The New York Times profiles Delta Air Lines as a carrier content to keep gently refining a winning formula. That may be wise, but it also raises a fair question: will Delta eventually run into the same problem Southwest did?
The Delta Air Lines Model Is Working, But Is Delta Getting Too Comfortable?
A new New York Times profile of Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian offers a fascinating look at the airline that has long been the envy of others in the U.S. industry.
Delta is the most profitable U.S. airline. It has spent years courting premium passengers, building lounges, improving operational reliability, deepening its American Express relationship, and (incredulously, in my mind) building SkyMiles into a “loyalty machine.”
Bastian’s view is that Delta does not need radical change because Delta has been making the right smaller decisions all along:
“Sometimes, if you have to make big decisions, you haven’t been making the right decisions all along. It’s far more important to be making timely decisions as you go and have a strategy that you’re aligned with. And if you have to course-correct, if you have to tweak, you can do it without having to disrupt the organization.”
On the one hand, it is hard to argue with the results. Delta is usually a pleasure to fly, flights tend to run on time, and its lounges are strong. Long-term, the airline has a growing fleet and a network that will continue to grow with it. Delta employees, at their best, help make the flying experience even more pleasant.
But the article also made me wonder whether Delta is edging toward complacency.
Delta Is Not In A Rut, But The Status Quo Can Be A Snare
At this point, I do not think Delta is in a rut the way Southwest was in a rut prior to its radical changes to the business model.
Delta has invested in premium cabins, Delta One Lounges, free Wi-Fi, international partnerships, technology, and higher-value customers. It has built a customer base that is willing to pay more for the more premium experience.
Bastian even says that some of Delta’s best customers no longer shop on price:
“Our best customers don’t even look at the price.”
That is a remarkable achievement, and it explains a lot about Delta’s financial success. But there is a danger in success.
Southwest also had a model that worked beautifully for decades. Its culture was real: beautifully simple and operationally sound. But gradually, the world changed around it. What had once been a brilliant model began to look dated.
Delta is not Southwest, but no airline is immune from the danger of believing its own playbook is permanently superior.
To his credit, Bastian seems somewhat aware of that danger. Speaking to employees, he said:
“There’s only one thing that can stop us. We start to believe that we’re better.”
That is exactly right. The question is whether Delta can keep that humility while sitting at the top of the industry, especially when Bastian may say that but actually believes Delta is not only better, but already the best.
Kirby Vs. Bastian
The most interesting comparison is United, which the NYT story directly makes.
Scott Kirby is not Ed Bastian. He is much more aggressive, blunter, willing to make big bets, and sometimes too eager to remind everyone that United’s strategy is brilliant.
But Kirby is undeniably hungry.
United is expanding aggressively internationally, adding premium seats, rolling out Starlink across the fleet, and building a more interesting longhaul network. It is adding 250 new aircraft over the next two years and like Delta, trying to court premium customers who won’t look twice when booking an airline ticket.
Kirby even told the New York Times that Delta pioneered the premium strategy, but United has now passed it:
“They’re still really good, but we passed them.”
Hubris is always dangerous and that sentiment is premature, at least based on profitability. United also still has service inconsistencies and rough edges that Delta generally manages better.
But Kirby’s bravado aside, United is an airline trying to leapfrog while Delta is an airline protecting and refining what already works.
Maybe that is enough and is exactly why Delta will keep winning…but maybe not.
Amazon Leo Versus Starlink Is The Clearest Example
The Delta versus United contrast is clearest on inflight connectivity.
United is moving quickly with Starlink and plans to install it across its fleet by the end of next year. Starlink is already proven, fast, and passenger-friendly…I find it absolutely game-changing and go out of my way to seek aircraft that are equipped with it.
Delta is choosing Amazon Leo, but installations will not begin until 2028.
I understand Delta’s logic and have defended it. Amazon may be the better long-term digital partner, bringing retailing, Prime, gaming, data, advertising, and broader integration into Delta’s loyally business model. Delta is not just buying Wi-Fi; it is building a customer data and engagement platform.
