Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport

[STrek777]

Originally Posted by MAH4546

Secure it's dominance? You say it as if they already have it, when they don't. Continental is the largest airline in the New York region, then American Airlines, then jetBlue, and fourth is Delta. And the differences are not small - American Airlines is ahead by Delta in the New York City region in the millions of passengers.

Personally, I think the best option for Delta to merge with is American. Their route maps overlap quite nicely. They could shut-down Cincinnati and Cleveland, they would have a combined significant operation at JFK, LAX, and BOS. They would dominate Latin America and Europe (it was only last year that Delta overtook AA as the largest U.S. carrier to Europe), not to mention Africa and the Middle East. The only weak point would be Asia. And, even more importantly, their fleets overlap.

I beg your pardon but you are greatly mistaken.

http://media.delta.com/images/NYCFactSheet0407.pdf

Delta is by far the largest airline in the New York City area. Consider that the pdf file only displays the flight information for just JFK and LGA and there's still HPN, ISP, and EWR that delta services in addition to JFK and LGA. Delta is certainly a force to be reckoned with in the big apple.

I have stated my feelings regarding mergers or acquisitions very plainly. I firmly believe that CO is the only logical move for Delta. In recent post I have theorized over the possible transactions that could be presented. I have written to the effect of "if" Delta was hijacked by creditors hellbent on making a quick buck rather than securing Delta for long term viability.

I have never suggested American as even a possible merger for Delta nor would I ever. American has a patchwork route system at best. It is not a leading airline over the Pacific or the Atlantic. Its only claim to fame is that it is the largest airline flying to and from the US and Central and South America. It has an extensive route system domestically but competes heavily for dominance in even its own hub cities. Ihate to be the one to burst your bubble but FYI AA is not all that!

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by MAH4546

Secure it's dominance? You say it as if they already have it, when they don't. Continental is the largest airline in the New York region, then American Airlines, then jetBlue, and fourth is Delta. And the differences are not small - American Airlines is ahead by Delta in the New York City region in the millions of passengers.

Delta not dominant in NYC I'll agree with, but your second claim about differences is hardly true. AA's presence in NY is geared toward transatlantic operations, similar to their setup in MIA for Latin America. AA's bread and butter are their two hubs at ORD and DFW. ORD is almost as big an international hub for AA as JFK is.

[STrek777]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

Delta not dominant in NYC I'll agree with, but your second claim about differences is hardly true. AA's presence in NY is geared toward transatlantic operations, similar to their setup in MIA for Latin America. AA's bread and butter are their two hubs at ORD and DFW. ORD is almost as big an international hub for AA as JFK is.

Dear lord where are my airline peeps on this thread to help me shed some light on this issue and dispel the myths surrounding JFK.

Good people Delta IS the airline with the LARGEST presence in NYC. Delta serves JFK, LGA, HPN, ISP, and EWR. Delta offers international service to various destinations from both JFK and LGA. If you want to see for yourself below is a map.

http://delta.innosked.com/

AA is making money due to its sheer size and the volume of passengers that it can transport. But comparing AAs service to that of UA or CO or heck even NW and AA sucks.

I have now given you two different ways to review Delta's flights our of the NYC area. Delta is the largest airline in the entire NYC market and if you still believe otherwise then I ask you to prove me wrong. Please if you can show me how Delta is not the largest carrier in the NYC market then I will relent.

[MAH4546]

Originally Posted by STrek777

I beg your pardon but you are greatly mistaken.

http://media.delta.com/images/NYCFactSheet0407.pdf

Delta is by far the largest airline in the New York City area. Consider that the pdf file only displays the flight information for just JFK and LGA and there's still HPN, ISP, and EWR that delta services in addition to JFK and LGA. Delta is certainly a force to be reckoned with in the big apple.

I have stated my feelings regarding mergers or acquisitions very plainly. I

I'm not mistaken. Delta is the fourth largest airline in the NYC region when you count all the airports together in terms of number of annual passengers carried.

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

.
Delta not dominant in NYC I'll agree with, but your second claim about differences is hardly true. AA's presence in NY is geared toward transatlantic operations, similar to their setup in MIA for Latin America. AA's bread and butter are their two hubs at ORD and DFW. ORD is almost as big an international hub for AA as JFK is.

No, it isn't. They are the largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers at LaGuardia. They are the second largest domestic airline at Newark. Their trans-Atlantic operations are behind Delta and Continental. Delta does have a more impressive domestic network out of JFK, though.

