Comments on: Delta reneges on “No hub closure” promise, closes Cincinnati base

By: cdgirl1234

cdgirl1234 — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 03:05:00 +0000

I heard that Delta might sell Comair, just like ASA was sold by Delta. Comair can still make money for Delta without Delta owning Comair and thus can also do contract flying for other airlines, too. ASA was also able to purchase Express Jet. Maybe Comair can survive if they can get sold by Delta. We will see what transpires.

For the record, DTW is a really efficient airport with lots of domestic and international fligihts and 4 solid runways. I see CVG and Memphis going away down the road and DTW, MSP,. NY and ATL being the major hubs that service Delta. They don’t need CVG and MEM and DTW. That wouldn’t make any sense.

By: cdgirl1234

cdgirl1234 — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 03:02:52 +0000

For the record, DTW is a really efficient airport with lots of domestic and international flgihts and 4 solid runways. I see CVG and Memphis going away down the road and DTW, MSP,. NY and ATL being the major hubs that service Delta. They don’t need CVG and MEM and DTW. That wouldn’t make any sense.

By: AS Predictions thread for 2011 - Page 5 - FlyerTalk Forums

AS Predictions thread for 2011 - Page 5 - FlyerTalk Forums — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:18:35 +0000

[...] they promised they wouldn't do it in Cincinnati, but they did anyway. Here is one article on it: http://www.consumertraveler.com/toda…ncinnati-base/ They have about 4 years remaining on a contract. Don't confuse this with the idea that Delta is [...]

By: It doesn't sound good for CLE - Page 15 - FlyerTalk Forums

It doesn't sound good for CLE - Page 15 - FlyerTalk Forums — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:46:29 +0000

[...] following Anderson's play book Here is a link from 2008 when DL/NW announced the merger. http://www.consumertraveler.com/toda…ncinnati-base/ DL also promised no hub closures before the merger approval was attained. And the check was in the [...]

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:45:41 +0000

Faux news indeed! “…but with flights dropping from almost 500 to less than 200 a day, the definition of hub is being stretched.” — how ludicrous! CVG may not be the massive hub it once was, for sure, but don’t confuse cuts with closure. Any airport where Delta connects customers is a hub. With 200 flights… heck, even 150 flights… that’s definitely a “hub” — when CVG loses all DL service except to key markets (other DL hubs, perhaps key East/West Coast business markets… say, down to 8-10 destinations), THEN you MIGHT be talking about hub closure.

There was no reneg here. Plain and simple. Everyone knew when Delta promised no hub closures that cuts were possible… and in the case of CVG, very likely.

By: Martin

Martin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:43:38 +0000

I’m a Frequent flier across the country and must say that DTW is probably one of the Top 5 airports in the country based on ease of travel, connections, international gateway, and general facilities. Furthermore, DTW is ideally located to attract not only Detroit and it’s suburbs, but even Northwestern Ohio/ Northeastern Indiana/Windsor traffic.

By: Glen

Glen — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:39:26 +0000

I agree Detroit will be a hub for a very long time. You cannot beat the facilities anywhere in the United States and there are rarely delays due to the 4 parallel runways.

By: Brian Mclean

Brian Mclean — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:19:41 +0000

The Cincinnati airport and Cincy’s Chamber of Commerce are under a lot of pressure to make a “can’t refuse” offer to Southwest Airlines. These two, CVG and WN, have been playing a form of chicken for years. This year, finally, the partnership will be formed. Delta, and possibly federal courts, will finally allow this transition for the good of the community. The final nail in the coffin for the DL’s Cincy hub, will be Southwest Airlines and addition of LGA hub, not DL’s overcapacity in the midwest.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 07:57:52 +0000

The imminent closure of the Memphis hub has been reported for at least 20 years and 3 recessions. Yet it always manages to remain. It’s easy for uninformed, outside observers without a complete understanding of airline economics to dismiss Memphis based on small market size, but revenue is only part of the financial statement. MEM offers Delta very low operating costs. This is largely due to the economies of scale provided by sharing the airport with FedEx (who pays the lion’s share of the landing fees with their heavier aircraft). Unfortunately, CVG does not have this advantage, and must collect most of the costs of operating the airport from Delta.

If CVG is indeed de-hubbed, it almost certainly means that MEM will remain a hub. There is simply no way Delta can cram all its southeastern traffic into ATL for the long term. Maintaining a hub of some size in MEM gives them leverage in both present and future negotiations with ATL, provides a hedge against increased congestion or slot restrictions at ATL, and is actually a better connecting point for some city pairs…particularly between Texas and the Midwest/Great Lakes states.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:08:35 +0000

Mr. Leocha,
I wouldn’t bet on DTW being dehubbed anytime soon. At present, Detroit is Delta’s second largest airport and its main gateway to Asia. Since the merger, Delta has been adding destinations served from DTW, including Rome and Hong Kong. It is easily the most modern and efficient Delta hub and the airport’s development was supervised by the current Delta CEO Richard Anderson while he was in charge of Northwest. As of now, I see no evidence that Detroit “dies as a ‘hub.’” I’m also curious as to why you would simply add Memphis in with CVG when it too has not suffered from the NWA-Delta merger. Though its status does seem a little shaky given its proximity to DL’s fortress in Atlanta, it has certainly not seen cuts similar to CVG. I’m a little surprised that you would simply accept one poster’s word about it.