> Read More: Delta CEO Brushes Off Elon Musk, Says Amazon Offers More Than Starlink
> Read More: Delta Air Lines Passed On Starlink For A Reason More Valuable Than Wi-Fi
But passengers do not care about that: they just want faster Wi-Fi now. Bastian dismissed the idea that United is closing the gap where it matters:
“That’s the market telling you what they think about the durability and the differentiation of the Delta experience.”
He was referring to Delta’s stock performance, which has held up better than United and other major U.S. carriers during the current geopolitical crisis in Iran.
Fair enough, the market does like Delta (Berkshire Hathaway just acquired a 6% stake in Delta). So do customers. But the market liked Southwest for a long time too!
Delta’s Playbook Still Works
The article ends with Bastian emphasizing continuity:
“We’re just continuing to operate our playbook. We’re always thinking about ways we can enhance it, improve it, but our strategy is pretty clear.”
That is the key line.
Delta’s playbook is clear. It is also very good…arguably the best playbook in U.S. aviation right now. But playbooks age!
The danger is that Delta is so good at doing the current things that it may be slower to recognize when the next things matter more. Just putting it out there for discussion.
CONCLUSION
The New York Times profile of Ed Bastian highlights why Delta remains the strongest U.S. airline. Its culture is real and its pioneering premium strategy works. Kudos to Delta for what it has built.
But I do think the Southwest warning applies. The status quo works wonderfully until it suddenly does not.
Delta is not in a rut. It is still a pleasure to fly, operationally sound, and well-positioned for growth. But United is hungry, and Kirby seems to be thinking several steps ahead while Delta appears more content to keep gently refining the status quo.
Maybe Bastian is right. Maybe the secret is avoiding giant course corrections because the airline has been making the right smaller decisions all along. Or maybe Delta is just getting too complacent.
Time will tell….
i like Scottie, except his mouth. He is seemingly a great tactician. Delta has been plodding along, almost always being the best, for 100 years.
Delta will continue to be a slightly better carrier, and perhaps that translates into a better investment. My vision is cloudy on that issue.
I find it interesting that nowhere in this well stated analysis there is no mention of AA. I don’t disagree. AA seems far behind both DL and UA – although you have noted a few times recently that they seemed to have finally pivoted towards a better customer experience. I wonder whether, as DL and UA battle it out in public, AA might quietly behind the scenes become a stronger competitor. Of course that would require AA ditching their bargain basement former US Airways management mentality. Certainly all three airlines competed in the “race to the bottom” in the back of the plane, and the battle today seems entirely in the front of the plane (and perhaps in the middle as well with Premium Economy) but I wouldn’t count AA out. They also have a strong loyalty program, are paying attention to the customer experience, have finally refocused on international routes once again (bye bye Vasu Raja), and just might end up being the “Dark Horse” in this race.
I’ll just say that I am rooting for AA! The more competition the better.
Interesting comment, “Our best customers don’t even look at the price.” I flew Delta almost exclusively for 20 years. No more. The loyalty program is now a joke. The Diamond promise is immediate upgrade to Comfort Plus when purchasing Main Cabin. My wife and I recently flew Delta, it took two weeks for Comfort Plus upgrades to clear. We had to change the return flight and there is no way to do that without sacrificing your seats on the outbound leg. So, back of the bus for us. Two weeks ago, I booked another flight for September and still have not been upgraded to Comfort Plus, despite seats being available. I now shop price, three of our last five international flights have been on other carriers. We snagged Emirates Business Class for half the price of Delta One. My neighbor travels internationally monthly for business and was exclusively Delta for years. He recently told me he now books fare and schedule on whatever airline fits best. Delta may not be complacent, but their leadership has become exceedingly arrogant.
Anytime my comfort upgrade does not immediately clear, I call the Diamond Line and they upgrade me on the spot. It works every time, even if there is only one seat left. Never rely on the auto upgrade alone
I don’t understand how that is possible. I’m a PM and if I can’t book C+ at purchasing, I can immediately go back to manage my reservation and choose C+ seats within seconds of purchasing the ticket. I’ve literally never had to wait for C+ to “clear”. Not in domestic nor on international.
Similar story here. There was a time when I would go straight to the Delta website and never even look at another carrier. I would take a connection and pay more to fly Delta and I’d tell people about it proudly.
But that was 7 years ago. I had great experience on United recently on one of my first ventures away from Delta.
