Delta Plans Trans-Atlantic Service Between Paris and Raleigh-Durham, Pittsburgh

[DAL767-400ER]

http://biz.yahoo.com/pz/081106/154020.html

ATLANTA, Nov. 6, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Delta Air Lines (NYSEAL - News), the world's largest airline, today announced the start of two additional nonstop flights between France and the United States with the airline's first-ever nonstop service between Paris-Charles de Gaulle International Airport and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. and Pittsburgh. The new routes, enabled by Delta's successful joint venture with Air France, will offer customers in both cities convenient connections to more than 90 cities in Europe via Air France's Paris hub.

Delta will make history in Pittsburgh and Raleigh-Durham with its new flights. The new trans-Atlantic route from Pittsburgh will be the only nonstop transatlantic service offered by any airline from the city. The new route from Raleigh-Durham will be Delta's first-ever nonstop trans-Atlantic flight offered from North Carolina and will be operated from Raleigh's terminal two, the airport's newest terminal, which opened Oct. 26.

The new nonstop service from both markets will be launched in June 2009. The routes will be operated by Boeing 757-200 aircraft, with seating for up to 174 passengers, including 16 seats in Delta's BusinessElite and 158 in economy class.

Delta's new service between Raleigh-Durham and Paris

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Flight Departs Arrives Effective Frequency
---------------------------------------------------------------------
204 Raleigh-Durham Paris at 8:35 a.m. June 2, 2009 Daily (except
at 6:20 p.m. (next day) Monday and
Thursday)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
205 Paris at Raleigh-Durham June 4, 2009 Daily (except
10:30 a.m. at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday and
Saturday)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Delta's new service between Pittsburgh and Paris

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Flight Departs Arrives Effective Frequency
---------------------------------------------------------------------
188 Pittsburgh at Paris at 8:20 a.m. June 3, 2009 Daily (expect
6:15 p.m. (next day) Tuesday and
Friday)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
189 Paris at 10:40 Pittsburgh at June 3, 2009 Daily (expect
a.m. 1:55 p.m. Tuesday and
Friday)

Guess that's the advantages of a Joint Venture and having smaller planes than AF does .

[herpa2003]

Awesome news for RDU! This has been a great year for RDU's transatlantic service, with the LGW flight switching to LHR and now a new CDG flight. Good things happening in the Triangle!

[Big777jet]

Raleigh has two international flights to Europe AA to LHR and now Delta to CDG. RDU is getting little growing international flights. I know Delta has one to Cancun from RDU.

I hope someday Delta should set mini hub in RDU. I don't think Delta shouldn't copy like American used to be hubs RDU in the past. Just a few flights. We will see and wait.


Stuart

[Big777jet]

http://biz.yahoo.com/pz/081106/154020.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Flight Departs Arrives Effective Frequency
---------------------------------------------------------------------
204 Raleigh-Durham Paris at 8:35 a.m. June 2, 2009 Daily (except
at 6:20 p.m. (next day) Monday and
Thursday)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
205 Paris at Raleigh-Durham June 4, 2009 Daily (except
10:30 a.m. at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday and
Saturday)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Delta's new service between Pittsburgh and Paris

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Flight Departs Arrives Effective Frequency
---------------------------------------------------------------------
188 Pittsburgh at Paris at 8:20 a.m. June 3, 2009 Daily (expect
6:15 p.m. (next day) Tuesday and
Friday)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
189 Paris at 10:40 Pittsburgh at June 3, 2009 Daily (expect
a.m. 1:55 p.m. Tuesday and
Friday) .

I'm sorry I'm getting puzzle. It doesn't make sense to me. " PIT at CDG at 820am" You mean Paris leaves at 820am? It is confusing. You should make sentence "from PIT to Paris leaves at 615pm arrives at 820am. Please clear it out your post again.

Thanks.

[cegro27]

Just look here...

http://news.delta.com/article_displa...ticle_id=11182

[tommyalf]

Anyone want to take bets when AA will start RDU-CDG to compete?

[Big777jet]

Anyone want to take bets when AA will start RDU-CDG to compete?

I hope not, too. AA already lost hubs at RDU.

Stuart

PS- Cegro27 Thanks for vertify the schedule. That makes sense.

[Foxtrot]

I have to wonder how successful the runs between CDG and PIT will be, PIT no longer has the traffic it once had. Unless DL is replying mainly on business travellers between PIT and CDG to make the route plausible.

[Star Alliance]

Well, although I have a sneaking suspicion it won't last long, it's cool to see PIT with TATL service once again! Maybe the new DAL will become a bigger presence in PIT? There are certainly plenty of free gates.

[AA 1818]

If anything - these routes are true testaments to the greatness and flexibility of the 757. DL's agressive International Expansion is impressive, but I doubt that these routes will survive when we see the integration of operations between NW and DL. I wish them the best with the route, and hope also that AA steps up the pace at RDU so that it too can successfully and profitably tap into new markets within Europe from RDU. What was once impossible may now be profitable with a 757! Long live the 757!

[DAL767-400ER]

I have to wonder how successful the runs between CDG and PIT will be, PIT no longer has the traffic it once had. Unless DL is replying mainly on business travellers between PIT and CDG to make the route plausible.