Originally Posted by Strek777

Good people Delta IS the airline with the LARGEST presence in NYC. Delta serves JFK, LGA, HPN, ISP, and EWR. Delta offers international service to various destinations from both JFK and LGA. If you want to see for yourself below is a map.

You are wrong. 100% absolutely, entirely wrong. In terms of passengers carried, which is what matters in the end, Delta is fourth. And in terms of destinations, Continental is #1, not Delta.

[akiatl261]

Well if you look at the combined numbers for all three major airports in the NY metro then Yes Continental is number one, Jetblue is number two, AA is number three and Delta is number 4. However they split the Shuttle ops, the COmair regional ops and the Mainline ops, Combine those operations and you have a better picture. Continetal is like 21 million, Jet blue is roughly 15million American is 14.1 million and Delta(with the combined operations) is at 13,850,517 so there is only a 344,345 passenger difference between AA and DL. Next Year the picture will be different with the new routes and added frequencies. Should Delta aquire anyone be it Jetblue or Northwest, or even continental the rankings will change in Delta's favor and could propel it to a solid number 2

http://www.panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/airports/pdfs/traffic/july2007_reg.pdf

Keep in mind this is july/06-july07 when you add the rest of the year in to these totals the numbers will probably change.

[yaga]

From the Houston Chronicle - 11/9/07

Nov. 9, 2007, 11:47PM
New York area is 'critical' to Continental
Revenue from Big Apple flights about to eclipse that of Houston


By BILL HENSEL JR.
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

NEW YORK — Continental Airlines may live in Houston, but its rich uncle is in New York City.

The carrier's international revenue, mostly from flights to or from the New York area, has grown some 20 percent in the past year and now provides about half its passenger revenue, which totaled $13.1 billion last year.

Other airlines have taken notice, a big reason why a Big Apple battle has broken out and promises to get more intense, even as federal regulators move toward limiting flights in the region.

After a decade in which Continental and the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey spent some $2 billion to build up a hub at Newark Liberty International Airport, Continental is the dominant carrier in the financial capital of the United States with 469 daily departures.

The next closest competitor is Delta Air Lines with 333 daily flights, and the list drops off sharply after that.

Atlanta-based Delta in particular has pushed for a larger market share, spending more than $50 million to upgrade facilities at John F. Kennedy Airport. Delta executives say the airline will have spent more than $100 million by next summer.

JetBlue also has expanded of late in its hometown of New York City, where it too flies out of JFK, and has said it wants to expand more.

Just how competitive is the New York market? Consider this sign seen on cabs around New York: "This taxi can't take you to Beijing. Neither can Delta."

That's part of Continental's new ad campaign, which began in September and was designed to emphasize the carrier's international scope compared to other airlines, spokeswoman Julie King said.

Continental isn't really threatened by the growth of the other airlines in the New York area because it has the "very enviable position" of having almost all the flights out of Newark, CreditSights analyst Roger King said.

"That allows them to have almost all domestic flights into Newark, and allows all their international flights to hook up with the domestic feed, which JFK flights don't have," King said. "That hub at Newark is the strongest Atlantic gateway of any airline."


Scheduling reduction
All the recent growth at JFK — some 40 percent more flights over the past 18 months, according to government data — led to considerably more congestion. And that helped prompt the Federal Aviation Administration to call a scheduling reduction meeting.

Scheduling restrictions already were in place until last January, when Congress lifted them. One tool being discussed now to help ease crowding is congestion pricing, which would raise fare prices at the busiest travel times.

Federal officials seeking to avoid a repeat of massive congestion this summer have proposed cutting back flights at JFK next summer, and a decision is expected to be announced within weeks. The agency also is looking at other New York-area airports, meaning next up could be Continental-dominated Newark, which, like JFK, has seen crowding and delays.

New York's close-in airport, LaGuardia, handles primarily domestic flights.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said the government's strong preference is to develop market-based solutions.

"But we will consider scheduling reductions as a last resort in order to prevent a repeat of this summer's nightmare delays," she said in prepared remarks recently.

Her department has suggested an hourly limit of 80 flights at JFK, which amounts to a 30 percent reduction, said Calyon Securities analyst Ray Neidl.


'In a strong position'
It was a decade ago that Houston-based Continental began its push for a major international hub in the New York region and dubbed Newark, 16 miles from midtown Manhattan, its "global gateway." The carrier runs 11 nonstops from Bush Intercontinental Airport to Newark each weekday.

