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On 9/13/2002 9:41:38 PM MAH4546 wrote:
Delta just announced that they are permanentley ending service to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro...thier goes Atlanta's dream of "replacing" Miami has the world's gateway to Latin America. It was a joke to begin with, and this further shows that. Don't get me wrong, daily ATL-SJO/GRU/BOG/LIM, etc. services can do very well, and they do do very well, but I want to see them fill up a daily service to Medellin, Colombia...they can't. They can't even fill up flights to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro (loads on AA's GIG and EZE services remains great, although yield is currently not as good as usually).
I was delighted to see this announcement today of Delta's failure in these two markets (and GIG wasn't just a quick stunt...they have been there for six years), although obviously I think it's saddening that Delta employees in the two cities will unfortunatley be loosing thier jobs.
With Delta's ending, there are now 21 weekly non-stop flights between the United States and Rio de Janeiro (all from Miami). American will have ten of them, and, while it is too early to tell, I think MIA-GIG will go double-daily on 15Dec02 like it was originally supposed to given the capacity glut.
Still waiting for that MIA-LIR announcement, though.
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I don't think DL really failed in the two markets. ATL-EZE had little time to develop and DL started the route under harsh circumstances. ATL-GIG is always a tough market with a very high percentage of leisure fliers. I expect both flights will be back as soon as the economy picks up.
The prime reason to cut these flights is to get rid of poor performers and save cash. DL wants to conserve (and build up) cash reserves especially in preparation for a rough winter and competing with one (possibly two) bankrupt carriers. AA is doing the same thing....see the axed JFK-GIG and JFK-CCS. Both airlines now this will be a rough winter and there is no room to keep flights that have no chance of profitability in the next 12 months.
It's pretty sick that you take delight in a route failing. Fewer flight options to South America are not a good thing for consumers nor for the economies of those countries. Your obsession with AA and it Latin American flights out of MIA borders on unhealthy. How many times per day do you post on MIA (and not just on these boards either)?