Delta Precancels Flights

[jimntx]

Here's a different interpretation:

DL:

You live in ATL and need to get to DFW for a meeting.  You schedule the meeting at 10am figuring that you can take the 7am flight and be in DFW in plenty of time.  Unfortunately, DL cancels the flight and puts you on the 8:30am flight.  You are now going to be late for your 10am meeting and DL has no other earlier option.  Unfortunately, because it's only 48 hours (or less) till the meeting, your client has already scheduled the rest of their day.  Your client is pissed.

AA:
Same story as above, only AA removes the 7am flight, so you can't even book it.  Since you know you can't get their that early, you request to have the meeting moved later in the day.  Your client agrees and schedules accordingly.  You take the later flight and go to the meeting.

[post="309495"][/post]​

However, AA announced before the month even began that the 7am flight would not operate in the month of October. Therefore, you know that to fly AA you will have to fly over the night before.

DL says the 7am flight will operate on that day--and let's say it's Monday. You book it, because the client is in Las Colinas, 15 minutes from DFW even during rush hour. You will have plenty of time to get from the airport to a 10am meeting with extra time in case of delay.

However, DL calls you on Saturday at home (2 days in advance) when it is impossible to contact your client to tell you that they have cancelled the 7am flight and you will now arrive in DFW at 11am instead.

It's not the same thing at all.

However, I must add that when I was a road warrior for Texaco, I ALWAYS flew in the evening before and spent a night in a hotel rather than risk missing a morning meeting. Same day travel was only for afternoon meetings and even then I traveled early in the day just in case.

I get really tired these days of listening to how AA has deliberately ruined someone's career or vacation (who waited until the very last flight that would get them to their destination on time) by assigning a broken airplane to their flight on purpose or allowing bad weather to close the ramp. :down:

 

[DLFlyer31]

Your assumption is restrictive in scenario A and flexible in scenario B. Lets say your client is only available for a 10 AM meeting. AA is no longer an option at all. As you so eloquently put it, "your client is pissed."

[post="309532"][/post]​

But at least you know that AA is not an option. With DL, you don't know. It's a crapshoot.

If I'm booking a meeting that is 3 weeks away, my clients schedule is likely to be far more open than at the 48 hour mark when DL decides to cancel the flight. So, it's fair to be more restrictive because people's schedules book up....that's life.

One of the reasons that WN has been able to attract business travelers is exactly because of their reliability. They don't cancel a lot of flights and their flights are usually on time. WN doesn't have a lot of business traveler perks (first class, pre-boarding for elites, airport clubs,etc), but their reliability has helped make up the difference.

 

[luv2fly]

But at least you know that AA is not an option. With DL, you don't know. It's a crapshoot.

If I'm booking a meeting that is 3 weeks away, my clients schedule is likely to be far more open than at the 48 hour mark when DL decides to cancel the flight. So, it's fair to be more restrictive because people's schedules book up....that's life.

One of the reasons that WN has been able to attract business travelers is exactly because of their reliability. They don't cancel a lot of flights and their flights are usually on time. WN doesn't have a lot of business traveler perks (first class, pre-boarding for elites, airport clubs,etc), but their reliability has helped make up the difference.

[post="309573"][/post]​

But your assumptions seem to unlikely for me. First, you assume DL's flight will cancel. Second, you assume your client cannot reschedule with two days notice. Third, even if your flight cancels, you assume your client cannot meet at any other point in the day, which could happen. And fourth, as CH 12 pointed out, you would not be wise to schedule a meeting so close to an arrival time.

 

[luv2fly]

It also appears that AA's cuts aren't so temporary.
link

 

[IORFA]

Where does it say that they aren't temporary? The article says they were cut from the October schedule, not forever. Working for AA, I know they said they would revisit the cuts later in the month.

 

[jimntx]

It also appears that AA's cuts aren't so temporary.
link

[post="309586"][/post]​

And again, I say, SO WHAT? At least AA is letting you know well in advance that the flight is not going to operate in the future. Every airline reduces flying after Labor Day, particularly International to Europe. Is that a reason to make a BFD?

If you can't tell the difference between being told a month in advance or 2 days in advance that you need to make other arrangements, maybe you should not be traveling alone.

 

[luv2fly]

Where does it say that they aren't temporary? The article says they were cut from the October schedule, not forever. Working for AA, I know they said they would revisit the cuts later in the month.

[post="309589"][/post]​

While it did not specify what further flights it may cut, it did allude to further cuts.
"We are continuing to look at whether we should do more."

 

[luv2fly]

And again, I say, SO WHAT?  At least AA is letting you know well in advance that the flight is not going to operate in the future.  Every airline reduces flying after Labor Day, particularly International to Europe.  Is that a reason to make a BFD?

