Delta To Revamp ATL Hub Operations

Things are going to be mighty different at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport around the end of January. Rush hour just won't be the same because Delta Airlines -- following the examples of American and United -- plans to "de-hub."

So, instead of concentrating its flights in and out of ATL during certain dayparts, Delta will spread its schedule out through the entire day. The result? Instead of waiting an average 74 minutes between connecting flights, passengers will wait 77 minutes. Instead of 970 departures a day from ATL, Delta will send out 1,051. The number of destinations from ATL will increase from 186 to 193.

The number of turns per gate will go up about eight percent. In Delta's way of thinking, at least, employees will be more efficient -- they won't have to hurry up during peak hours and wait during off-peak. There will be a steady stream of about 65 aircraft an hour. Foul weather won't be as much of a factor in delays. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey will breathe a little easier.

"What we're doing at Hartsfield is unique," said Doug Blisset. He's Delta's vice president for network analysis. His remarks came in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Everybody in the industry is focusing on ways to increase productivity. But no one is doing it on the size or scale of the things we're doing at Hartsfield."

Former airline executive Michael Levine, now a law professor at Yale, told the Journal-Constitution, "The decision to de-peak the Atlanta hub is an interesting experiment. It remains to be seen [if] you gain more in cost savings than you lose in revenue from less attractive connections."

FMI: www.delta.com