Originally Posted by
johnso29
If CRJ900s are replacing our older NB jets, then what's replacing the 400+ 50 seaters that are being parked? Also ANC & MEM were closed, but CVG was not. So which way will SLC & MSP go? Staying open like CVG, or closing like MEM & ANC?
Nothing. Capacity reduction.
An article from the New York Times hit it square on the head back in 2012.
"..., the cramped 50-seat regional jets that were the backbone of service for midsize and smaller markets are disappearing. In some markets, that means service is being eliminated. In others, though, it means reduced schedules on fewer routes, served by slightly bigger planes like the Bombardier CRJ-700, which is a stretched version of the older 50-seat CRJ-200." -Joe Sharkey, New York Times
A few things happened to make this even more lucrative to Delta. We ratified the new contract. Comair and its senior employee group were eliminated. GoJet was signed on to fly those airplanes and Pinnacle was restructured.
This process is continuing at mainline as we have already cut capacity and now we are retiring and replacing larger higher paying aircraft with smaller lower paying aircraft.
The last few years have witnessed nothing short of a large restructuring of Delta. Everything has been driven by cost savings and debt reduction rather than growth or competition.