Delta Air Lines Announces Service between Atlanta and Africa

Delta Air Lines
2/9/2006 11:03:00 AM


Customers will enjoy service to Johannesburg, South Africa; Dakar, Senegal this December, given required government approvals.


Delta to be only U.S. airline to operate scheduled service between the United States and Africa.


ATLANTA, Feb. 9, 2006 – Delta Air Lines – the United States’ fastest growing international carrier – today announced that it is seeking the necessary government approvals to become the only U.S. airline to operate scheduled service between the United States and Africa. In a filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Delta is requesting government approvals to begin the first ever Delta-operated service between the world’s largest airline hub in Atlanta and the burgeoning South African city of Johannesburg, with an intermediate stop in Dakar, Senegal, effective in December 2006.

In a press conference held today at The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young joined other Georgia business and civic leaders to applaud Delta’s efforts to connect Atlanta – the seventh-largest home to South African-born residents of the United States – the business capital of South Africa.

“I am proud that Delta has decided to initiate service to South Africa and become the only U.S. carrier to serve the continent,†Young said. “Delta’s service between Atlanta and South Africa promises to be one of the most successful routes on the planet due to the reach and convenience of Delta’s Atlanta hub. I look forward to flying Atlanta’s hometown airline non-stop to Africa.â€

Added Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, "For many years, Delta Air Lines has been a faithful supporter of the city’s efforts to raise its stature as a best in class, global city. Through the strategic partnerships and direct flight routes to international destinations in Asia, Europe, North, South and Central America originating from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta has helped foster the city’s international, economic and cultural ties and has expanded Atlanta’s access to the world."

With the new service, Delta will enter a new continent for the first time since its historic expansion into South America in 1997 and will grow to offer customers more than 60 international destinations from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by December – up more than 50 from the number of destinations offered just 10 years ago. Delta customers traveling to or from Africa via Atlanta will have convenient connecting opportunities to more than 140 North American cities.

“Delta’s new service to Africa will mark many firsts for our hometown of Atlanta and for our customers, including the first non-stop service between Atlanta and Senegal on the West African coast, and the first Delta-operated service from Atlanta to Johannesburg,†said Jim Whitehurst, Delta’s chief operating officer. “We encourage our customers to make their support for Delta’s first service to Africa known to help ensure a speedy approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation for this historic new route.†Delta’s proposed service between Atlanta and Johannesburg via Dakar will be available for sale to customers as soon as Delta receives required approvals from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Delta plans to offer daily service to Africa with the Boeing 777 aircraft featuring 50 Business Class and 218 Economy Class seats. Customers flying to or from Africa in Delta’s award-winning BusinessElite cabin would enjoy access to the airline’s personalized dining service, which allows them to enjoy award-winning wines and cuisine at anytime during the flight when it’s most convenient for them. Additionally, beginning later this year, Delta will provide customers with a more comfortable and entertaining international BusinessElite experience offering all-leather seats and state-of-the-art digital technology.

“As evidenced by our recent growth in most every corner of the globe, Delta is making decisive moves to establish itself not only as the U.S. airline of choice but as a global leader,†Whitehurst said. “We intend to offer customers service to more worldwide destinations than any other airline and to distinguish our service with a mix of style and hospitality that is being defined by our enhanced product and network offerings. We look forward to introducing our customers to a series of product enhancements this year such refreshed BusinessElite seats, refurbished Economy class cabins, a new domestic long-haul product featuring live TV, and more stylish uniforms that will redefine Delta to our customers around the globe.â€

Delta’s proposed service to Africa is the latest in series of more than 50 new international routes added or announced by Delta in the last year as part of the largest international expansion in the airline’s history. During 2006 Delta will offer more flights between the United States and destinations across Europe, India and Israel than any other airline; will continue to be one of the fastest growing carrier to destinations across Latin America and the Caribbean, with more than 35 destinations added or announced since 2005; and will be the only U.S. carrier to offer customers service to nine unique destinations across the Atlantic: Kiev, Ukraine; Moscow, Russia; Istanbul, Turkey; Budapest, Hungary; Athens, Greece; Nice, France; Stuttgart, Germany; Mumbai, India (via Paris); and Chennai, India (via Paris), in addition to proposed service to Dakar, Senegal and Johannesburg, South Africa.

I wonder if my gun case will get "misplaced" when it is moved from the Delta plane in JoBerg to an SAA plane for the trip north.

