Some of your points are valid but I question others. Right now scheduling seems to want to keep frequency over size. It's also all about perception. Those E-175's look like a mini 737 to the avg consumer and they are nice inside in the two class configuration. I'm sure in the end we will see a mix of aircraft. To answer one of my previous questions DAL expects approval in early 2010 so I would say the target is to start summer 2010 flight schedule.

I agree. But I believe it will be 50/76 seaters initially. As we continue to phase out 50 seaters then transition to bigger equipment IF the market calls for it. We aren't going to put big airplanes on routes just for the sake of putting big airplanes on them.

Remember. This is the new Delta. RIGHT SIZE EVERYTHING!

Keep PDT DH-8's wouldn't have made any sense. We want less express carriers/aircraft, not more.


I also think there will be a NYC 319/320 base in the near future. That aircraft would offer a lot of flexibility:

*Shuttle. Could swap between 319/320 during peak/low times of the day or if another flight was having mx issues they could steal a shuttle plane.

* FL- Right now the majority of the FL stuff out of LGA are being run by 319's during the low yeild summer season...I bet they go back to 150 seat aircraft when winter comes.

* Carribean- They could use it out of JFK as well to hit the Carribean.

It is the perfect aircraft for New York. -88's could go to a traditional hub where they know they can fill throughout the day/year around.

Good insight Burn. I am also from the camp that does not want to invest in rebuilding Terminals 2 and 3. I've heard $1 billion numbers thrown around. Now that's a scary number if DAL has to float it all and the Airport Authority puts in nothing.

I think DC-9s in NYC would work out good. I don't recall flying any RNAV arrival or departure out of NYC airports, though most of my flying has been JFK. DC-9 RNAV = Radial Navigation using Available VORs. :D

It's funny, I just mentioned this LGA thing to my crew and their response was classic: "that sucks. I hate flying through LGA."

One observation about the size of aircraft: if trying to capture more corporate traffic out of New York, it seems to me that "a First Class Section on every flight out of LaGuardia" would make a simple, compelling argument. We would be alone in being to make that claim.

Combine that with slot restrictions limiting revenue increase opportunities, and the number of new destinations we want to serve, and it seems fairly likely we're going to favor product quality distributed over a lareg network, rather than frequency to fewer airports. We'll want to pump a lot of passengers through this new terminal, to recapture the investment For these reasons, I would expect the smallest aircraft operating out of LGA by late 2010 will be a 76-seater. I wouldn't worry about 50-seaters, or any frequency-fixation.

I am a DCI guy and I wish that ALL of the increased flying out of LGA will be mainline. I wouldn't be surprised if Compass 76 seaters and maybe a few RJ900s took some of the slots. I think this is good for the mainline guys. We need movement and that will only come after mainline grows! I highly doubt any 50 seaters will take over these routes. I hope not at least.

Here's for hoping for more jobs at Delta sooner than it looked like in June before the rumors leaked. Trust me we want you here asap.

Here we go.........

US Airways, Delta to swap landing slots - MarketWatch

Your a couple of pages late :)