If you can't tell the difference between being told a month in advance or 2 days in advance that you need to make other arrangements, maybe you should not be traveling alone.

[post="309595"][/post]​

I was merely pointing out how flawed your argument was. You assertions would have one believing there would be some prcipitous drop in demand simply because DL implemented some cuts based on demand. The exact same thing AA has done, and possibly hopes to expand as referenced in the above link.
The only "BFD" relates to a travelers ability to reschedule if necessary. I believe the problem with DL's policty has been exaggerated as it is really no different than AA's.

 

[DLFlyer31]

I believe the problem with DL's policty has been exaggerated as it is really no different than AA's.

[post="309638"][/post]​

The difference is that AA is removing poor peforming flights in advance, so that when people book flights they know the flight they are booking will actually fly.

DL is not cancelling poor performing flights. I can guarantee you that DL already has a pretty good idea which flights they are going to cancel. But instead of cancelling them in a advance, DL is just going to wait until a few days before.

And don't think for one moment that DL will actually let people know 48 hours in advance. DL doesn't have the manpower and they know it.

I'm sure DL will save a few bucks with this move, but I think there are a lot of other ways to save money that won't risk screwing over customers.

 

[Dizel8]

Normally it is the employees who create "CHAOS", in this case it is Delta management

 

[Ch. 12]

The difference is that AA is removing poor peforming flights in advance, so that when people book flights they know the flight they are booking will actually fly.

DL is not cancelling poor performing flights. I can guarantee you that DL already has a pretty good idea which flights they are going to cancel. But instead of cancelling them in a advance, DL is just going to wait until a few days before.

And don't think for one moment that DL will actually let people know 48 hours in advance. DL doesn't have the manpower and they know it.

I'm sure DL will save a few bucks with this move, but I think there are a lot of other ways to save money that won't risk screwing over customers.

[post="309652"][/post]​

You are absolutely wrong, DLFlyer (quite a mis-nomer for an anti-DL person). DL IS cancelling poor flights and infrequently. B/c the flights have low loads, it is easy to call all of the pax and they do. They aren't cancelling A380's that are completely full. AA, on the other hand, has "pre-cancelled" flights and we all know that even a dog flight has its good days. That tells me that AA's cuts can be more of a burden b/c the flights aren't there all of a sudden. Let's please stick to the facts, DL. Your assumptions are baseless.

 

[Ch. 12]

Where does it say that they aren't temporary? The article says they were cut from the October schedule, not forever. Working for AA, I know they said they would revisit the cuts later in the month.

[post="309589"][/post]​

AA Extends Cuts

Try this one. It says that they are seriously looking at extending them at least through Dec. Couple this with history and it is easy to see that these flights may not come back. AA has often "temporarily" reduced flights only to have them disappear once out of the public's mind b/c they have "temporarily" not existed for long enough.

 

[DLFlyer31]

That tells me that AA's cuts can be more of a burden b/c the flights aren't there all of a sudden.

[post="309737"][/post]​

You've got it backwards. AA removed the flights in advance...in some cases up to a month in advance. DL is the one removing the flights all of the sudden.

I'm not anti-DL. I've just watched this company make lots of boneheaded decisions (like this one) and seen them repeatedly blow up in managements face. There's a reason why DL is buried in debt and in bankruptcy.

 

[Ch. 12]

You've got it backwards. AA removed the flights in advance...in some cases up to a month in advance. DL is the one removing the flights all of the sudden.

[post="309750"][/post]​

Perhaps I didn't clarify enough. I'm talking about when somebody goes to book...the flight will not be there. In other words, if there is a reason (convention, etc) that a dog flight will have demand on a certain date, you will not be able to book on AA b/c that flight doesn't exist anymore but you can book on DL and then it won't be cancelled b/c it would be a high load flight. My point is that DL is not indiscriminate and only cuts low load flights...not high LF flights like so many in this thread have wrongfully claimed. So if a dog flight ends up having high demand materialize, it will still exist where it won't in AA's system. That is what I had meant by my comment.

And fair enough about your DL stance, but don't you think that decisions made by past mgmt aren't really relevant to today?

 

[jimntx]

AA, on the other hand, has "pre-cancelled" flights and we all know that even a dog flight has its good days. That tells me that AA's cuts can be more of a burden b/c the flights aren't there all of a sudden.

-First off, I have worked one of those "dog" flights on more than one occasion. Now, maybe it was badly scheduled, or maybe it wasn't needed, but it is a 757 route that I NEVER saw more than 70 passengers on. They still fly the 75 between those ttwo stations, but it goes at an earlier hour and RONs a little longer at the destination.

And, how can announcing a cut a month in advance be more of a burden than cancelling 48 hours in advance? That's got to be one of the dumber statements ever posted on this board.

I guess DL is in bankruptcy because they always have and always will run the perfect, flawless, mistake-free airline.