Delta Will Deploy Newest Jet to Go Directly at Competitors
Photo Credit: Delta is using its new Airbus A220 as leverage against the competition. The aircraft will enter revenue service in January. Delta Air Lines
Skift Take
All U.S. airlines are performing well. Demand is robust, and while fuel prices are up, they're not that high compared to historical levels. Delta is using that state-of-play to go on the offensive to win more share from its competitors.
Can an airline use its newest airplane to send a message to its competitors?
It's a timely question after Delta Air Lines said Friday it plans to deploy its Airbus A220 — among the first truly new mainline narrow-body aircraft to hit the market in years — on routes where it competes with United Airlines, American Airlines and JetBlue Airways.
Between January — the first flight is Jan. 31 — and August, Delta will use the aircraft, which it claims feels more like a modern widebody aircraft than a short-haul jet, on nine routes, all touching the biggest hubs of its competitors. Five will go to the American Airlines mega-hub in Dallas/Fort Worth, three go to United's Houston hub and one goes to JetBlue's Boston focus city,
On four of the nine routes, Delta will fly the A220 not just on one or two flights, but on all departures, onc
