Regional Handling Services To Be Based In Minneapolis

They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. If you're flying out of a small US city, the first impression you get of your airline is up to the regional carrier operating the connector flight... and the Associated Press reports Delta Air Lines wants to improve the first impression left by its three regional subsidiaries.

A Delta memo to employees of Comair, Mesaba and Compass Airlines says about 4,100 employees -- including ticket counter representatives, gate agents and baggage handlers, will be consolidated in a new subsidiary called Regional Handling Services. The airline expects RHS to be operational later this year.

"RHS will work with Delta and the Delta Connection carriers to develop product and performance standards across all elements of the airport experience, streamline handling procedures and training, and establish a consistent station performance management and quality assurance program," Don Bornhorst, senior vice president of Delta Connection, said in the memo.

Delta admits the change may bring a net reduction of a "handful" of jobs, which the airline says will come about through normal attrition and voluntary furloughs. Many affected employees work in about 100 mostly small- and medium-sized airports.

The goal is to bring the airport customer experience provided by the regionals closer to that of Delta's mainline operation. In particular, Delta wants to improve on-time records for its regional affiliates, most notably Comair... which, as ANN reported, was ranked dead last out of 19 carriers in December in that regard.

The new RHS team will be co-located with Delta Connection in Minneapolis, and headed by Don Stephens, VP of System Planning and Customer Service for Comair. Delta opted to locate the regional office at MSP to appease local officials after Delta's takeover of Northwest Airlines.

Each carrier will continue to be based at its respective headquarters, with its own pilots, flight attendants and mechanics.

FMI: www.delta.com