Hopefully this flight will get to Joburg before the flight for Harare takes off. Not that I wouldn't want to overnight in Joberg and put up with SAPS and....

Competition on airfares and flying on a 777. I don't know how this can be anything but great news.

Let me think, I just cancelled my American AAdvantage Visa and got a United Visa (since United is part of the Star Alliance that SAA is supposed to join). Does this mean I now need to cancel my United Visa and get a Delta Visa card?

Regards,

Terry

Is a 777 better than an Airbus that SAA uses. I hate the Airbus. It feels like a pack of gum with wings when you are sitting in the seats.

More competition is a good thing. It at least gives us some choices. It certainly cant hurt the prices. Maybe with a little competition they will start listenting to what the customers are actually saying.

This looks like it could be another cattle car. The article says they will have a total of 268 seats. British Air has their 777 configured with 229 seats, in 4 classes of service.

We can only hope for the best. The KLM 777 from Amsterdam to Dar was very confortable.

According to Delta's website, economy seat width is 18" and pitch is 31-33".

I couldn't find the seat width or pitch on SAA's website, but I did find a few articles where SAA talked about increasing the seat pitch from 31" to 33-34". No mention of seat width.

Hopefully Delta will match its competitor's seat pitch.

I have flown the 777 and Airbus, but in Business Class, one thing I do know is that the 777 was much cooler. The Airbus was like an oven. No air circulation at all.

Regards,

Terry

The 777 is a very good airplane. It flies 40 knots faster than the Airbus, has a nice interior and is extremely fuel efficient.

Don't doubt for a moment that a Delta person made note of the long AR threads bitching about SAA flights from the US to Jo'berg. Complaining about a problem sometimes helps, and not in the way one hopes.

LD

quote:

The Airbus was like an oven. No air circulation at all.

I had to wonder if that was some economy measure, lack of circulation due to "sealing off" the premium seats, or a design flaw.

I flew the 777 for 5 years and now assigned to the airbus (not by choice).

The 777 has a nicer cabin it is very comparable to the 747's main deck.

268 seats sounds about right for a three class airplane without too much spam in can.

Our 777's had between 253 and 276 seats on the long range birds depending on the market and the length of the flight

Not to mention the 777 is faster and overall just a better airplane than the A-340 in every way.

The only advantage a 340 has is that it has 4 engines vs two so it can fly a more direct routing. The ETOPS or Extended Twin-engine operation rules require an over water twin engine airplane to remain within 180 minutes single engine cruise of land (roughly 1100 NM) at all times.

I'm guessing this is not a huge problem in the South Atlantic. It can become a problem in the Pacific.

PS

One of the ways that Airbus saves fuel is by limiting the air (engine bleed air draws power from the engines)available to the cabin. They use a much higher "recirculation" (used air) rate than the Boeing airplanes.

Yet another reason to invade France!

quote:

Originally posted by T.Carr:
....... The Airbus was like an oven. No air circulation at all.

I found it a bit amusing that all the Senegalese that boarded our SAA flight in Dakar brought heavy coats and hats. They thought it was freezing on the Airbus.

Terry: You'll need to get a Delta/American Express Skymiles Credit Card! Great news with more competition and a better plane. Can't be but better for all of us hunters. Dakar. Isn't that where the world's most exciting road rally ends?

I just emailed Delta, thanked them for adding the service to Johannesburg. I mentioned that SAA had to retrofit their Airbus because of the limited seat pitch. I politely suggested that they might consider matching the increased seat pitch SAA now offers.

Regards,

Terry

Whoopee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have over 200,000 miles between Delta and their airline partner Continental !!



Happy dance !!!!

This sounds like good news.

Just a very minor note of caution. The last time I checked, Delta frequent flyer miles do have an expiration time limit whereas I believe there are those like American Airlines that don't.

I find what surestrike says about the Airbus recirculation of air rate, last October I flew on one to RSA and ended up getting very sick a few days after arriving. I still suspect I got something from being in the cattle cars.

What are Delta's rules concerning transporting firearms?

DELTA

One item of shooting equipment is accepted as your free checked baggage allowance.