I’ll still fly Delta, I like them, but I’m looking at price and schedule more now and am okay with booking away from Delta.
the sad thing is that UA including its execs are deluded into thinking that they have closed the gap with DL.
They beat DL in cancellation rates and on-time by a percent for a couple months but still lose a higher percentage of bags than any other US airline.
UA’s financial results have been boosted for years by underpaying its labor. Only now as fuel prices soar and UA can hide behind fuel costs is UA finally getting around to settling w/ its labor groups.
Let’s get back later this year and compare UA and DL’s financial results but UA only delivered two-thirds of DL’s profits even though UA flew 10% more ASMs than DL.
DL is far enough out in front because they have made the right decisions for years and years. As much as AA and UA and WN think they can close the gap, DL simply has a number of structural advantages including DL’s hub dominance, the refinery, its largely non-union workforce, and its growing MRO revenues that no other airline – US or foreign – can duplicate.
and DL’s real move relative to UA will come as DL puts in service its first 20 A350-1000s which will be the most capable and efficient in the US carrier fleet – which no other US carrier will have.
If UA’s strength is the Pacific, DL will very quickly neutralize that advantage over a pretty short period of time.
DL is indeed ahead of the crowd and will stay that way.
The sad thing is that you actually believe that they haven’t closed the gap. News flash: they pretty much have. If they can solve international catering, they’ll outdo Delta at this point. See my thoughts below – which I wrote before seeing this comment of yours.
Delta and United are my 2 airlines. They both do a lot of things well. As a Gold on both, my upgrade rates to First and Economy Comfort are better on United. Delta’s tiny Economy Comfort cabins also mean I am in E+ almost always on United and only about 80% on Delta. Delta really needs to expand their Economy Comfort cabins. United is far more premium heavy on a seat percentage than Delta.
Delta’s problem is that Satan can call in the blood-signed contract that Richard Anderson did with him at any time, and even he’s getting sick of Bastian. Expect a large burning vortex coming from the south end of Atlanta sometime soon. It’ll be just like Sherman, only a lot more beautiful.
What do you think DL should be doing then? Besides the Starlink/Amazon issue? For me one area they are lagging in conpared to UA is their network to and within Asia (though nowhere near as bad as AA is in Asia).
Which is fairly ironic, as DL merged with Northwest, which had a strong Asia/Pacific network (remember it was originally named “Northwest Orient”) and yet now falls behind UA (which got the start of their Pacific network from Pan Am).
“Our best customers don’t even look at the price” comment is complacency right there.
100% right.
A couple of weeks ago, I flew DL for the first time in a while (I usually fly UA). How was it? Just ok. Meh. The minimum. Had a somewhat work 737-800 each way between ORD=SLC. The seats were fine, economy seats were barely enough for my tall frame (which is par for the course). They had seatback entertainment (hello, AA?) which was fine. Not as good a selection as UA but fine. Service was fine. Everything was fine. But nothing was impressive enough to make me rethink my loyalty to UA. In some ways, UA was better.
Now, to be fair, the last trip I took with DL was 2 years ago on one of their A220s and that was a much more impressive experience. But this most recent trip frankly reminds me of Delta 20 years ago. Fine, solid, but not world class. I guess staying that way won’t hurt them a bit but it will limit opportunities for growth in market share, as United is ascendent.
and yet actual customer surveys including DOT complaint data DOES NOT rate UA higher.. in fact, UA is worse.
Clearly your anecdotal experience doesn’t measure the thoughts of the hundreds of millions of passengers that fly each of AA, DL UA and WN every year.
UA desperately wants you to believe they have closed the gap but actual data on multiple levels says otherwise.
As for the comment above about the Pacific, UA had a 30 year hearstart to DL’s NW merger and NW had a NRT based TPAC system which didn’t make money or handle traffic near as well as UA’s network.
DL IS fixing its TPAC system with the 35Ks and DL will close the gap significantly over the next 3 years and there isn’t a thing that UA can do.
further, few, like you, don’t grasp that DL is already the largest US airline outside of CA to E. Asia while the vast majority of UA’s TPAC network is to/from California.
DL already handedly beats UA from the eastern US to E. Asia; DL will not only expand that lead over the next 3 years but reduce the gap from the west coast to Asia.
