Broken promises: Delta starts de-hubbing in Cincinnati
Is Delta Air Lines de-hubbing Cincinnati ahead of its merger with Northwest Airlines? It sure looks that way.
Although the airline claims it isn’t, it appears the cutting has already begun.
Here’s what Delta is saying about its plans after it merges with Northwest:
The combined airline will continue operations and enhance international connections at all current Delta and Northwest hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and Salt Lake City.
But the de-hubbing of Delta’s Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky airport has begun in anticipation of the pending merger between Delta and Northwest. Local News 12 in Cincinnati is reporting that Delta has announced the closing of Concourse C, the Comair concourse.
According to Local News 12’s report, Delta has said that the closure “would give customers improved access to jet bridges at gates, Delta Crown Room Clubs, kiosks and helpline phone banks” and that “no employees will be laid off as a result of the closure.” However, the report later states, “But there may still be staffing reductions, through attrition or through the company’s voluntary programs.”
Call me crazy, but this feels eerily like US Airways’ post-9/11 de-hubbing of Pittsburgh, which resulted in a loss of over 389 flights and a workforce reduction of over 8255 employees from 2001 to 2007.
It looks like the merger is starting to pick up steam based on this announcement. Hold on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride for the customers, employees, and airport communities of Delta and Northwest.
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5 Responses to “Broken promises: Delta starts de-hubbing in Cincinnati”
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By “closing,” I take it that Delta’s lease with the airport allows it to keep control of Concourse C, even if it’s not being used by Comair, thereby preventing AirTran or Southwest from using those gates.
This is the link to the USA Today article, http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-08-27-delta-cincinnati_N.htm?csp=34. It says, “Delta Air Lines said Tuesday that it would close its operations at Concourse C at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in January….Delta’s move will leave Concourse C empty, although the airline will continue to pay rent on its lease of the 48 gates until 2025.”
And this is surprising? Memphis is next and then either Detroit or Minneapolis.
No, it is not surprising! That was the point of my post–broken promises, which most of us predicted when the merger was announced.
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