Continental's 10-year buildup in the New York area has been key to its international expansion and overall growth, said Larry Kellner, the carrier's chairman and chief executive.

"Continental is well-positioned for the next several years," Kellner said. "We continue to be in a strong position financially."

One reason for that is the cash engine Continental has built in the New York area, which explains why airlines continue to spend money to gain an edge here, despite the threat of government-imposed flight limits.

Continental President Jeff Smisek said the carrier currently has a quarter of the New York-area market share and offers 43 percent more seats than its nearest competitor.

"We are proud to be the largest carrier in New York/New Jersey," he said.

The carrier's chief financial officer, Jeff Misner, said 138 of its 282 destinations — nearly half — are outside the United States.

But Delta's Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president, argues there's plenty of room for others because JFK — about 12 miles from Manhattan in Queens — is by far the largest international airport in the country.

Hauenstein, a former Continental executive who actually worked on its expansion in Newark, said all the airlines will have to give up something.

"At the end of the day, the government has the authority to do whatever it wants," he said. "The airlines have been very responsive. I was very disappointed the government started out by pointing fingers at the airlines because we could point the finger back at them even more."

The Air Transport Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have done just that. The ATA represents most airlines, while the Port Authority runs the airports and depends on their revenue.

"Cutting the number of flights at one airport to levels not seen in almost 40 years and declaring victory isn't a solution," said Anthony Shorris, executive director of the Port Authority, referring to possible changes at JFK.

Continental agrees. Smisek also is sharply critical of the federal government, which he says has failed to keep up with the growth of air travel.

The airlines all have strongly urged the government to fix and modernize the nation's air traffic control system.

That system could come under more pressure. An agreement liberalizing routes between the United States and the European Union promises to increase trans-Atlantic traffic.

A weaker dollar also makes this country cheaper for visitors from across the pond, and New York City's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has launched a campaign to draw more international tourists.

Continental has modernized its fleet in recent years and continues to do so. It will take delivery of 25 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft in 2009, and many of them will fly out of the New York area.


Fleet issues
"Over the next three years, we will spend more than a couple of billion dollars on fleet issues," Kellner said.

Just how big a deal is the New York-area hub for Continental?

The amount of revenue Continental gets from New York-area flights is about to surpass revenue from its Houston flights, executives say. That's despite the fact that Continental has more than 700 daily flights out of Houston, far more than New York.

New York "is critical, absolutely critical," to Continental, said aviation consultant Mike Boyd.

Continental serves 155 destinations from Newark, including 74 abroad. In 1977, it served 26 international destinations from Newark.

Such expansion around New York has come at the expense of efficiency, with the three New York-area airports rating consistently among the worst in on-time performance.

The airlines need to work harder to reduce congestion, said the Transportation Department's general counsel, D.J. Gribbin.

"The operational improvements that have been proposed (by the airlines) don't appear to be dramatic enough to meet demand," Gribbin said. "So we have to come up with something as how to best meet demand."

But Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition and a member of the committee meeting with the government on congestion matters, suggested regulators are falling short.

"The FAA has not made a compelling case whatsoever about caps or congestion pricing," Mitchell said. "They have brought in a lot of people designed to bolster the FAA's case for congestion pricing, but it is just not compelling."

RESOURCES
NEW YORK FLIGHTS

Number of daily flights out of the New York area*:
• Continental: 469

• Delta: 333

• American: 249

• US Airways: 226

• JetBlue: 200

• United: 65

• Northwest: 44

*Includes JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports

Source: Continental Airlines

[email protected]

[Trae]

Since when is Delta going to acquire JetBlue? I doubt that happens...

[STrek777]

Very well untill I actually have updated information I will relent. However, here is some additional information to think about.

http://news.delta.com/print_doc.cfm?article_id=10861

About Delta
Delta offers more daily departures from New York City’s two preferred airports combined – JFK and LaGuardia – than any other carrier. At LaGuardia, Delta operates the city's leading Shuttle product to Boston and Washington, D.C., in addition to nonstop Delta and Delta Connection carrier service to 25 other destinations. At New York-JFK – Delta’s second-largest international gateway – the airline currently offers 181 peak-day departures to 77 worldwide destinations, including nonstop service to 33 international destinations.
Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 315 destinations in 54 countries. Since 2005, Delta has added more international capacity than all other major U.S. airlines combined and is a leader across the Atlantic with flights to 36 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers nearly 400 weekly flights to 54 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on nearly 15,000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 477 worldwide destinations in 103 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.
*Subject to foreign government approval
**Based on June 2008 OAG

[STrek777]

And one more thing... in responce to the Houston Chronicle... here is the AJC.