UA’s advantage will be gone in 5 years.
They can say all they want. But where I live, Washington DC , Delta is simply not a compelling option. No nonstops to the places I go , and sure while it’s marginally nicer onboard than a typical AA flight out of DCA, a nonstop beats a connection in Atlanta or Detroit every time.
kinda like UA isn’t an option from ATL, DTW, MSP, SLC, JFK, BOS or SEA?
you somehow cherrypick YOUR reality because you can’t accept that the big 4 serve hundreds of millions of customers per year WHICH MEANS that your perception simply. does. not. matter.
DL generates more revenue from its network than not just AA and UA but there are clearly more people willing to give more money to DL than any other airline in the world.
What you just named, other than JFK, are a bunch of 2nd tier cities. And United has Newark, which is closer to Manhattan
Bingo, @Jason! The airline I choose depends entirely on where I live and where I want to go. Nonstops rule; anything else is just plan B. There are only a couple of markets that are truly competitive when it comes to choice of carriers: New York, LA, and anywhere you just can’t get nonstops and have to connect anyway. Yes, there are markets where 2 carriers are fighting it out (think AA and UA at ORD, AS and DL at SEA) but there are a lot more markets that are fortress hubs for a single airline. I used to fly UA preferentially but living in Seattle, after UA dropped all nonstop flights except to its US hubs, that would make no sense at all. I now tend to choose either DL or AS ot their partners, mostly depending on seat availability, nonstop flights, and price. I suspect most Americans who are not tied into corporate contracts employ the same logic.
@Matthew–I feel that the effect of captive/fortress hubs should have been factored into your analysis. While the New York Times is really a national newspaper, its home is still NYC, one of the most competitive airline markets in the world. That might be why they (I haven’t read the NYT piece yet) or you didn’t bring up the strong effect of captive hubs. Captive hubs might also account for Ed Bastian’s comment about customers not looking at the price–people really do want nonstops!
Let’s recall that DL has again secured the title of Best U.S. Airline in Forbes Travel Guide’s Verified Air Travel Awards for 2025, marking its second consecutive win. The recognition is based on a survey of more than 9,000 luxury travel advisors and hospitality professionals.
The issue that isn’t always directly said is this:
Ed Bastian inherited a couple things from Anderson
1. a playbook already established
2. Glen
3. A COO that knew how to run the operation
If someone can give an example of something Ed has done at Delta that is unique and represents his own unique acumen, great. I’d love to hear it but Ed Bastian inherited a lot and gets away with a lot.
Once the great COO left, Delta ops have, without doubt, suffered. Even the WSJ did an article the week noting how Delta ops are below the industry average this year.
Glen is now gone so we’ll see how the network decisions are made in the coming years.
We do know this:
Delta has several unique issues:
1. Unprofitable hubs and plans to build more — SEA, AUS, and likely LAX as well. They get away with this when times are good because of their monopolistic hold at other hubs but SEA is in a place where the carrier twice its size is going international in a big way and trying to join joint ventures that will permanently lock out Delta of any real TPAC hub — LAX is just never going to be that and AUS — c’mon.. the hubris there is amusing. 15 gates is not a hub and Delta has yet to beat WN in ANY FOCUS CITY where WN started out with the advantage. Delta has walked away every time.
2. Wifi — something Ed could’ve fixed but made strategic errors like betting on Viasat international too soon or the mess that is 717 gogo wifi
3. SkyReais/SkyPesos — the absolute decimation in consumer value — this sort of program should be some kind of fallback but Delta has gutted it so much that it does make one wonder how swift a fall could be if Delta starts to falter in brand perception — there’s very little keeping loyal customers at Delta via the loyalty program in terms of mutual benefit if Delta stumbles in other areas
4. Aircraft interiors — Say what you want about AA domestic interiors, they’re all only a few years old and they all look nearly identical and new with free domestic high speed wifi on EVERY plane — but without screens. UA is quickly changing their entire domestic fleet to UA Next. Delta has decided interior consistency doesn’t matter so you’ll see things like gogo wifi on the 717 to the dismal old 738 interiors to the infamous 763 to frankly the “new” airbus interiors from ~2015 where my last two trips on one the vents were literally falling out of the overhead and it seemed perfectly normal to the FA when I mentioned it — to say nothing of the awful first class legroom but especially in the bulkhead. But this is really just consistency and consistency is something you find on AA, coming on UA, but Delta has no plan whatsoever for this and that’s in stark contrast to a company like United that redid their 763s to keep flying for years — Delta has just purposefully made strategic decisions since Richard left to make themselves look less premium (of course this is unless you’re a specific poster on here where Delta can do no wrong).