When checking a firearm, you must:

--Declare to the Delta representative that you are checking a firearm (If a Security Checkpoint is prior to the Delta ticket counter, you must declare the existence of a firearm to security personnel.)
--Present firearm(s) unloaded and sign a "Firearms Unloaded" declaration
--Lock the firearm(s) in a hard-sided, crush-proof container and retain the key or combination
--Maintain entry permits in your possession for the country or countries of destination or transit
--Ensure small arms ammunition is packed in the manufacturer's original package or securely packed in fiber, wood or metal boxes

Firearms transported to the United Kingdom as checked baggage require a permit from the United Kingdom. The passenger must contact the United Kingdom for more information regarding this permit.

Ammunition in excess of 11 lbs. per passenger or that contains incendiary projectiles is prohibited.

Rifles
One rifle case containing:

--two or fewer rifles (with or without scopes)
--one shooting mat
--one small pistol tool kit
--noise suppressers
--11 lbs. (approx. 5kgs) of ammunition
An excess baggage charge will apply to cases containing more than two rifles.

Shotguns
--two shotguns
--two shotgun cases
--11 lbs. (approx. 5kgs) of ammunition
An excess baggage charge will apply to cases containing more than two shotguns.

Pistols
One pistol case containing:

--five pistols
--pistol telescopes
--noise suppressers
--a small pistol tool case
--11 lbs. (approx. 5kgs) of ammunition
An excess baggage charge will apply to cases containing more than five pistols.


Regards,

Terry

Good news all around! Terry- The best card for those of us stuck with Delta as a primary carrier is the Skymiles AMEX or whatever their next generation of that card is.

I don't think, at least for me.......That using FF miles is a good return on your investment when going to Africa in an economy seat.

I look at this from possibly a different perspective. I fly about 300K total business miles per year on two or three airlines.

My Ticket in Coach or Economy class is about 1600 bucks from Seattle to Joburg RT. It varys a bit but on average I'm around there. That trip will get me just about 25K miles. Which is anohter free FF coach domestic ticket. I don't think there is a better way of earning that free ticket for 1500 bucks.

How many flights do you need to get 25K miles domestic in the USA? Haw many segments I should say and at what cost? I have spent 600 bucks to go from Seattle to Milwaukee which round trip is only 10% the miles I fly to Joburg, yet it's 35% the cost! At this rate I'm flying a hella lot of flights to earn that 25K back.

Now if you can somehow manage to get them(delta) to award you a free ticket in a higher class that might be worth the use of miles. Unfortunately they will not likley allow more then 2 seats in each class for free tickets. Or maybe only 4 seats for the whole flight.

In July of 2005 I called to make a reservation with Delta for my annual family vacation to the Florida Keys in December. I wanted to use the FF miles I had for all the tickets I needed. I'm a "million miler" with Delta so I Kinda expected it was a simple formality to get these again. I have been doing it for a number of years on Delta this way.

The Skymiles lady said and I think I can quote this " I'm sorry sir but all the FF tickets are gone for those dates".

So I asked her to check differnet dates, her reply was "well actually Sir we have no FF space through 2006 right now all the space for FF ticket holders has been reserved already."

Stunned I asked her if she actually meant that every flight they have has already been booked to the FF capacity, she said "yes" I wanted a supervisor who confirmed this and suggested I use anotehr partner carrier to make my flights.

I ended up on NWA going and Continental coming home. At which time I decided to dump the Delta program and try to make a NWA flight as a priority for all my travel.

The point of this being don't hold your breath for a FF ticket on domestic Delta flight much less one to RSA!

With a little luck , this will enhance competition and enhance service and lower prices.

Last year I was in South Africa on business and I used 80K sky miles to fly my wife from Boston to Windhoek to meet me for a hunt on Delta Sky miles. We had no problem redeeming the miles for the dates (Sept) we wanted and she wound up in a row of empty seats both ways. More importantly, she is now hooked on African hunting!! That was an investment which will pay dividends for years to come!

Excellent news! Just wish they were up and running this November so that I could avoid the Amsterdam/KLM route (not that business class on Klm is bad!!!) and save a bunch of time!

Surestrike, given the restrictions you stated, will the 777 have to fly do South and then cross the Atlantic on a Great Circle route, rather than the more direct flight path that the Airbus takes? Won't that take longer, even given the faster cruise of the 777.
peter.

