Delta Airlines (update)

m88.358win

My BIL who is high up in the chain of command for Delta told my wife just now that "it is real bad, we are parking planes."

He now says today they have parked over 300+ planes, 40% reduction in all flights and a temporary halt on all European flights. Delta is going to cut his job down to 2 days a week. He has worked for Delta for over 30 years.

Horse Plains Drifter

I'd imagine. Check out FCD's post about getting round trip air fare, and one night in Vegas for $46.00/person.

Rocky Raab

I got a Delta email this morning that asked people to please not try to contact them by phone or online for 72 hours unless it was truly an urgent matter - they're utterly swamped.

dpmule

They are not the only ones.
Lufthansa parked all of their Airbus A-380's about a week ago, and have cancelled a slug of flights.
including the one I was supposed to be on from Frankfurt to Denver on Tuesday.

Mule

Mr. Perfect

I saw how Jet Blue banned a dude for life for flying after he got a test for COVID-19 and didn't wait to see the result... just went on his merry way and later tested positive.  Good for them!

nononsense

"it is real bad, we are parking planes."

In their eyes, that may be true but to the flying public, apparently they aren't trying very hard to fill planes.

My flights from Valdosta to Atlanta to Phoenix were running about $504/rd trip. This included the short commuter flight from VLD up to ATL. Currently that same trip using the same flights and times as previous are at $399.99 ($400). Granted they have reduced the costs somewhat but not nearly to the extent that the other majors have. I have flights booked currently from $99 down to $45 from major airlines, not discount carriers. My guess is that Delta is playing chicken with the duration of this virus vs cost to park planes unused and placing employees on furlough. There is also serious discussion with the FEDS that they (we) will provide assistance to some of the Cruise companies and airlines if this continues unabated for too long.

Best.

select-fire

 I flew from Columbia to Detroit a  few yrs back.  Only 8 folks including the stewardess on the whole plane. I thought if this thing crashes we won't even make the news.

Don McManus

I am cancelling an overseas flight because I don't know if the idiots in DC are going to implement some panic cancellation and strand me where I cannot rent a car and drive home.  Delta will not let me cancel on line, and is unresponsive via telephone.  Not getting worked up about it.  Their problems are a lot bigger than are mine.  Eventually this will all get worked out so long as our government takes a ficken chill pill and does tank the entire economy with an over-reaction.

nononsense

strand me where I cannot rent a car and drive home.

The car rental companies aren't adjusting downward because if you're flying anywhere now, you have to have a rental car when you land if it's not at your home airport. I was checking several of these companies for the last few days and they are actually showing slightly higher prices now than before. Anywhere away from home and I have to have a rental car so they're holding the line or raising prices.

Best.

shilowar

My niece is a Flight Attendant for Delta.  I'll have to ask if she is being furloughed.

Warbirds

I was on business travel this week to TX.

These pics are from DFW around 11AM on Thursday 3/12/20.

The bag on the charging table is mine.

My flight was less than 1/2 full.

Then I just got this email from American Airlines a few hours ago.

BikerBob

O’Hare on Monday.

Busier Thursday on the way home. But I’ll be parked for a month.

dcon12

BikerBob said:

O’Hare on Monday.

Busier Thursday on the way home. But I’ll be parked for a month.

Damn! Fell on its side! Don

bustedknee

Maybe, they will go bankrupt....again.

I lost a lot of money last time. 

They had their nerve - asked me to invest again.

yoshmyster

Yup another bail out is what I was thinking

nononsense

Both the cruise industry AND the airlines are lobbying for assistance and bailouts.

I can fly private if I really have to which is a little more expensive but immensely more easy. No crowds either!

Best.

dpmule

Flying Clay Disk said:

dpmule said:

They are not the only ones.
Lufthansa parked all of their Airbus A-380's about a week ago, and have cancelled a slug of flights.
including the one I was supposed to be on from Frankfurt to Denver on Tuesday.

Mule

Well, LFT only flies 747-400's and the Airbus A350-XWB into DEN.  DEN can't take the A380's.  Gates aren't wide enough.  The Frankfurt ride is usually a 747-400.  The Munich ride is the A350-XWB now (replacing most of the Airbus A340-600's).

A380's are out of production.  Biggest airliner boondoggle in the history of aviation, and probably the sole reason Boeing is still even in the game right now with the 737-MAX debacle.

Unlike the 747-400, the A380 can't be converted to freighters, like virtually all 747's are.  The A380's just go to the scrap yard.  The reason is, the mid-deck is a structural element of the fuselage of the aircraft and cannot be removed.  That, and the A380 is too wide (even if you could remove the mid-deck).  Cargo containers are all standardized for size (inter-modal if you will).  The fuselage bay of the A380 is like 4.3 containers wide on each side.  At (4) containers wide it's too fuel inefficient and is a fuel pig, and at (5) containers wide it's way too tail heavy and can't take off.  OOPS!!!

To speed the A380 into service, Airbus ignored the end of life scenarios for the air frame and cut corners making it a PAX, and PAX only, aircraft.

LH was running the A-380's into  Houston as I've flown then into there.
 I've only flew them a couple times when my Frankfurt to Denver was cancelled. But sitting the business lounge in Z terminal in Frankfurt, it wasn't uncommon to 4 or 5 in the gates, intermingled with other heavys.
LH had plans already in place to wean them out of the herd by 2022 from their publications. The business plan for them didn't pan out.
lots of scrap metal in one.
i am always in and out of Denver on the 747-400 out gate A41 mostly .

Mule