Lots of great things done well at Delta, but it is worth pointing out how inconsistent much of their offering is onboard but MORE IMPORTANTLY, how purposeful and strategic their lack of consistency is unlike AA and UA.
feel free to provide the data to support your contentions.
You can’t because it is your usual made-up non-sense.
The DOT has released operational data through Feb 2026.
DL’s on-time through Feb is 77.8 while the industry on-time is 76.8
DL’s cancellation rate for both months is right at industry average, not below.
AA and UA have each spent one of the two months as the worst airlines in the US for baggage handling while DL’s baggage mishandling rate is better than industry average – which is dragged down by AA and UA.
DL consistently has the lowest involuntary denied board ratio and also scores above average in consumer complaints.
item2
Feel free to provide data to show DL or any airline profitabililty by hub.
All of the commentary about profitability of hubs comes from Scott Kirby and UA who ignores credit card revenue applied to hub revenue – because UA is dead last of the big 3 in credit card revenue.
and the bigger issue is that DL IS the most profitable US airline by a wide margin; the real question is what every other airline did for the past 48 years of deregulation to have hubs that don’t generate any more revenue than they do.
as for hubs, UA loves to talk about the size of its network and the location of its hubs – but it can’t turn it into higher profits even though UA flies 10% more ASMs than DL and also has underpaid its employees for years. UA has huge structural issues that clearly limit its ability to be industry leading in financial or customer service terms and so they cherrypick one data point while magnifying flaws in their competitor and ignore their own much deeper flaws.
There is no planet in which a 1-2% difference in on-time and cancellation rates offsets industry worst bagage handling.
as for aircraft interiors, DL not only has a plan but works methodically through its to-do list.
Tell us, mini brain, how many aircraft UA has grounded right now due to a lack of engines.
Somehow DL has managed to figure out the things that matter including maintaining its aircraft – something UA is hard-pressed to figure out how to do.
and UA still has hundreds of aircraft that do not have complete NEXT interiors. Not to speak of 90% of its fleet that doesn’t have Starlink even though they talk incessantly about it.
UA is led by a bunch of insecure people that incessantly boast about how good they are when they in reality are slightly above average in some metrics and well below in others.
DL is not perfect but it is the industry leader and it is clear that some people cannot accept that reality.
Delta ops per the WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/deltas-flight-cancellations-have-mounted-and-its-staffing-up-to-improve-ad366c50
it’s about cancellations, specifically.
“There is no planet in which a 1-2% difference in on-time and cancellation rates offsets industry worst bagage handling.”
Not sure why you’re talking about baggage handling rates, but enjoy going down a rabbit trail. Seems to be your latest go-to since you bring it up now in EVERY post as though baggage handling is the new example of delta reliability while their cancellations accelerate. However, yes, there are MANY premium travelers that never ever check a bag, so yes. On time and cancellations do matter to many business travelers that never check a bag.
Delta profitability by hub — as you know very well, and since I’ve mentioned it to you before — Delta in their investor days specifically calls out ATL, DTW, MSP, and SLC as their margin drivers and says they’re profitable (allow me to preempt your usual response by saying — go read them, Tim. You’d enjoy knowing what your own favorite airline says about their own network vs me having to tell you every time). They have never claimed their other coastal hubs are but… if you think Delta is profitable running half the operation of AS in SEA, or making money in LAX, or that AUS run-up is profitable, go for it. Delta has certainly never claimed that but they are very direct claiming that about their profitable hubs.
“as for aircraft interiors, DL not only has a plan but works methodically through its to-do list.
Tell us, mini brain, how many aircraft UA has grounded right now due to a lack of engines.”
