AirTran leaving SAV

[LoneStarMike]

From the Savannah Daily News

AirTran Cancels Savannah

(SAVANNAH, GA) After 13 years of trying to make its Savannah-to-Atlanta flight corridor work, AirTran Airways will pull out of Savannah on October 27, unable to make local business passenger numbers grow.

[...]

"At our peak, we operated five flights per day to Atlanta, but now we're down to just two," said Tad Hutcheson, spokesman for the airline.

[...]

He said none of its 300 reservation call center employees in Savannah will be laid off, due to it being its third largest workforce for the airline after Atlanta and Orlando.

 

[delta777]

Fear not brave citizens of Savannah. The noble Delta Air Lines hasn't pulled the rug out from under your feet and abandoned you in your time of need. We will still offer an amazing mainline 8 flights per day to the MEGA-HUB of ATL.

 

[mga707]

Fear not brave citizens of Savannah. The noble Delta Air Lines hasn't pulled the rug out from under your feet and abandoned you in your time of need. We will still offer an amazing mainline 8 flights per day to the MEGA-HUB of ATL.

...and I'm sure the fares haven't gone up at all... :down:

 

[delta777]

Oh, so it's Delta's fault that Airtran simply couldn't compete with our superior product? Sounds like sour grapes to me.

 

[QA4Jet-A]

Oh, so it's Delta's fault that Airtran simply couldn't compete with our superior product? Sounds like sour grapes to me.

Superior product??? With 20+ year old MD 80s??? Throw in some RJs too! I doubt your product was so Superior. I'd say they were closer to equal. FL prefers to make a $Buck$ or 2. If the Route wasn't turning a profit, why continue? No sour grapes here... just some common sense.

 

[BoeingBoy]

The problem lower cost new entrants to a market have is that the passengers - especially the higher yield business FF - love the lower fares they bring but continue to fly on their usual carrier - normally because of the FF program. If they can get the same lower fare on their usual carrier, why switch carriers and start over in a new FF program.

Jim

 

[wings396]

Fear not brave citizens of Savannah. The noble Delta Air Lines hasn't pulled the rug out from under your feet and abandoned you in your time of need. We will still offer an amazing mainline 8 flights per day to the MEGA-HUB of ATL.

Did Delta ever pull out of any cities? Do some research, and I'm sure you will find it to be more than you can count on your fingers. :blink:

 

[QA4Jet-A]

The problem lower cost new entrants to a market have is that the passengers - especially the higher yield business FF - love the lower fares they bring but continue to fly on their usual carrier - normally because of the FF program. If they can get the same lower fare on their usual carrier, why switch carriers and start over in a new FF program.

Jim

Jim, I can agree with you on the thought of 'New' entrants vs FF folks but, FL had been in that market for 13 years. I never quite understood our scheduling there either. Alas, it is done and it will be interesting to see how Delta does with 8 Mainline flights a day. My bet... they lose $$$! I also bet they cut back frequency!

QA

 

[wings396]

Many cities the size of SAV have lost service in the past 10 years, and this includes ALL Airlines. Some have had Mainline service replaced with Express, while others have lost all service. Since AirTran is one of the few carriers that doesn't have an Express operation, they don't have the option of staying in the market in some form.

 

[citrus jock]

Fear not brave citizens of Savannah. The noble Delta Air Lines hasn't pulled the rug out from under your feet and abandoned you in your time of need. We will still offer an amazing mainline 8 flights per day to the MEGA-HUB of ATL.

That's funny!!! The only thing funnier is that 777 doesn't intend for his post to be humorous; he serious!

"Your time of need" = you'll need to fork over alot more, for the same service, than you were paying. It's simple supply and demand; we (Delta) demand you pay more, and if you want to fly, you have to supply it.

Sour grapes? Nope. I just feel sorry for the fine folks in SAV who are going to get treated just like Delta treated those in MOB. Superior product? Yeah, I can't remember how many people I flew to/from SAV that said AirTran needed to be serving meals like Delta, in both cabins, on fine china, during that 35 minute flight.

Hey 777, how would you like to make a wager? I'd be willing to bet those 8 "amazing mainline" flights become an "amazing" number of RJs, at at least twice the previous price of a ticket.

 

[brokenwrench]

Bickering aside, as the health of Delta improves expects them to attack more and more of AirTran routes into and out of ATL.

I think DL execs realize that they screwed up not being more aggressive when ValuJet (now AirTran) was growing in its own backyard. Typical old school Delta arrogance.

On a side note keep your eye open for a possible Southwest buyout of Airtran within the next 5 years or so.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Jim, I can agree with you on the thought of 'New' entrants vs FF folks but, FL had been in that market for 13 years.

Has it really been 13 years....time really does pass faster as one gets older.

Jim

 

[Kev3188]

Fear not brave citizens of Savannah. The noble Delta Air Lines hasn't pulled the rug out from under your feet and abandoned you in your time of need. We will still offer an amazing mainline 8 flights per day to the MEGA-HUB of ATL.

Oh, so it's Delta's fault that Airtran simply couldn't compete with our superior product? Sounds like sour grapes to me.

Pardon me while I break my jaw yawning.

GMAFB.

 

[delta777]

Pardon me while I break my jaw yawning...

GMAFB.

We can only hope.

 

[HottootrotNyc]

As a former Delta F/A, and a current Continental F/A. I can assure you, it's nothing but pure jealousy that some of the older bitter queen's and younger bitter new hire's, have toward's Airtran. Airtran is a great company and it (deleted by moderator) the big fat bear that they can compete.

As for Delta offering a Superior product, that is beyond laughable. If you fly from LAX-JFK, you *MIGHT* get on an aircraft with PTV's from an old Song aircraft, that hardly ever worked when they were new. Let along now that they are nearly well used. Then if that passenger decided's to continue to Europe or some other Int'l destination, you could be offered anything thing up to 4-5 different product's. If you are on a 757, you have PTV and angeled BE seats, if you're on a 76-300, you get a cramped BE cabin with seats older then dirt and no PTV's in the back, if you get a 76-400, you get PTV's and a new laughable lay flat seat, if you get on a 777ER or a 777LR you will get one of three different BE product's. The only thing Delta's product is superior at is confusing people and showing someone bronze and on the next leg ####........ 🙄