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Old Feb 23, 2019, 8:07 pm
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LAX-MIA Route

I recall flying this route a couple of times in the past year or two, but don't see it on the schedule this year. Has delta permanently dropped this route? Strange that they'd drop a route between two major markets, especially when they are trying to grow their presence at LAX and are spending upward of $2B for the terminal 2/3 renovation.
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Old Feb 23, 2019, 9:29 pm
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Originally Posted by vv46
I recall flying this route a couple of times in the past year or two, but don't see it on the schedule this year. Has delta permanently dropped this route? Strange that they'd drop a route between two major markets, especially when they are trying to grow their presence at LAX and are spending upward of $2B for the terminal 2/3 renovation.

I'm not sure if they have dropped it or not, but the terminal renovation has not, at least yet, added any capacity, thats a few years (at least) away.

Also, there are so many easy LAX-ATL-MIA connections that I'm not surprised that they would not prioritize this route. Also not sure I would call MIA a "major market" when it comes to LAX.
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Old Feb 23, 2019, 11:29 pm
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Originally Posted by jdrtravel
I'm not sure if they have dropped it or not, but the terminal renovation has not, at least yet, added any capacity, thats a few years (at least) away.

Also, there are so many easy LAX-ATL-MIA connections that I'm not surprised that they would not prioritize this route. Also not sure I would call MIA a "major market" when it comes to LAX.
Plus AA owns any traffic ex-MIA to the point of running a 772 that's turning into a 77W this summer. While DL is growing their LAX presence it is by no means a hub and running LAX - MIA would be a bloodbath with AA and wouldn't provide significant value over the ATL connection for DL loyalists (the connection is only 200 miles longer)
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 4:55 am
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It's not just AA on LAX-MIA. It's Alaska, Spirit, and JetBlue non-stop on LAX-FLL depressing average fares in the market. Good for passengers. Not so good trying to be the 5th carrier in the market.
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 9:35 am
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The flight was often a red-eye (LAX-MIA) with V and X fares to be had until a week or two before departure, with the flight rarely sold out, so I'm sure that loads and profits on this route were poor.
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 9:56 am
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I was wondering about this route as well. The times were actually decent for getting work done on either coast.
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 2:26 pm
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Yep, I used to travel on the route for work trips to MIA. I think the timings shifted around quite a bit, and there was a time when there was a day flight from LAX-MIA departing around 10 am PT, and the return was an early 6-7 am out of MIA. The additional 3-4 hours it takes to connect in ATL is not ideal.

The reason I ask is that AA somehow manages to fly 3 non stops daily from LAX to ATL despite absolutely no onward connections from ATL. If Delta is serious about matching AA at LAX, I think they need to at least have a daily flight to a place like MIA.
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 2:31 pm
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Originally Posted by vv46
Yep, I used to travel on the route for work trips to MIA. I think the timings shifted around quite a bit, and there was a time when there was a day flight from LAX-MIA departing around 10 am PT, and the return was an early 6-7 am out of MIA. The additional 3-4 hours it takes to connect in ATL is not ideal.

The reason I ask is that AA somehow manages to fly 3 non stops daily from LAX to ATL despite absolutely no onward connections from ATL. If Delta is serious about matching AA at LAX, I think they need to at least have a daily flight to a place like MIA.

It's all about market demand. You may need LAX- MIA service but apparently not enough other DL pax do.

Also, if you are comfortable with a tight connection, the ATL connection only needs to add two hours, not three of four. This is just one of those cases where you need to decide if staying with DL or flying nonstop is more valuable.
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 2:34 pm
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Absolutely right. I'm just wondering how AA is able to make 3 nonstop work daily to ATL, and DL can't even make one nonstop work to MIA. I would have thought that there would be enough domestic and onward connections for passengers from MIA (Sydney, ICN, HND, and other west coast) to make it work.
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 3:42 pm
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Originally Posted by vv46
Absolutely right. I'm just wondering how AA is able to make 3 nonstop work daily to ATL, and DL can't even make one nonstop work to MIA. I would have thought that there would be enough domestic and onward connections for passengers from MIA (Sydney, ICN, HND, and other west coast) to make it work.
Only flight that requires LAX is SYD. Presumably DL has decided it's not worth running something like an A319 just for SYD passengers and instead counts on DL loyalists to book MIA - ATL - LAX - SYD or book away to AA on MIA - LAX - SYD or UA on MIA - IAH - SYD.

All other primary TPAC and the majority of west coast can be accessed with one-stop on MIA - ATL / DTW / MSP - XYZ
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 3:47 pm
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Originally Posted by vv46
Yep, I used to travel on the route for work trips to MIA. I think the timings shifted around quite a bit, and there was a time when there was a day flight from LAX-MIA departing around 10 am PT, and the return was an early 6-7 am out of MIA. The additional 3-4 hours it takes to connect in ATL is not ideal.

The reason I ask is that AA somehow manages to fly 3 non stops daily from LAX to ATL despite absolutely no onward connections from ATL. If Delta is serious about matching AA at LAX, I think they need to at least have a daily flight to a place like MIA.
AA sells numerous flights that connect via ATL. Not sure their reasoning, but there is definitely onward connections.
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 5:02 pm
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These all the AA flights from ATL. AA Mainline: Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor American Eagle:Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Miami, New York–LaGuardia, Washington–National


Not sure how many folks would connect to NY, Philly, DCA, or Charlotte via ATL from LAX vs taking a direct flight?
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 5:45 pm
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Originally Posted by vv46
Absolutely right. I'm just wondering how AA is able to make 3 nonstop work daily to ATL, and DL can't even make one nonstop work to MIA. I would have thought that there would be enough domestic and onward connections for passengers from MIA (Sydney, ICN, HND, and other west coast) to make it work.
What do you mean "make it work." They probably could make LAX-MIA work, along with countless other city pairs they don't currently serve, but have apparently decided there are more profitable places elsewhere on the network to utilize their assets.
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 5:55 pm
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Originally Posted by Duke787
While DL is growing their LAX presence it is by no means a hub

Wait, what? That's news to Delta. LAX is definitely a hub (10M passengers/year). If it's not, then SEA is definitely not a hub (7M pax) and SLC probably isn't either (11M passengers/year).

Not every airport can be an 80M/year hub like Atlanta.

Not having LAX-MIA is just typical Delta revenue management. They won't run a money-losing route even if it connects two large cities. This is an endemic issue for a lot of their hubs. SEA doesn't service something like 5 or 6 of the largest US cities for the same reason (they're competitor hubs). Houston, Phoenix, Miami, and Chicago are the cities that Delta basically ignores from all of their "secondary" hubs.
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Old Feb 24, 2019, 6:45 pm
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Originally Posted by flyerCO
AA sells numerous flights that connect via ATL. Not sure their reasoning, but there is definitely onward connections.
AA also has connections to/from ATL via MIA to/from numerous destinations in Central, South America and the Caribbean. I've also seen AA from MIA offering connections via ATL to places like PHX and DFW (they also offer connections via MCO and TPA). In regards to LAX-MIA I thought DL relocated that flight to FLL?

Also, all but maybe one AA LAX-MIA nonstop is either 737s or A320 types. Not great for a 6 hour flight. I was on a morning MIA-ATL AA flight and it seemed like quite a few people connecting from South American flights.
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