How predictable of you to result to insults in reply… What is delta’s plan for the last ten years for the product on the 717 or the 763? I can tell you. there isn’t one that has ever worked (717) and there never was one for the 763. Delta has gogo wifi on their 717s and has never put PTVs on them despite the ability to do both — Delta CHOSE to keep an inferior product for more than a decade. The Delta 763 is another example of a deliberate choice to field an inferior product when they didn’t have to do that. That’s in stark contract to United that did retrofit their 763.
Only you could reply to a comment about product interiors of aircraft with an unrelated comment about the engine life of the P&W engine that isn’t supported anymore. How would you like United to plan for that, Tim? Planning for an engine that isn’t really supported anymore? That’s a lot different than ignoring the interior of Delta’s 717s and 763s when FULLY adequate replacements ARE available.
Just because you try to compare apples and oranges and pretend they’re the same, doesn’t mean they are.
The rest of your reply is just the usual Tim nonsense trying to obscure what was said with somethign completely different and unrelated vs replying to what was said.
Delta ops have suffered.
Delta has made strategic plans to NOT refurbish entire aircraft types in the interiors — that’s just not the same at AA and UA. Perhaps you could say that about the A320s at AA but they at least have good wifi unlike the Delta 717s. United is busy refurbishing their entire fleet to United next.
“DL is not perfect but it is the industry leader and it is clear that some people cannot accept that reality.”
I’ll just say this as I did above. Delta does many things well and if it were 2018 or 2019, I’d likely agree with you in some ways but your reality is not reality and profitability does not equal premium.
It really is amazing how much time you have on your hands to type all that rage into a comment section yet you always repeat the exact same things with new words around it.
you prove how desperately you cling to any data point that, in your mind, proves that DL is not the leader of the US airline industry and, in doing so, ignore far more and more complete data.
DL’s cancellation rate and on-time has suffered from implementation of some elements of pilot notification – but DL still managed to remain in the top tier – just not at the top of the big 3.
WN, not UA, has the lowest cancellation rates of the big 4.
DL took a bigger hit in ontime and cancellation rates during CRWD but ended up at the front of the big 4 that year. DL has already implemented changes to its pilot notification and staffing processes to allow them to return to better operational reliability than AA or UA.
and you still want to believe that a couple percent better in on time and cancellation offsets the industry’s worst baggage handling. the math simply doesn’t math
The difference between fleet strategies at DL and UA is that DL has never tried to pursue a one size fits all approach to onboard service which is unattainable in reality.
the 717s cannot support seatback AVOD but DL uses 717s largely where AA and UA use regional jets – which do not have AVOD.
and DL never believed like UA that dumbing down the business class product to make it fit in the 767 made sense – because it came at the cost of an inferior product in larger aircraft including the A350, 330s, 777s and 787s. Polaris one is and always will be an inferior product not just to Delta One Suites and UA is not retrofitting its Polaris aircraft – they just hope to dilute out the “bad product” with new deliveries.
and DL is retiring older aircraft instead of leaving them parked in the desert because parts are not available as UA is doing. UA suffers from FOMO and underdelivers. DL plans ahead and continually refreshes its fleet including w/ new delivers.
UA is still a distant 2nd to DL and the fundamental issue is that you can’t admit that.
what you accept or not has no bearing on reality
your incoherent ramblings in reply are always amusing to read but I don’t have time to reply to your 20 attempts to redirect the conversation vs staying on topic.
Happy thursday, Timmy. Please consider reading Delta investor day docs. You’d learn a lot and wouldn’t have to be constantly schooled on what they say.
100% agree that Delta is comfortable. I worked at Delta in 2015-2017 and then United 2017-2022. Delta was at the top of the their game (and still is) but lacks real innovation to keep up. For me I saw it first hand when delta was so confident, that they broke the interline with American because the relationship was one way and then a year later they had back to back IT failure and weather that shut the entire airline down and no way to use American (with the nearest hub) to help restart the airline. That and things like their IT and Skymiles program and even smaller things like connection saver at United.
DL dropped the baggage interline with AA because AA was sending too many passengers to DL without bags which was a guaranteed extra expense for DL.
AA and DL’s networks overlap enough that they need to cooperate but DL’s baggage handling even for its own bags is far better than AA’s is even for its own passengers.