Mess at JFK bad for Delta
Airline industry vows to fight federal proposal to limit flights at airport where Atlanta-based carrier handles 30 percent of business.

By Bob Dart
Cox Washington Bureau
Published on: 10/24/07
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/business/stories/2007/10/24/flight1024.html

I'M DONE... I SWEAR!

[MAH4546]

Originally Posted by akiatl261

Well if you look at the combined numbers for all three major airports in the NY metro then Yes Continental is number one, Jetblue is number two, AA is number three and Delta is number 4. However they split the Shuttle ops, the COmair regional ops and the Mainline ops, Combine those operations and you have a better picture. Continetal is like 21 million, Jet blue is roughly 15million American is 14.1 million and Delta(with the combined operations) is at 13,850,517 so there is only a 344,345 passenger difference between AA and DL. Next Year the picture will be different with the new routes and added frequencies. Should Delta aquire anyone be it Jetblue or Northwest, or even continental the rankings will change in Delta's favor and could propel it to a solid number 2

http://www.panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/airports/pdfs/traffic/july2007_reg.pdf

Keep in mind this is july/06-july07 when you add the rest of the year in to these totals the numbers will probably change.

And how is it fair to combine Delta's regional carriers but not American's and Continental's?

1) Continental + COEx - 26 066 953
2) American + American Eagle - 16 148 248
3) jetBlue - 15 107 759
4) Delta + Shuttle + Connection - 13 869 884

And the difference becomes grows more when you add White Plains, where jetBlue and American Airlines are two of the three biggest airlines. Delta's growing in NYC, no doubt, but not at a rate where they will soon catch up with AA or CO. This fall, AA has added/will add new routes to Stansted (London, England), Las Vegas, St. Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, Memphis, Minneapolis, Flint, Montreal, and Louisville; next summer they are adding more flights to Europe with additional London service, Milan, and Barcelona.

[akiatl261]

Very true but I once you add in the flying shuttle america/republic and some of the other delta connection carriers do for Delta still then the numbers begin to close. Either way consolidation will happen its not if but a question of when. When it does if you add in anyother carrier the number postion will change.

There have been a few mumblings and rumors that Delta could go for Jetblue definantely nothing id take to serious. Why would they ? Because combine Delta and Jetblues NYC ops and you unseat continental and gain the already made assets to have a true hub plus new terminal facilities But I doubt that will happen. Delta will be the solid number two sooner rather than later. They have nowhere to go but up. Not to mention that they are opening new markets that the Continental is not and being very sucessful. Which will add feed to there flights which increases ppassenger numbers through there New York System.

Oh and wasnt trying to be unfair to Continental or Delta. The difference is that when i said combined I meant assets owned by the mainline carrier. Only Delta and American own there Connection carriers. Expressjet is not owned by continental. So sorry if it appeared I was being unfair. I Happen to like DL and CO.

[MAH4546]

Originally Posted by akiatl261

. Delta will be the solid number two sooner rather than later. They have nowhere to go but up. Not to mention that they are opening new markets that the Continental is not and being very sucessful. Which will add feed to there flights which increases ppassenger numbers through there New York System.

I disagree. They are still a good 2.2M passenger behind American Airlines. American Airlines, at JFK especially, has far superior terminal facilities with more room to add flights than Delta, and AA is growing quite a bit in NYC. Delta has a long way until they catch up with AA in terms of passengers, but obviously not in terms of network strength, where Delta is already clearly stronger.

Originally Posted by akiatl261

Oh and wasnt trying to be unfair to Continental or Delta. The difference is that when i said combined I meant assets owned by the mainline carrier. Only Delta and American own there Connection carriers. Expressjet is not owned by continental. So sorry if it appeared I was being unfair. I Happen to like DL and CO.

It's all good. Though Delta does not own all their Connection carriers. They only own Comair.

[Dragonheart8588]

I don't know if anyone care but my family and I took a mini vacation to SoCal + Vegas.

Anyway, we flew Frontier from Atl to John Wayne/OC airport with a short layover at Denver. After the flight, I completely fell in love with Frontier. Their service was phenomenal.

