Posted on 01/30/2005 9:04:56 AM PST by NativeTexun
Depart Time for Delta Has Arrived;Airline Has Distanced Itself at D/FW Since Announcing End of Hub
12:32 PM CST on Saturday, January 29, 2005
By ERIC TORBENSON and SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News
Christopher Faulkner will miss flying Delta Air Lines Inc. from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, but not enough to take connecting flights through the carrier's remaining hubs.
"I don't do stops," said Mr. Faulkner, who flies more than 300,000 miles annually. He plans to shift much of his flying to American Airlines Inc., which will soon control more than 80 percent of D/FW traffic.
"Time is money for my company, and every time you connect, you can face delays," said Mr. Faulkner, chief executive of Bedford-based C.I. Host Inc.
On Monday, Delta will end three decades of hub operations at D/FW, leaving North Texas fliers with fewer nonstop choices although airfares should remain competitive.
About 3,600 jobs at Delta and its regional affiliate are being eliminated. The move also poses tough challenges to D/FW, one of the nation's top airports, and its vendors.
Delta's presence at D/FW, where the carrier has been a tenant since the airport opened in 1974, has dwindled steadily since it announced the news on Sept. 8.
The carrier is reducing its D/FW schedule from 250 daily flights to 66 cities to 21 daily departures going to its three remaining hubs: Atlanta, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City.
Delta, which once served nearly 30 percent of all D/FW traffic, flew just 16 percent as of last summer. With its reduced schedule, it will remain D/FW's distant No. 2 carrier, with about 3 percent of traffic.
Last week in Terminal E, security employees outnumbered passengers in many areas, though there were some Delta loyalists.
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(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Does anyone know when Southwest will start making seat assignments?
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