Delta never dropped the “baggage interline” with AA. Where are you even getting “baggage” from? Are you this obsessed with your new baggage handling rate info?
American dropped the interline with Delta because Delta wanted to raise the interline rates on AA and United. American chose to drop the interline due to delta’s desire to raise rates — which the stated Delta reason was as you said — AA was booking more on DL than the inverse. And as Kip mentioned, it came back to bite Delta very shortly after when Delta was forced to deal with their own network inadequacies and operational failures and not get help from the CLT, MIA, and DFW hubs — all that could’ve relieved nearly every single outstation that serves ATL quite easily.
Delta came back a year later to AA with their tail between their legs at the old rate.
Sorry, Tim. As usual, facts hurt you. It was a noble yet poorly executed attempt at trying to change history.
You once again fail to note the real bottom line which is that AA committed to improving its baggage transfer processes to DL and THAT is why DL reinstated the interline agreement; you never understand business because you try to turn everything into your childish competitions which are driven by emotion rather than facts and reality.
And UA knows how much DL has benefitted from AA’s incompetence over the past decade plus – in gaining passengers and market share from AA in NYC and LAX as well as in the SE where the two heavily overlap.
Just as Doug Parker wanted to acquire DL during DL’s chapter 11 reorg, UA wants to eliminate its biggest big 3 competitor because it cannot win against DL. AA knows full well how much revenue it leaks to DL from poor operations and a superior product; UA thinks it can do the same thing.
As much as some people overblow the competition between DL and UA, it is actually AA and WN and their turnarounds that will shape the future of the airline industry. Both are large and have underperformed for so long that DL and UA have benefitted even though DL and UA have the least overlap of the big 4. By metro area, WN has the largest overlap with UA while AA and UA have significant overlap.
As to the question of where DL will go in its industry leadership as AA and WN improve their retention and access to premium flyers, DL simply has more structural advantages including higher market share in its home markets, higher amounts of corporate contract revenue, the refinery, MRO, and much larger credit card/loyalty program relationship with Amex which AA UA and WN simply cannot duplicate.
DL is not at risk but AA and UA will try to close the gap; AA actually recognizes where they are while UA and its fans continue to cherrypick datapoints so they don’t have to face the reality that UA is very much in 2nd place and are not at all likely to close the gap anytime soon
“You once again fail to note the real bottom line which is that AA committed to improving its baggage transfer processes to DL and THAT is why DL reinstated the interline agreement; you never understand business because you try to turn everything into your childish competitions which are driven by emotion rather than facts and reality.
”
Any link. Any link WHATSOEVER to substantiate this lol. you are funny, Tim.
No, the issue was over the interline rate, not baggage handling easy from AA to Delta lol
As usual, after being called out for having no idea what the interline dispute was even about, I admire your attempt to turn a back/forth from ~2018 into your usual redirect to something no one is talking about, but no one is talking about it and your usual mind ramblings don’t interest me today.
laughable. not really sad.
You expect ME to provide a link to substantiate that AA improved its baggage handling while you are free to argue that “DL came running back w/ its tail between its legs.”
If you weren’t such a hypocrite, you might gain traction – but for years, I have been throwing cold water – buckets of it – on your hogwash and will continue to do so.
DL has feasted mightily because of AA’s strategic misteps.
AA, DL, WN and UA are competing for the same premium passengers.
DL just happens to also have much greater sources of nontransportation revenue and cost savings. on top of DL’s structural advantages including its route system and workforce
The notion that anybody will pass DL is just a fantasy
No tim. I expect you to provide a link that the issue from back then was about baggage handling lol
Do you know how to read because you’ll enjoy the myriad links below and learning about a topic you clearly know nothing about. 😉
And yes… Delta was the one who came to American to restore the interline, not the other way around and at standard interline rates, just like AA demanded when American cancelled the interline agreement in 2015.
