Dec 24, 2008
| Andrew Compart andrew_compart@aviationweek.com |
 Citing "worldwide economic conditions," Delta is postponing the start of some of its recently announced new international services, including flights from Raleigh-Durham, N.C., to Paris that had been scheduled to begin in June. Other economic casualties, a Delta spokesman said Dec. 23, include two other services also scheduled to begin in June: New York Kennedy to Gothenberg, Sweden, and a second flight four times a week from Kennedy to Tel Aviv. Earlier this week Delta subsidiary Northwest asked the U.S. Transportation Dept. for permission to delay the start of its Seattle-Beijing service until March 2010, a year later than scheduled, without losing its route rights, because of economic conditions in that market. The news of Delta's Raleigh-Durham to Paris postponement, initially reported by Raleigh-Durham Airport Dec. 23, came on the same day as Continental announced it will end its seasonal service from Cleveland to Paris because of "economic challenges." Delta said its service postponements are "based on efforts to continue to demonstrate capacity discipline in light of tough worldwide economic conditions." Delta announced the Raleigh-Durham to Paris route Nov. 6. For now, Delta is saying publicly only that it will "reassess the timing" of the start of the route during the second half of 2009, but Raleigh-Durham Airport officials said Delta told them the route will not start before 2010. "We are obviously disappointed by Delta's decision as Paris service would have opened many new and efficient international travel opportunities for the citizens of our region," said Teresa Damiano, the airport's director of marketing. "These are unpredictable times for the aviation industry." Delta 777 photo: Delta Air Lines sources: www.aviationweek.com |
