Yawn - new service again

[SPAN class=headline][A href=http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021126/attu005_1.html]Delta Connection Offers Cure for Winter Blues With New Weekend Links Between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Five Beach Destinations[/A][BR][BR][SPAN class=headline][A href=http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021126/attu006_1.html]Delta Connection Adds Service Between Dallas/Fort Worth And Lexington, Ky., Knoxville, Tenn.[/A][BR][BR][SPAN class=headline][A href=http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021126/attu007_1.html]Delta Connection to Add Nonstop Jet Service Between Delta''s Cincinnati Hub And Toledo[/A][BR][BR][SPAN class=headline][A href=http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021126/attu009_1.html]Delta Connection to Add Nonstop Jet Service Between Delta''s Atlanta Hub and Orlando, Tampa[/A][/SPAN][/SPAN][/SPAN][/SPAN]
 
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[BLOCKQUOTE][BR]----------------[BR]On 11/30/2002 12:05:43 PM Tim47SIP wrote:
[P]Are they truely additional or replacement flights for the mainline?[/P]----------------[/BLOCKQUOTE]
[P][/P]These are additional flights....DL is not replacing mainline in these cases. DL doesn't usually put out press releases when they are simply replacing mainline with RJ's. The big exception is when they decide to pull all mainline out of a market, then there's usually a press release....SHV being the latest victim.
 
The really, really big deal about Delta mainline pulling service from SHV, though, is that Delta has been serving Shreveport since 1929 - it was part of the airline's first scheduled route from Dallas to Jackson via Shreveport and Monroe. Of course, they also pulled mainline from MLU a couple of years ago -- even more significant historically given that Delta started in Monroe, was headquartered there before World War II, and (I'm given to understand) still held their annual stockholders' meeting there until 20 years or so ago.
 
Over time, I think you are going to see more and more airports in smaller cities losing service.[BR][BR]Places like Monroe, Shenendoah Valley, Hickory, and El Centro simply don't generate enough revenue to justify the costs of the transportation - especially if EAS funding is not available and especially when new FAA/DOT rules mandate secure cockpit doors.
 
Don't forget that a number of smaller cities and towns also lost service as a result of the FAA mandating cargo hold fire suppression equipment even on 19-seaters.
 
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[BLOCKQUOTE][BR]----------------[BR]On 12/3/2002 2:12:28 PM ITRADE wrote:
[P]Over time, I think you are going to see more and more airports in smaller cities losing service.[BR][BR]Places like Monroe, Shenendoah Valley, Hickory, and El Centro simply don't generate enough revenue to justify the costs of the transportation - especially if EAS funding is not available and especially when new FAA/DOT rules mandate secure cockpit doors.[/P]----------------[/BLOCKQUOTE]
[P]DL did not pull out of Monroe altogether...they simply pulled mainline out. MLU still has 4x daily to ATL and 3x daily to DFW...all on RJ's. Mainline service at SHV and MLU should have been pulled years ago as neither market could fill a 142 seat MD88, even when the economy was good. DL used to run routes like MOB-SHV-DFW or MLU-PNS-ATL. However, these short-hops were terribly inefficient and with the advent of the RJ, DL has gotten rid of them.[BR][BR]MLU also has service to IAH (CO) and to MEM (NW), so I don't think they are in any immediate danger of losing all service.[/P]