Delta to merge discount carrier Song

[safetymom]

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-10-28-delta-song_x.htm

ATLANTA (AP) — Delta Air Lines, which is reorganizing under protection from the federal bankruptcy court, announced plans Friday to discontinue its discount carrier Song and incorporate Song's fleet into Delta's regular service.

 

[boomhauer]

I don't get it.

The only airline that I hear about making profit is Southwest which is the least expensive to fly. Why don't some of these other airlines pay attention to Southwest's model and follow it?

 

[extraredstuff]

This news made me sad.....

Song and Jet Blue makes flying to MCO really nice out of Boston..... really gonna miss them.

Hopefully Jet Blue will continue on.

 

[Drizzo67]

I am glad the merger will not effect my Feb 06 flight out of LGA but next year I will have to do the SWA "Waiting Game" to fly out of Islip/McArthur or take JetBlue out of JFK since they don't fly to Orlando out of LaGuardia (or maybe they will now that Song is changing)

 

[boomhauer]

This news made me sad.....

Song and Jet Blue makes flying to MCO really nice out of Boston..... really gonna miss them.

Hopefully Jet Blue will continue on.

I agree 100%. Problem is, Jet Blue is getting pricier as well.

Do what I've done - Switch to flying out of Providence on Southwest if need be.

 

[seashoreCM]

I'm sure you will be able to book the same trips the same way in the future on Delta without Song.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[debster812]

I'm sure you will be able to book the same trips the same way in the future on Delta without Song.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

ITA with this. Before Song launched, we would book with Delta, fly Delta Express, and get to where we were going. I figure it will be much the same after May 2006.

We're flying Sony in February

 

[pumpkinboy]

Song was the best part of Delta. Adding in a First Class cabin can't be a good thing on former Song flights, since in order to induce people to pay for First Class, they are gonna have to make regular economy class worse, the way they do on the regular legacy carriers anyway. Frankly, I prefer flying Song to flying Delta First Class, but then again, I am usually too frugal to pay for first class anyway (and my employer is even more frugal - or should I say, cheap). Of course, for the record, I have paid as much as $700 round-trip per ticket on Song (BOS-MCO) for ideal flight times during April break.

Now, if they are gonna make regular Delta economy more like a Song flight, just with a first class cabin, well then we might have some brand-loyalty continuing. I'll miss the squiggle on the tail, the cute uniforms and Orange and Green decor (DS's favorite colors). I hope that they can continue the grat customer service culture they seem to have developed on Song; whether over the phone or in the sky, the service has always been superb, even when things were really crowded. But if Delta goes for the Song service model, just with a first class cabin besides, then we might stick with them. Otherwise, we'll be jetBlue all the way.

 

[seashoreCM]

Does anybody here on The Dis recall flying Song in its early days and gotten an extra big seat in the front part of the plane?

According to early on line seating charts, there were just four selectable seats in each row in the forward cabin. The planes being used had first class seats there originally. It seemed to me that Song began service before all of its planes were converted to all coach.

So the Song planes could be easily modified to put back the first class seats that used to be there.

 

[Jillpie]

Okay Pumpkinboy, you've always been the airline expert here, I need to know this. We have flights already booked on Song for June, 06. Song is no longer as of May. I just called a Delta rep. (located in U.S) on the phone and he explained to me that we'll just get a Delta plane, not a Song one. Nothing else will really change, our rates won't go up or anything. But in the end of the conversation, I detected a bit of hesitancy and doubt in his voice, as if he really doesn't know whats going to happen. Do you think we'll be alright? And I wonder if we'll get the same times etc. Your thoughts on already booked flights after May?

 

[bicker]

The Delta name is far stronger than Song's, and the trend these days is for all these carriers to offer cut-rate service. The purpose of these subsidiary, discount brands was originally to give the airline the flexibility to operate the subsidiary using work rules different from that of the flagship carrier. With the leniency afforded to the airlines by the bankruptcy courts, they can now discard the tenets of their union contracts that lock-in the traditional work rules, and operate the flagship carrier using the work rules of the cut-rate service. So apparently the subsidiary brand is no longer necessary.

The Southwest model is impossible for any airline to adopt unless they can get a bankruptcy judge to summarily excise a substantial number of obligations that the major carriers have as legacy of their operations that go back before Southwest even was an inkling in Herb's eye. Beyond that, many customers seriously object to Southwest's refusal to offer certain aspects of service (advance reservations 330 days prior, advance seating reservations, etc.) so it is probably a good thing that even when bankruptcy judges would allow them to, the major airlines don't strip all aspects of service their customers enjoy from their offerings.

 

[DawnCt1]

I really enjoyed my flight to MCO on Song but I would prefer that Delta reabsorb Song than the Song reabsorb Delta. What ever it takes to keep Delta flying. I accumulate my FF miles on Delta and will always chose Delta over another airline for that reason.