Delta is upping the competition on West Coast corridor flights, turning its LA-Seattle and SF-Seattle routes into a new expansion of the Delta Shuttle service, with dedicated check-in counters at SeaTac, and added flights, with check-in possible as close as 20 minutes to flight time.
The shuttle concept is an import from East, where the original shuttle was no-reservation hourly flights on Eastern Airlines between New York and Washington, and New York and Boston. Several airlines later, Delta and American are flying those routes on an hourly or nearly-so basis, with American also flying Washington-Boston direct. Delta also flies a Laguardia-to-Chicago shuttle.
The existing West Coast shuttle service between LA and San Francisco has been popular with business flyers. The extension to Seattle also marks the continuing war between Delta and Alaska Airlines over West Coast routes, and Seattle in particular, which has been Alaska’s long-time hub.
For more details from USA Today, click HERE
Delta Air Lines photo: Boeing 717, which will fly some of the shuttle flights.
