MastaHanky

Weren't they supposed to come online last month? Haven't heard a peep about them lately.

DAL767-400ER

Yes, they were supposed to come online last month, but as with the E70s for UAX, Wexford (the holding company of CHQ, Republic and Shuttle America) once again had trouble certifying their carrier, in this case Shuttle America, for E70 routes, but it seems those hurdles have been overcome, and in the not too distant future we will see the first routes announced. SLC-MZT is already planned, depending on government approval, which hints that they will (at least parts of the fleet) be based at SLC, which in turn hints at routes such as SLC-CMH (CHQ HQ), SLC-JAX (high FF base in JAX) and even more Mexico routes. Chances are that some E70s will also be based at JFK, to be more effective than the CRJs against JB's soon arriving E90s, and also for new routes, such as the rumored JFK-MIA route.

ComAirKid

Will there be an F seats or is this wishful dreaming?

indufan

My understanding is that they will have a FC section but I have no official word.

MAH4546

The first four routes will be announced next week from SLC. Two new routes, one existing route complimenting mainline, and one existing route where it will replace mainline.

Routes along the lines of Salt Lake City-Colombus and Salt Lake City-Jacksonville are ideal for the new aircraft, so expect stuff like that. Routes from SLC to thinner markets east of the Mississippi.

Delta is also contemplating using them on medium-haul markets from JFK, like Miami, to compete with jetBlue. That's still undecided.

indufan

Whatever happened to the SLC expansion? They don't have even close to 13 new destinations, do they?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=353044

MastaHanky

It already happened.

From that same thread:

Austin, TX - 3 connection flights (old route, brought back)
Burbank, CA - 3 connection flights (old route, brought back)
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - 1 mainline flight (new route)
El Paso, TX - 3 connection flights (old route, brought back)
Fayetteville, AR - 2 connection flights (new route)
Ft. Lauderdale, FL - 2 mainline flights (new route)
Hayden, CO - 1 mainline flight (old route, brought back)
Little Rock, Ark. - 2 connection flights (new route)
Maui - 1 mainline flight to begin in May '05 (new route)
New Orleans - 2 mainline flights (old route, brought back)
San Antonio - 3 connection flights (old route, brought back)
Tampa, Fla. - 2 mainline flights (new route)
Wichita, Kan. - 3 connection flights (new route)

Wichita has already been dropped due to DL's spat with the city's Airtran payouts. Springfield, MO came online immediately afterwards. I imagine it's performing as well as Fayetteville.

mtparadis

SLC-RDU just started this summer as well.

ConnFlyer

You can also add:

Lewiston, ID 2xCRJ
Medford, OR 3xCRJ
Redmond/Bend, OR 2xCRJ
Monterey, CA 2x CRJ
Bakersfield, CA 2x CRJ
Fairbanks, AK 1x738 (seasonal)
Baltimore, MD 1x738
Raleigh-Durham, NC 1x738
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 1x738 (starts Nov. 1)
Kona, HI 1x764 (starts Dec. 1)

SLC has performed better than I think even DL expected which is why SLC is growing more rapidly than other parts of DL's network.

MAH4546

You might be able to add Miami to that list soon. Daily 738 is strongly rumoured to start this winter. Mazatlan, Mexico will also launch this fall.

Also, the three daily Wichita flights ended in July because of the whole airTran/Delta subsidies dispute. It was replaced with three dailies to Springfield/Branson, Missouri.

DAL767-400ER

They will have a first class. IIRC, the layout will be F6Y64, to stay under DL's Scope Clauses.
How much more expansion do you want? Aside from ATL, SLC has seen the strongest growth of all hubs/focus cities in DL's system. SLC has already gotten 21 new destinations, a further 2 are already confirmed, another is applied for, some others might come through SCAG, and not to forget the new destinations that will come with the E70s that are not official yet. Considering the fact that most experts expected DL to sooner or later close down their SLC hub, I'd say there is really no reason at all to complain about a perceived lack of expansion.

MastaHanky

I thought that Miami may have been one of the first expansion destinations they added. Obviously I was wrong, but I'd still enjoy seeing it...MIA is the last major east coast city that doesn't see non-stop service from SLC.


I think an SLC-NRT non-stop is inevitable. The Asian population of SLC has soared lately. A family of four from Seoul recently moved in down the street from me, bringing the total Asian population of SLC up to 17 people.

ClipperDelta

They'll have problems with NRT, not least because they don't have any NRT slots left (all sold after dropping LAX/JFK-NRT)...but hey, I'm sure they'll start an SLC-ICN to connect with KE since the Korean family just moved in

MAH4546

Yeah. Delta has done very well on Fort Lauderdale-Salt Lake City, and one of the flights is going to be a 757 this winter.

Considering Delta is the second largest airline in Miami/Lauderdale after AA, I still don't get why they don't do an MIA-SLC flight. Just the ski traffic could fill that flight. Miami has non-stops to Vail during ski season, but not Salt Lake?

Delta will also be getting an incentive package for the MIA-SLC flight, a very heavy discount on landing fees, which is why this route is looking likely.

DAL767-400ER

Oh yeah, I can already see the once-weekly A330 to ICN. Hey, if KE manages to do that with a city like PRG that relies only on O&D, they should be able to do it from a connection city like SLC .

Incentive, love that word . What is DL's current gate situation at MIA anyway? I'm sure they have plenty of space left for more flights at the gates they have at the moment.