Comments on: Delta, US Airways, Continental, and AirTran Swap DC and NY Slots

By: Delta and US Airways Propose New York/Washington Slot Swap Again, and This Time It’ll Happen - >> The Cranky Flier

Thu, 26 May 2011 10:47:22 +0000

[...] least 15 new destinations. Back when US Airways first announced it would do this deal in 2009, it gave 15 new destinations it would serve, so I imagine it will be [...]

By: FAA Receives Tentative Order for Cranky Jackass Award After US Airways/Delta Slot Swap Ruling - >> The Cranky Flier

Wed, 05 May 2010 10:47:13 +0000

[...] airplanes, additional routes) and instantly improve their bottom lines. The only problem? They needed a waiver from the FAA which would allow US Airways to transfer the LaGuardia slots. Slot transfers had been prohibited in recent years thanks to a temporary order that is still in [...]

By: US Airways and Delta Offer to Sell Slots in Washington/New York Swap - >> The Cranky Flier

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:31:34 +0000

[...] all remember the original deal, right? US Airways would give Delta 125 slot pairs at LaGuardia in exchange for 42 slot pairs at [...]

By: DOT Attaches Foolish Conditions to US Airways and Delta Slot Swap in New York and Washington >> The Cranky Flier® – Airlines|Airports|Air Travel Blog « AIRBOYD.TV Blog

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:51:47 +0000

[...] refresh our memories on the details of the plan. US Airways will give up 125 slot pairs at LaGuardia along with terminal space. In return, Delta [...]

By: Alan

Alan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:29:32 +0000

“Why does Ireland have preclearance for US?” was asked above.

I think it is for the following reasons, most of them pure commonsense:

a) Political and cultural ties between the two countries.

b) Safety and convenience; Most passengers coming from Ireland and probably all from Shannon are likely to be extremely low-risk (and at least half are US citizens) as regards terrorism or a desire to overthrow the US Government – particulary in the case of Shannon which now has full preclearance and no connecting flights from “dodgy” countries. Someone not fittng the terrorist low risk profile would stand out like a sore thumb here. It makes a quicker process for passengers coming from Ireland and it makes for a better experience for passengers arriving in the USA from other destinations – as Homeland security has slightly less people to process and therefore can do so more thoroughly and fairly as there is a little less time pressure.

c) Shannon has nearly 3 million US soldiers transitting it every year, ahving US pre-clearance makes even more sense for this reason.

By: Alan

Alan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:20:28 +0000

By: Fred

Fred — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:45:00 +0000

The swap is certainly reflected in fares. DTW to DCA on NW / Delta was $150.00 give or take $30.00 for the last several years. Immediately after the swap, DTW / DCA on Delta jumped to $757.00 while that flight is now available on US Air for $150.00. For a 398 mile flight, one can take practically take a cab and not spend more.

I had been a lyoal NW customer for years. Unfortunately it appears Delta really doesn’t want or care about DTW business. If they want to “win” NY, fine, but at the cost of how much other business? Go ahead – “win” NY, and I will fly US Air

By: CF

CF — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:27:21 +0000

@ Alex Hill: While it's true that DL/NW has a bigger presence in Madison, US Airways has a bigger presence in Washington so it should even out for them. It's not hard to open a new station when they can outsource the functions at the city, so that isn't an issue. My guess is that they are really just keeping the Madison flight around because they had to fill up all the cities that Delta would be leaving.

By: Alex Hill

Alex Hill — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:18:37 +0000

I’m a little late to the party, but, as a Madison resident and occasional passenger on the Northwest Airlink MSN-DCA non-stop, switching that flight to US Airways (Express) confuses me. US Airways currently has no presence here in Madison, while Northwest/Delta is by far the largest carrier and the only one with mainline service here. Why would US Airways Express start a new station just to operate a single daily flight to a non-hub? Will they start a Philadelphia or Charlotte flight too?

My impression is that the situation in the other small upper midwest towns with Northwest non-stops to DCA (Des Moines and Grand Rapids) is similar.

Judging by the typically-high fares and the fact that the flight has been mostly full most times I’ve flown it, the MSN-DCA flight that Northwest has been running for a few years must be successful.

By: CF

CF — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:48:12 +0000

Cheri wrote:

So I just tried to book a Sept flight from LGA to CLT — but the always-overbooked 6:55pm is now GONE!!

It looks like you may have just picked a bad day. It's not gone, but there are some quirky days in September that don't have it operating. It's now a 659p departure and it runs every day until 9/13. Then it doesn't operate on Monday and Tuesday. There's also a 735p Wednesday through Sunday, but Monday and Tuesday, for whatever reason, have neither of those.