Jaunted - Tag: Delta

Delta Gearing Up Its WiFi Fleet

pbb — 2008-10-02T15:00:38-05:00

Just like that, Delta has as many WiFi-capable planes as JetBlue. This MD-88 (N908DL) is the first of 75 that Delta says will be ready by year's end. The carrier hopes to outfit 330 planes with wireless by summer of 2009.

Technically, Delta can't let passengers surf until it gets what's called a Supplemental Type Certificate from the FAA, but that shouldn't be a problem. (American Airlines already got one for its 767-200s.)

While Delta gets crackin' on the installation, other airlines are presumably trying to catch up. Among those that are promising wireless on at least some planes are Southwest (by Q4, 2008) and Virgin America (by Q1, 2009).

Related Stories:
· Delta's first Wi-Fi-equipped MD-88 [Official Site]
· Dark Horse Delta Announces Massive In-Flight WiFi Rollout [Jaunted]

[Photo: Delta]

Adventures of Link: Delta-Northwest Deal Still Percolating

pbb — 2008-09-24T17:00:33-05:00

Shareholders of Delta and Northwest will vote tomorrow on whether to merge the two beleaguered carriers. One little problem though: No one has any idea exactly how a tie-up will save the two airlines $2 billion a year. Still, it looks like the vote will be "yes" all around. (Why not, right?)

There's another problem left to contend with, too: Regulatory approval from the US Department of Justice. But while Delta and Northwest wait to hear on that, they can at least toast to a small victory with the FAA, which has approved an operating certificate for the proposed combined carrier.

Airline Travel Today: Still Better than Stagecoach Travel

Victor Ozols — 2008-09-20T13:37:37-05:00

Oh, airline travel. You used to be so cool. Flights were affordable, on-time, and featured amenities like meals, blankets, and a selection of current magazines and newspapers. Now, despite rising fares, fliers are lucky to get a bag of pretzels to munch on and a SkyMall catalog to read, and when it comes to making connecting flights and getting reunited with luggage, it's a crapshoot. What happened?

A recent AP item reports that as airline satisfaction rates have declined, customers have begun to push back, demanding improved service to justify the wave of extra fees for things that were once included in the ticket price. Airlines are responding with new initiatives to improve punctuality and baggage handling, as well as upgrades for business and first class passengers.

Venezuela Fires Back at US over Flights

pbb — 2008-09-11T12:15:25-05:00

After the US government announced earlier this week that it can't vouch for the safety of flights leaving the country, Venezuela has ordered American carriers to cut back on service starting September 28. American Airlines, Delta and Continental operate about 70 of the close to 90 weekly flights between the two countries, and how many flights they'll have to trim still isn't known.

Venezuelan aviation chief Jos� Mart�nez Bravo told the newspaper El Universal that the cuts are a result of an "imbalance in favor of American companies." But a letter to the three affected carriers mentions that:

The TSA insists on and maintains a policy of discrediting [Venezuela].

And so we wait for the (probably inevitable) next play in the governmental pissing match: Stepped-up border crossing regulations.

Related Stories:
· INAC Reducing Flights by US Airlines [El Universal, in Spanish]
· Flights from Venezuela May Not Be Safe [AP, via Google]
· UK Stepping Up Its Immigration Game [Jaunted]

[Photo of CCS in Caracas: inti]

Delta Uniforms Are So Hot for '09

pbb — 2008-08-22T15:30:15-05:00

Once (and if) Delta and Northwest finally wrap up that merger they've been hyping, all 22,000 flight attendants at the new super-carrier will be wearing the same, Richard Tyler-designed duds.

Northwest cabin crews are probably looking forward to the change, even though it'll mean switching up their wardrobe: The carrier originally promised new uniforms after emerging from bankruptcy last year, but they never materialized.

As for other corporate stuff, Delta is prepping a quick shift in cocktail napkins, in-flight magazines and other logo gear to wipe the word Northwest from the post-merger carrier. If all goes to plan, NWA could be but a memory as soon as next summer.

Related Stories:
· Ahead of Merger, Delta Preps New Look [WSJ]
· Airline Mergers coverage [Jaunted]

[Not a photo of the Tyler uniforms: The Atlantic]

Travel Snapshots: Airline CEOs Taking Their Case to the People

pbb — 2008-08-13T12:35:10-05:00

We settled into our seat on a Delta flight on Saturday and took a look at the offerings in the seatback pocket in front of us. Skymall catalog, check. Safety card, check. Wait, what's this one-page thing signed by a bunch of airline CEOs?

Oh, it's a laminated copy of the whiny open letter they circulated in July, asking us to write to Congress on their behalf to get those dastardly "speculators" out of the commodities markets. How splendidly tacky!

Related Stories:
· The Airlines Have Had It with These Global Oil Markets! [Jaunted]
· Travel Snapshots coverage [Jaunted]

Airline Mergers: Delta-Northwest Deal May Actually Happen

pbb — 2008-08-11T17:04:36-05:00

It's been a bit since we last heard from Delta and Northwest about their forthcoming tie-up. But today Delta announced that pilots for both airlines have agreed to a "joint contract" that will cover all 12,000 of them when the merger is completed "later this year."

According to the Associated Press, the pilots still haven't figured out a way to combine their seniority lists--which decide who flies where and how much they're paid--but will agree to binding arbitration if they can't make a deal.

Though European regulators have already approved the merger, antitrust G-men in the US still have to give it the OK, as do shareholders. That later group might be encouraged to give it a nod if they believe what one industry analyst said today: Delta could turn a profit in 2009 if oil stays at its current price of about $115 a barrel.

Related Stories:
· Delta and Northwest Pilots Approve Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement [Official Site]
· Voting Deadline Looms for Delta, NWA Agreement [AP, via Google]
· UAL, Delta May Lead Carriers to Profit [Bloomberg]
· Airline Mergers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Drewski2112]