JJ- Word on the street in the Twin Cities is that NW may not emerge from bankrupcy. It's a crap shoot whoever you go with. This new option will at the least create some competition. I have used Delta to travel to Africa three times on miles. Each time I used an agent for a small fee. The reason I did so was that the release date for those seats is changing constantly. My agent has indicated he some way to secure the seats at the stroke of midnght the day they came open.Must be some travel software. In the years I used Delta those FF release dates changed from 330 days out to 270 at the minimun. They were always different.Bob.

I know you guys have said that you used your Delta mileage to get to Africa. That was not exaclty my point.

You used your Delta mileage on another carrier to get there. Just as I have to, to use mine on a domestic flights. The miles are good, just not on an ACTUAL Delta airplane. So when we see Delta flying to RSA that does not really open anydoors to use those miles on an actual Delta flight. At least not in my experience, and not with their recent track record. And Certainly not during the peak hunting season!

Odds of FF space available are certainly better from Oct through March but who the heck wants to hunt that nasty time period in Southern Africa? I don't believe I would go that time of year even with a free ticket! Over the last several years I have not been on a less then full flight from Mid April through July on SAA. Every seat has been "in service" to my knowledge.

I know about the NWA bankrupcy, they filed the same week Delta did last fall. It would be the rarest of occurances that an huge Airline would just simply vanish with bankrupcy in todays market. By todays standards it's simply a formality of re-organisation. It was also done prior to the new bankrupcy rules going into effect late last year. The new bankrupcy laws would have made it a far bigger ordeal and not likely given them the same protection.

Delta, NWA, Continental, United, Alaska, the whole group of them is bobbong their heads above water now. Is there any type of industry in the whole world where every major player is bankrupt or on the verge of it?

Hey I don't dick around with FF miles anymore. to many changing rules and BS. Instead I'm enrolled in the American Express Rewards Plus program. We use our AMEX for EVERYTHING, including shopping at the Commissary, gas, I even pay the power bil with it. It takes 100K points for a free ticket from my home herein florida to Zim. Al I had to do was pay the travel agent a processing fee of 200 bucks I think for my wife and I. jorge

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
......Instead I'm enrolled in the American Express Rewards Plus program. We use our AMEX for EVERYTHING, including shopping at the Commissary, gas, I even pay the power bil with it.....

Same here. I got 2 RT tickets from Anchorage all the way to Windhoek for my son and I using Rewards miles. I have all my recurring monthly payments (power, phone, heating fuel, etc.) going to AMEX and it's amazing (scary!) how fast the miles add up. The miles are going to be accumulating in my account regardless, so I don't really care if it's economical to use the miles or buy the tickets. What else am I gonna do with them? It cost me $65 for Delta to process the tickets and that left us a whole bunch of money to do other things on the trip.

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/777family/

I don't know which 777 model Delta will be flying, but I found this interesting:

--------------
The 777-200LR Worldliner (Longer Range) and 777-300ER (Extended Range) are two long-range airplanes that Boeing has developed to offer airlines additional flexibility in serving the nonstop routes that passengers demand. Launched in February 2000, the two airplanes can fly more passengers farther and faster than the competition, the A340-600 and A340-500.

Factory rollout of the first of the two models, the 777-300ER, took place on November 14, 2002. Flight testing of the 777-300ER began in early 2003, and the first airplane of this model delivered in April 2004 to International Finance Lease Corp., and their customer, Air France.

The first 777-200LR (Longer Range) -- the world's longest range commercial airplane -- was unveiled February 15, 2005. The airplane's first flight took place March 8 and has begun a six-month flight-test program. First delivery is scheduled for January 2006 to Pakistan International Airlines.

From: http://www.boeing.com/commercial/777family/longer_range/index.html


A worldwide survey of thousands of passengers flying long-range routes in first, business and economy classes revealed an overwhelming preference for the 777. The survey, conducted in 1999 and 2000 by airlines around the world, found that more than three out of four passengers who had flown aboard both the 777 and the Airbus A330/340 airplanes preferred the Boeing 777.




Boeing 777 First Class Interior

From: http://www.boeing.com/commercial/777family/background/back3.html
--------------

-Bob F.

quote:

Originally posted by T.Carr:
Delta customers traveling to or from Africa via Atlanta will have convenient connecting opportunities to more than 140 North American cities.

I guess this statement depends on what type of cluster Atlanta is in that day. Some of the smaller airports like the one I had to fly into while living in Mississippi were always the first to be cut/cancelled during an 'aviation back-up'.