Their check-in desk personnels were extremely pleasant and funny. The airplane was spanking new and have SO much leg room with your own personal TV screen with 24 channels + movies from DirectTV(not free while in flight). The flight left early and arrived early from Atl and Denver. The Denver flight have extremely comfortable leather seat. I love Frontier and will fly with them if I ever have to go the west coast again.

Flight from SNA to Las Vegas with US Airways was good. They left on time and their personnels was also extremely pleasant and funny. The only bad part is, and it wasn't that bad b/c the flight attendants made up for it, the A/C was not working while the plane on the ground. So the cabin was quite warm while on the ground, but the flight attendants were very funny and made light of the situation. The flight arrived early to Las Vegas.

The flight back to Atl from Vegas was with Spirit. Their personnels were also pleasant. However, the plane was as cramp as Delta plane. The seat was actually worse than Delta. I think they should stop hyping up its "big Leather" seat. The seat was not big and extremely uncomfortable. You can barely recline the seat. Luggages and snack have to be paid for. I guess I get what I paid for.

When arriving back to ATL, I don't not sure if this is Spirit or Hartsfield's fault, but it took 40 minutes for the luggages to arrive to the carousel.

Also, Hartsfield should really think about widening their terminals because it get extremely cramp and crowded. Also, why can't Hartsfield do FREE wifi like the McCarren Airport? Plus, Las Vegas airport looks a lot nicer/cleaner.

[john3eblover]

That's a great idea. I'm sure they can just widen all the terminals by like 50 feet, just so everyone is nice and comfy. I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem or cause any delays or be difficult or expensive in any way. And while they are at it, why don't they just make everything free. It would be great if they could just keep most people from flying through ATL as well, so we could have it to ourselves?

Seriously, do you ever fly anywhere?

[Fiorenza]

Just a bit of positive feedback...the discussion over the last few pages concerning the relative strengths and market share of DL, AA, CO, Jetblue, etc. were very informative for me. Thank you everyone for your comments.

[akiatl261]

I think the baseline is that Delta is expanding to a wider network than the other 3 are doing. They have new and exisitng aircraft to help aid that. New York is a new frontier that they will attack with much force.

So will the New International Terminal have a marta station or will it be connected to marta by some other means? Any news on new carriers eyeing Atlanta?

[Dragonheart8588]

Originally Posted by john3eblover

That's a great idea. I'm sure they can just widen all the terminals by like 50 feet, just so everyone is nice and comfy. I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem or cause any delays or be difficult or expensive in any way. And while they are at it, why don't they just make everything free. It would be great if they could just keep most people from flying through ATL as well, so we could have it to ourselves?

Seriously, do you ever fly anywhere?

Wow! somebody got off the wrong side of the bed today. You're attitude and many like yours are the reason why people hate Atlanta.

If Vegas can make their terminal wide, why can't Atlanta? If Vegas can offer free Wifi, why can't Atlanta? You need to take some reasoning class because you are treading on a slippery slope, which makes your argument weak. Take a chill pill, and maybe you do need a trip to Vegas to relax some of that nerves.

[sprtsluvr8]

Originally Posted by Dragonheart8588

Wow! somebody got off the wrong side of the bed today. You're attitude and many like yours are the reason why people hate Atlanta.

People hate Atlanta? I know there are some bitter and envious people on skyscraperpage forum, but it seems like to me that people (in general) love Atlanta...and God knows there are no bad attitudes in any other cities.

[STrek777]

Originally Posted by Dragonheart8588

Wow! somebody got off the wrong side of the bed today. You're attitude and many like yours are the reason why people hate Atlanta.

If Vegas can make their terminal wide, why can't Atlanta? If Vegas can offer free Wifi, why can't Atlanta? You need to take some reasoning class because you are treading on a slippery slope, which makes your argument weak. Take a chill pill, and maybe you do need a trip to Vegas to relax some of that nerves.

Ok your right lets just uproot a terminal that handles hundreds of flights a day spend two years widening it just so passengers will have a few extra feet on either side of the isle. At this point you need to pause and think about all that goes into a terminal. There are underground tunnels for workers, underground lounges for flight attendants and pilots. When the President, Congressmen, Senators, Celebrities, or Top Corporate Execs fly into the ATL do you really think they worry about how to get to the South Terminal drop off area. There is a private back door to every major airport that you can't block because you want a wider terminal. Then you have the miles of pipes for water, sewage, and gas. There are no power-lines drooped all over the place so now you have to take into account the miles of buried electrical and fiber optic cables.Dont forget the baggage belts that have to run from E, D, C, B, A, & T to the baggage claim area in the main terminal and from the ticket counter all the way to the various terminals. Then you also have to consider that the airport only manages itself and any changes, modifications, or upgrades have to be cleared by the FAA and/or DOT.