“Here we are a month later, and an agreement has been reached. My understanding is that it’s at industry-standard rates,”
“”I understand that after these events, Delta started to believe in the importance of having the ability to put people on American. The airline approached American to open up talks…”
Even Doug Parker had some hubris about Delta coming back to AA to bring back the interline… on American’s terms…
https://viewfromthewing.com/inside-story-delta-ended-interline-agreement-american-asked-back/
How time flies… it was 2015, it was restored in 2018
but you are correct… it took delta a tad longer than two years to come back with their tail between their legs 😉
https://crankyflier.com/2018/01/25/delta-finally-brings-back-the-part-of-an-interline-agreement-with-american-that-matters-most/
to quote Cranky: “Now, after several painful operational messes, Delta has finally agreed to bring the most important pieces of that deal back to life.”
“Back in 2015, Delta was feeling pretty good about itself. Its operation was running rather well while American and especially United were struggling. Delta looked at its interline agreements with both carriers and thought it had the upper hand. It decided to use its leverage and squeeze more money out of the other two. That worked for United, which caved to Delta’s demands. But American? Not so much.”
“I understand that after these (operational) events, Delta started to believe in the importance of having the ability to put people on American. The airline approached American to open up talks, but for some time, there was no agreement. And of course, more problems occurred. Most recently there was the fire at Atlanta’s airport that caused the power to go out, obviously impacting Delta more than any other airline. At the time, I said this:”
“Here we are a month later, and an agreement has been reached. My understanding is that it’s at industry-standard rates,”
https://crankyflier.com/2015/09/14/deltas-reason-for-killing-its-interline-agreement-with-american-makes-no-sense/
https://viewfromthewing.com/why-delta-thinks-theyre-too-good-to-have-an-interline-agreement-with-american/
https://onemileatatime.com/american-delta-restore-their-interline-agreement/
Can’t wait to see your backup, Tim. Don’t spend too long googling, the dispute wasn’t about baggage transfer and Delta is the one that came back to American per just about every reputable industry source. 😉
Have a great day, slugger!
Matthew, I’m very sorry… I did specifically google for live and let’s fly links on the topic but I’m not good enough at google to find them. the Cranky, Omaat, and VFTW results came back instead. I don’t think I’d ever noticed that you don’t have a search engine on the website.
Also, Tim
“You expect ME to provide a link to substantiate that AA improved its baggage handling ”
you really are like having a discussion with someone that is completely lost in a conversation and constantly misquotes. I never said AA improved or did not improve baggage handling between 2015 and 2018. This is some strange rabbit trail you’re going down that has nothing to do with the topic.
The dispute was never about baggage handling lol so AA’s MBR doesn’t pertain to anything we’re discussing.
what I said was feel free to provide any link whatsoever that the dispute was EVER ABOUT MBR. It never was as my other post makes quite clear from just about every reputable industry source.
You need some brain cells and synapses realigned to realize the topic and then how to respond to the topic.
But enjoy reading all the links I posted (there are a lot of links so I’ll give Matthew a few to post it) and feel free to just reply with “MaxPower, you were right. I was wrong” 😉
All that keyboard banging and you still can’t prove that the reason DL wanted higher interchange rates was because it was running a better operation and was tired of delivering bags for AA and UA who were running less reliable operations -and still do.
This would be a good time to, once again, remind you and Matthew’s readers that AA and UA’s baggage handling performance is FAR worse than DL’s.
While you argue about what happened ten years ago with logic that doesn’t even logic – you even note that DL was getting higher revenue than AA and UA then – you can’t debate that TODAY – which is what matters – DL is running a better operation on a more consistent basis that translates into higher revenue and profits.
Bang the keyboard all weekend long if it makes you feel better. You have never been able to acknowledge that DL really runs a better business and operation and neither AA or UA or anyone else comes anywhere close.
no no, Tim
you’re looking to say
“MaxPower, you were right. I was wrong”
Try it out sometime, slugger. you might actually get some respect from acknowledging when you’re wrong.
but again. Feel free to share literally anything that makes your case. You haven’t and this dispute had nothing to do with MBR lol
also, did you brain go on auto-repeat? Bringing up MBR now? 😉
Delta ops? Nope. Again for you to try your reading skills: https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/deltas-flight-cancellations-have-mounted-and-its-staffing-up-to-improve-ad366c50
Matt’s story about 2 cxld 777-200 flights is what matters and shapes consumer behavior, not the fixation on a couple percentage difference in OT or cancellation for a couple of months – at best
Make sure you tell the WSJ that