Delta makes PDX nonstops to Amsterdam and Tokyo permanent, eyes Paris
Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 6:59 PM Updated: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 9:09 PM
Richard Read, The Oregonian
Imagine the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Left Bank cafes just one hop from Portland.
Richard Anderson, chief executive of Delta Air Lines, can picture it.
Anderson, interviewed Tuesday at Portland International Airport, raised the possibility of nonstop flights between PDX and Paris. He also said Portland's existing nonstops to Amsterdam and Tokyo -- which would have ended, if not for temporary subsidies -- are now permanent.
Anderson, in town with Alaska Airlines chief executive Bill Ayer to meet with customers, said if Alaska and Horizon keep helping to build Delta's business in Portland, flights to France could make sense.
"The next logical step is to connect Portland with our other hub in Europe: Paris," Anderson said.
A launch is not imminent, however, he said.
The Delta and Alaska chiefs visited Portland as their industry undergoes another wave of consolidation. Southwest Airlines announced Monday it would acquire AirTran. A merger between United and Continental is underway.
Airlines are beginning to catch an updraft, the executives said, amid the turbulent economic recovery. Delta, for one, is making profits.
Passenger counts at PDX were up about 2 percent, at 1.3 million, in August from the same month last year. Delta, Alaska and its sister carrier Horizon serve almost half the passengers at Portland's airport.
The Port of Portland, which operates the airport, subsidized Delta's Tokyo flights to the tune of $3.5 million, tiding the service through the recession and last winter's slow season. The gamble paid off, and Delta will continue the flights, which have been running close to full recently.
"It was a pretty courageous thing on the part of the Port," Anderson said. "We banded together at a pretty difficult time."
Anderson said no new Asian flights are on Portland's horizon.
Ayer said Alaska Airlines is boosting its Hawaiian service in Portland. It flies to Maui and began daily Portland-Honolulu service Sept. 20. It will begin service to Kona on Nov. 12.
"Since April we've added service to 11 markets, with constant fleet size," Ayer said. Planes were moved from underperforming markets, he said, without losing routes.
Delta faces new competition at home in Atlanta as Southwest takes over AirTran there. But Southwest's costs are higher than those of AirTran, and Southwest won't offer a business cabin, meaning Delta could actually benefit, said Michael Boyd, an aviation analyst in Colorado.
Delta's major competition is from foreign carriers, which now carry most traffic to and from the United States, Anderson said. At home, Delta managers face a union vote, as flight attendants decide on representation.
Anderson took the chance to talk up the airline industry's safety record. He also defended the proliferation of charges for such things as checked bags, saying other entities -- such as hotels -- offer optional services.
Anderson said he would look into a July incident in which a Portland plane bound for Amsterdam made an emergency landing in Goose Bay, Labrador, due to mechanical problems. Passengers from that flight remain disgruntled, although a Delta spokesman said Tuesday they have received full refunds.
Anderson said the Delta-Northwest Airlines merger is complete, describing it as the industry's most successful combination. He said Delta's partnership with Alaska is also crucial, especially in Portland.
"I just want to be as good," Anderson said, "as Alaska Airlines."
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agreed. Not to mention that now Continental and United are one company, they will likely add another European flight to compete with Delta...
Portland seems to be going places
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