I congratulate you on your super duper price saving ticket that had you flying on three different carriers. However, if you were a regular flier you might just start to notice parts of the underground city that occasionally make their way to the surface. Before you start shouting about close mindedness take a moment to stop and think about all that you haven't considered.


BTW
It might be premature to completely count Jet Blue out of the picture. The do have a brand new sterling terminal at JFK that is capable of easily accommodating all of Delta's current domestic and international flights with room to spare. You will not find this in an AJC article or anywhere for that matter just call it... a hunch if you will. Delta just signed a multi billion dollar deal that will enable it to repair Airbus engines. Jet Blue has hit harder times and have themselves recently changed CEOs. Delta has openly discussed acquiring another airline. The word merge has been used mainly by the media. When you hear Delta's CEO and/or CFO use the merger phrase it is in the context of... In the event of a merge we want Delta to be in a position as the acquiring carrier. One major key word that you have yet to see when anyone discusses a true "merger" situation is "synergies". That "synergy" word is used heavily anytime companies "merge". Delta execs have not used that word which leaves me to believe we might just try to buy someone out-right. Jet Blue might be the right airline at just the right price with all the right assets to make everything work out beautifully. I still think CO is Delta's best option but Jet Blue might just give us what we want at a time that we need it.

Delta expands unit to do maintenance for other airlines

By Jim Tharpe
Published on: 11/07/07

Delta Air Lines on Wednesday announced a 10-year, $1 billion contract with Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corp. that will broaden the types of aircraft engines Delta can service at its massive Atlanta maintenance center, bringing in new revenue.

Chromalloy is a major supplier of jet-engine parts, and Delta officials characterized the deal as "the largest and most significant parts manufacturing approval agreement in airline history.

The partnership enables Delta to overhaul more types of jet engines, including one widely used on Airbus jets, which Delta itself doesn't fly.

Delta's Atlanta TechOps center currently employs about 4,500 workers, and Wednesday's announcement could mean additional jobs.

"We certainly hope that as we grow our engine work we will add jobs, but I don't have a specific figure at that time" spokesman Kent Landers said.

"This is a significant development for the future of our industry and one that signals the dynamic, out-of-the-box strategy for which Delta TechOps is known," said Tony Charaf, senior vice president of Delta TechOps. "Delta TechOps will be well positioned in the marketplace to better compete and, in turn, offer greater flexibility to our more than 100 customers worldwide."

The agreement was disclosed at an aviation industry conference in Milan, Italy.

Some airlines have outsourced major engine work, while others like Delta have attempted to take on additional maintenance work to generate revenue in a time of frenzied competition and razor-thin profits.

Delta emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year and has announced a number of strategic moves to boost profits, including an expansion of lucrative international routes from its hubs in Atlanta and New York.

As part of Wednesday's agreement, Delta's Atlanta TechOps facility will perform about 250 additional engine overhauls over the term of the deal, said Landers. The unit will do about 220 overhauls for outside customers this year.

Delta's maintenance, repair and overhaul operations in 2006 generated about $310 million of Delta's more than $17 billion in revenue.

[Dragonheart8588]

Originally Posted by STrek777

Ok your right lets just uproot a terminal that handles hundreds of flights a day spend two years widening it just so passengers will have a few extra feet on either side of the isle. At this point you need to pause and think about all that goes into a terminal. There are underground tunnels for workers, underground lounges for flight attendants and pilots. When the President, Congressmen, Senators, Celebrities, or Top Corporate Execs fly into the ATL do you really think they worry about how to get to the South Terminal drop off area. There is a private back door to every major airport that you can't block because you want a wider terminal. Then you have the miles of pipes for water, sewage, and gas. There are no power-lines drooped all over the place so now you have to take into account the miles of buried electrical and fiber optic cables.Dont forget the baggage belts that have to run from E, D, C, B, A, & T to the baggage claim area in the main terminal and from the ticket counter all the way to the various terminals. Then you also have to consider that the airport only manages itself and any changes, modifications, or upgrades have to be cleared by the FAA and/or DOT.