I agree with the Amex route. The membership rewards program is easy as heck to use and they are partners with 29 major ailrine, including Delta and SAA. 40,000 point is a buy one get one free and 80,000 points is a free tciket on SAA. Put all the monthly expenses on it, pay it every 30 days, and get flights. In the last 4 years I have gotten 2 flights to Africa, 1 to Australia, 2 to London, 2 to Mexico, and about a dozen domestic.

quote:

Originally posted by Peter:
Surestrike, given the restrictions you stated, will the 777 have to fly do South and then cross the Atlantic on a Great Circle route, rather than the more direct flight path that the Airbus takes? Won't that take longer, even given the faster cruise of the 777.
peter.

Peter,

Without looking at a map of the South Atlantic route system I can't say for sure how much you'd have to go out of your way.

However there will only be minor route adjustments. Adding very little in additional miles.

The 777 cruises at about the same speed as the 747. .85 mach is pretty typical speed for the 777 the 747 will do .88 or so. The Airbus cruises at .76 to .80 mach.

In fact it may very well be that ETOPS aircraft will be able to fly the same route as the 4 engine birds as I don't think that the Atlantic is wide enough anywhere to really be a problem.

Where this ETOPS stuff gets a bit tricky in the Atlantic is if one of your enroute alternates is out of service due to weather or operational issues.

As far as a great circle route goes the route flown will be a great circle route as "Great circle" routes are used any time you're flying long range, north/south or east/west.

In fact the navigation computer always thinks in great circle on that airplane it never goes straight to anywhere. This often confused new students on the 777 they'd install a route modification then compare the course on the chart to the course in the computer, they are always just a few degrees off because of the soft ware upload on the long range navigation computers.


Sorry for the ranting I really miss my B-777. I was forcibly divorced from this curvatious friendly old queen and am now forcibly married to a wicked, unfriendly, little French whore the A-320. Quirky little bitch she is....

JJ- Regarding NW- what was told to us: Two years ago all staff took tremendous cuts. They(NW) are now asking the pilots for another cut of ~20-25%. That means they would be working for 1/2 of their salaries three years ago. It sounds like sometime in the next few months there will be a "work stoppage" and it might last a long time. My contacts say them going down will be a positive in the long run for the Twin Cities. I have three trips booked on them in the next month and am keeping my fingers crossed!

Among the little things that would have made my trip better was to be able to get off the plane and do some walking an The Cape Verde islands....(Sol).

Is this an option for Delta's 777 flight refueling on Dakar?

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
Among the little things that would have made my trip better was to be able to get off the plane and do some walking an The Cape Verde islands....(Sol).

Is this an option for Delta's 777 flight refueling on Dakar?

On my way, back from RSA a couple years ago, we stopped in Dakar at night. We were on the ground for about 1-2 hrs while some got off and others got on and the fueled the plane. I couldn't agree with you more about the little walk because 18 hours in a plane was entirely too much!

I spent 21 hours on a plane from Minneapolis to Port elizabeth......and that was not the fun part of the trip. Getting off for even a 15 minute walk would be a good idea. We weren't allowed off the plane in sol.

vapodog,

I think they changed the rule for security reasons. Limited access to the aircraft, so that no one is allowed to leave the aircraft on those refueling stops. I doubt that flying Delta will make any difference.

It was nice to get off the plane at SOL and walk around and stretch one's legs.

Regards,

Terry

They are in the process of building another runway at Alanta Hartsfield airport, so that would help congestion a bit.

Terry is correct, it was OK to walk around a bit on that refuel in Sol Island. We used to go into the terminal and have a cold coke while waiting.

Once they began building the hotels and having people stay over on that island they stopped allowing people to get off the jet. They also make you put all your carry on bags on your lap so that any unaccounted for bags will be removed from the flight.

It's all about security now and I can hardly blame them. AS much as I hate having to even stop for fuel now I respect the security they have.

Remember when it was a straight non-stop to joburg and it only stopped on the way back to the USA for fuel? All the flights before June first were non-stop to Joburg back then. That was the first few years they started flying to the USA. Seems like we have kinda gone backwards now!

Aren't Delta's expansion plans contingent in any way with the outcome of their bankruptcy plans? What are the bets the bankruptcy judge will allow Delta to void the contact with the pilots union? I love the fact that the same day Delta announced this service beginning, the union is threatening striking. It is quite possible that a pilot's union strike could destroy Delta airlines.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel/2006-02-09-delta-usat_x.htm