Originally Posted by
contrails
Well I guess it isn't all bad news for the Shuttle downgrade; here's something posted from airliners.net:
-The LGA-BOS route averages a 37% load factor and loses about $1 million per month
-DL is still the market share leader on the LGA-BOS sector.
The A319s will shift back to the domestic hub and spoke system and appear on the following:
-JFK-BOS: 4x daily and cancel the 6x daily OH CRJ-900 flights
-LGA-JAX: Equipment upgrade
-LGA-PWM: Replace an OH CRJ-900
-DTW-DFW: Upgrade a CRJ-900 flight
-DTW-MCI: Upgrade a CRJ-900 flight
-ATL-ORD/LIT/HOU: Upgrade one flight each
Zero sum gain in terms of flying. More RJs in LGA, fewer in other places...
Obviously Delta decides where to put the jets.
The company will make more money, so that's a plus...
It just makes the "we'll upgauge as the market develops" line a little questionable...LGA ORD is the biggest market and it's 100% RJs...
And as we become more "vertically integrated" as a company by buying an oil refinery (a good thing IMHO) we continue to outsource our core competency to third party vendors because it's all the same...
Cheers
George