I congratulate you on your super duper price saving ticket that had you flying on three different carriers. However, if you were a regular flier you might just start to notice parts of the underground city that occasionally make their way to the surface. Before you start shouting about close mindedness take a moment to stop and think about all that you haven't considered.


BTW
It might be premature to completely count Jet Blue out of the picture. The do have a brand new sterling terminal at JFK that is capable of easily accommodating all of Delta's current domestic and international flights with room to spare. You will not find this in an AJC article or anywhere for that matter just call it... a hunch if you will. Delta just signed a multi billion dollar deal that will enable it to repair Airbus engines. Jet Blue has hit harder times and have themselves recently changed CEOs. Delta has openly discussed acquiring another airline. The word merge has been used mainly by the media. When you hear Delta's CEO and/or CFO use the merger phrase it is in the context of... In the event of a merge we want Delta to be in a position as the acquiring carrier. One major key word that you have yet to see when anyone discusses a true "merger" situation is "synergies". That "synergy" word is used heavily anytime companies "merge". Delta execs have not used that word which leaves me to believe we might just try to buy someone out-right. Jet Blue might be the right airline at just the right price with all the right assets to make everything work out beautifully. I still think CO is Delta's best option but Jet Blue might just give us what we want at a time that we need it.

Delta expands unit to do maintenance for other airlines

By Jim Tharpe
Published on: 11/07/07

Delta Air Lines on Wednesday announced a 10-year, $1 billion contract with Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corp. that will broaden the types of aircraft engines Delta can service at its massive Atlanta maintenance center, bringing in new revenue.

Chromalloy is a major supplier of jet-engine parts, and Delta officials characterized the deal as "the largest and most significant parts manufacturing approval agreement in airline history.

The partnership enables Delta to overhaul more types of jet engines, including one widely used on Airbus jets, which Delta itself doesn't fly.

Delta's Atlanta TechOps center currently employs about 4,500 workers, and Wednesday's announcement could mean additional jobs.

"We certainly hope that as we grow our engine work we will add jobs, but I don't have a specific figure at that time" spokesman Kent Landers said.

"This is a significant development for the future of our industry and one that signals the dynamic, out-of-the-box strategy for which Delta TechOps is known," said Tony Charaf, senior vice president of Delta TechOps. "Delta TechOps will be well positioned in the marketplace to better compete and, in turn, offer greater flexibility to our more than 100 customers worldwide."

The agreement was disclosed at an aviation industry conference in Milan, Italy.

Some airlines have outsourced major engine work, while others like Delta have attempted to take on additional maintenance work to generate revenue in a time of frenzied competition and razor-thin profits.

Delta emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year and has announced a number of strategic moves to boost profits, including an expansion of lucrative international routes from its hubs in Atlanta and New York.

As part of Wednesday's agreement, Delta's Atlanta TechOps facility will perform about 250 additional engine overhauls over the term of the deal, said Landers. The unit will do about 220 overhauls for outside customers this year.

Delta's maintenance, repair and overhaul operations in 2006 generated about $310 million of Delta's more than $17 billion in revenue.

It was a suggestion and you know it would improve efficiency by allowing a smoother passenger flow ( I could barely move down to the terminal to get to baggage claim b/c it was so crowded). It is call poor planning, that's what going on for most of Atlanta, from the street, the airport, and the city biggest carrier called Delta. This city wanted a busy airport to contribute money to the economy but doesn't want to invest into the airport until the last minute.

I don't see how other cities can actually do things right and not our city. Don't get me wrong, I like Atlanta to a point where I can still point out its many flaws.

Denial only delay the inevitable problems.

I only called out what I see. McCarran is no near busy as Atlanta, but yet they have large terminals b/c they can actually plan for their future growth. And they are generous enough to provide their customers with great reliable/friendly service via free Wifi and other numerous things. Something Hartsfield/Delta have yet to learn.

STrek, I hope Delta put in as much effort, faith, and loyalty to you as you put into them (if you actually work for them) because it would be a sad situation, if they fire you and leave you in the dust.

If anyone want to start an unproductive argument with my post, please don't waste your time and especially my time. That's why I started my post saying "if anyone care" and if you care, I am flatter and I only want to have a productive discussion with people who can use adult reasoning skills.

When I first found this forum, I though "how cool" to have all of these people who have such great knowledge (which there are some, you know who you are) but there are just as many on the opposite side of the intelligence spectrum.