Delta is launching 4 exciting new routes, including Tahiti, Cape Town and Tel Aviv
Jul 29, 2022, 11:04 am
#17
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Good thought, only issue is the flight times to/from PPT. LAX-PPT is an 8 hour flight, just over 4k miles so you can run the route daily with a single aircraft (with 4 hour turns at either end for servicing the widebody). With 4,000 miles, you have a wide variety of widebody aircraft that would be capable of the distance. Running it from ATL-PPT means you can't use an aircraft like the 767 and you probably would have to assign 2 aircraft on the route instead of 1. So from Delta's perspective they'd rather keep running the 767's they have today ATL-LAX and offer a connection to a 1x a day LAX-PPT. It's just much better aircraft utilization.
Jul 29, 2022, 11:29 am
#19
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Jul 29, 2022, 11:40 am
#20
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Jul 29, 2022, 11:44 am
#21
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Jul 29, 2022, 11:51 am
#22
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Jul 29, 2022, 12:34 pm
#23
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Good thought, only issue is the flight times to/from PPT. LAX-PPT is an 8 hour flight, just over 4k miles so you can run the route daily with a single aircraft (with 4 hour turns at either end for servicing the widebody). With 4,000 miles, you have a wide variety of widebody aircraft that would be capable of the distance. Running it from ATL-PPT means you can't use an aircraft like the 767 and you probably would have to assign 2 aircraft on the route instead of 1. So from Delta's perspective they'd rather keep running the 767's they have today ATL-LAX and offer a connection to a 1x a day LAX-PPT. It's just much better aircraft utilization.
Jul 29, 2022, 12:44 pm
#24
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What's baffling is DL is choosing to fly LAX-PPT on the same three days a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays) as AF's LAX-PPT flights. It would've been more sensible for DL to operate on the non-AF flight days.
Jul 29, 2022, 12:57 pm
#25
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Plus AF and DL are supposed to be close partners! Figure it out!
Jul 29, 2022, 1:58 pm
#27
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Indeed. Some years ago, Air Tahiti Nui operated nonstop A340 service between New York and Papeete (and on some days this flight routed over LFT - I remember seeing the TN aircraft when it was flying at a somewhat lower altitude working its way around thunderstorms over southern Louisiana). However, it appears the route wasn't viable as it was subsequently discontinued.
Jul 29, 2022, 2:00 pm
#28
Join Date: Jul 2004
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AF actually flies the route 5x weekly (daily except Mon Wed). The good thing as I mentioned above is that the AF and DL flight times are completely opposite in both directions so it would still be quite helpful with the additional Delta-operated service.
Jul 29, 2022, 2:03 pm
#29
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Tahiti is actually included in the JV. Here’s an old article about AZ joining the JV back in 2009; about a few paragraphs in:
”….the joint venture’s geographic scope includes all flights between North America and Europe, between Amsterdam and India, and between North America and Tahiti…”
https://nieuws.klm.com/alitalia-join...joint-venture/
”….the joint venture’s geographic scope includes all flights between North America and Europe, between Amsterdam and India, and between North America and Tahiti…”
https://nieuws.klm.com/alitalia-join...joint-venture/