But PIT still has an airport authority that is desperate for international service and willing to waive landing fees and give revenue guarantees for two years .

IDL's agressive International Expansion is impressive, but I doubt that these routes will survive when we see the integration of operations between NW and DL.

To the contrary, the integration of NW ops will only give Delta more planes for routes like these .

[HalcyonDays]

But PIT still has an airport authority that is desperate for international service and willing to waive landing fees and give revenue guarantees for two years .

That's plausible. I cannot see any commercial reasons why Pittsburgh can these days support a non-stop transatlantic service to anywhere.

[Chaudard]

CDG > PIT was the US Airways line. I guess we won't see the Usairways A330 at CDG T1 anymore now. Sad news.

The schedule for PIT with USA was arrival at 8.30am local, and departure at 1pm local.

We heard a few month ago, that USairways were planning to start flying with 767-200 instead of the A330.

Dunno what will happend now as they are merging for good with Delta.

[Retired]

Paris flights backed by $9M subsidies
Delta compensated if revenues fall short
Friday, November 07, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Business and political leaders are betting big that Delta Air Lines' nonstop Pittsburgh-to-Paris service, to start in June, will really take off with travelers.

If it doesn't, they could be on the hook for some big money.

The state and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development are pledging up to $9 million in potential subsidies to Delta over two years if the Paris service falls short of agreed-to revenue levels, officials said at a news conference yesterday.

Delta will start service June 3, offering nonstop flights every day except Tuesdays and Fridays from Pittsburgh International Airport to Charles de Gaulle International Airport. Return flights will be available the same five days.

To secure the coveted service, the state and conference agreed to provide up to $2.5 million each after the first year of flights and up to $2 million each after the second year if revenues don't meet an agreed-upon level not disclosed yesterday.

Likewise, the Allegheny County Airport Authority will waive landing fees for the flights for the first two years, an incentive County Executive Dan Onorato said is available to any airline interested in starting nonstop European service.

Allegheny Conference Chief Executive Officer Michael Langley viewed the potential for triggering the payments from his organization and the state as "low risk," given the expected demand for the service.

He said that on average, about 340 people a day fly from Pittsburgh to a transatlantic destination. That's 3.4 percent higher than in 2004, when US Airways dropped its nonstop flights to London and Frankfurt.

The conference also has gotten commitments from nearly 100 of the region's largest businesses that they will use the Pittsburgh-to-Paris service, Mr. Langley said. He added that regional firms generate more than a third of their revenues outside of the United States, making international travel more of a necessity.

"Our estimates of what we think this flight will produce, based on past, present and what we project for the future, we have a pretty good cushion before we would provide any guarantee at all," he said.

Mr. Langley said the potential subsidies being offered to Delta are far less than the incentives, including guaranteed ticket purchases, dangled in the past to airlines to try to get them to add nonstop transatlantic service from Pittsburgh.

At one time, he said, the region was offering upwards of $10 million in upfront payments to US Airways to restart the London and Frankfurt flights. He also said the possible payments are far less than the $130 million in economic impact the conference estimates the flights will generate for the region in jobs, wages and other spinoff.

"This is a much bigger investment for Delta than it is for the business community and the state," he said.

Michael Boyd, a Colorado-based aviation consultant, said such incentives and subsidies are a "common mechanism" used by airports and cities throughout the country to attract domestic and international service. "You go for what you can go for," he said. "Nine million dollars is chump change considering the economic impact that flight could have for southwestern Pennsylvania."

The agreement with Delta provides no upfront payments. If revenue goals are met or exceeded, Delta is owed no money by the state or the conference. On the other hand, the carrier has the right to drop the flights after two years if they do not meet revenue projections.

There also are safeguards that could trigger a review of the agreement if oil prices again skyrocket or economic conditions change dramatically, Mr. Langley said.

Daniel Booker, chair of the conference- and county-backed Regional Air Service Partnership, which was instrumental in recruiting Delta, said the deal is a good one for the region.

Without such service, the region was not only at risk of not being able to compete for international companies looking to relocate or expand, but was in danger of losing some of the firms it had, he said.

Delta, which recently merged with Northwest to form the world's largest airline, will use a Boeing 757-200 aircraft for its Pittsburgh-to-Paris route. The jet will hold up to 174 passengers, including 16 in business class.

Robert Cortelyou, Delta senior vice president of network planning, said the new service is an outgrowth of the carrier's joint venture with Air France that began with a new open skies agreement between the U.S. and Europe this year.

That not only gave Delta better access to European airports, it enabled the carrier to identify underserved markets like Pittsburgh where it thought there was "tremendous potential."

Mr. Cortelyou said Delta has received incentives in many of the other cities where it has started new service.

Delta will offer an introductory $599 one-way fare from Pittsburgh to Paris based on a round-trip purchase for travel through June 30. It must be purchased by Nov. 21. Flights can be booked at delta.com.

[DAL767-400ER]

CDG > PIT was the US Airways line. I guess we won't see the Usairways A330 at CDG T1 anymore now. Sad news.

You can still get them from PHL .

We heard a few month ago, that USairways were planning to start flying with 767-200 instead of the A330.

Dunno what will happend now as they are merging for good with Delta.

US isn't merging with Delta.