bonus structure in their compensation. But, many do. How many of those people are prepared to take a pay cut to give away as a freebie what can be sold to a public which demands and is willing to pay for the product?
Put another way, if there is demand out there for an F product at a given price and DL does not meet that demand, someone will.
Dec 15, 2018, 6:07 am
#37
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Often1, I work in consulting and counsel clients all the time on how to maximize revenue and profits. In this particular instance, I added extra snark mostly because I hate how cramped planes have become. EC (and all of their cousins on other airlines) is pretty much a legacy, yet rebranded, coach seat (with alcohol thrown in)....IMHO. Do I understand why DL made this change? Yes. Do I like it or regularly buy into the schtick? No.
Now, back to the regularly scheduled program...
Now, back to the regularly scheduled program...
Dec 15, 2018, 6:17 am
#38
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If you look at the actual slide deck, you'll see that they go back to 2011 and Economy Comfort as part of premium upsell offerings. So, the number of seats involved haven't really changed in 7 years, they've just monetized them better. Yes, C+ is not a real "Premium Economy" product. People getting upset about the use of the word "premium" are pretty much missing the point.
Dec 15, 2018, 6:44 am
#39
Join Date: Jan 2010
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LBJ,I admit I did not look at the presentation (I have to look at loads of these for my clients, so I try to avoid extra curricular reading like this :
) Has EC really been in the inventory since 2011? Wow, my memory failed me. Thank you for that clarification.
) Has EC really been in the inventory since 2011? Wow, my memory failed me. Thank you for that clarification.
Dec 15, 2018, 7:17 am
#40
Join Date: Aug 2017
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that's one of the prime movers to the stupid boarding change and the change to Delta One. Notice the trial balloon was the elimination of the Medallion upgrade to transcon D1.
They will make the C+ sections larger, and try to sell every D1 seat.
Dec 15, 2018, 7:18 am
#41
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what makes you think these aren't medallions?
Dec 15, 2018, 10:54 am
#42
Join Date: Jul 2005
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Agreed, though maybe on the 757, first row of comfort plus exit row, traveling across the country is for me an upgrade and worth paying for. But on regular flights less the three hours, can't for the life of me see any real difference between Economy and Comfort Plus. Have to love the way it is marketed though, "dedicated bin space" well I got that on my SEA-SNA flight in Economy on Friday, coffee and snacks looked the same as in Comfort plus
Dec 15, 2018, 10:18 pm
#44
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It's been clear for at least a year that DL intends to make everyone believe that Medallion upgrades to C+ are upgrades.
that's one of the prime movers to the stupid boarding change and the change to Delta One. Notice the trial balloon was the elimination of the Medallion upgrade to transcon D1.
that's one of the prime movers to the stupid boarding change and the change to Delta One. Notice the trial balloon was the elimination of the Medallion upgrade to transcon D1.