Wed, Sep 15, 2004
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."
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