Delta Update

[wesheltonj]

Delta still shows the 777 For DL200 all the way to late April. I am wondering why, if they are really retiring all of the 777’s, they would not reprogram the booking system to reflect the new aircraft? Is there any chance they keep the one 777 just for this route? They are only fling half of their normal routes and have the time to update their booking system I’d think!
Regards
Philip

The Atlanta-based SkyTeam Alliance carrier aims for flights to begin with an Airbus A350-900 on Oct. 24, Delta said in a regulatory filing Thursday. The service will extend its existing nonstop between Atlanta (ATL) and Johannesburg (JNB) to a triangle that includes a stop in Cape Town (CPT) on the return leg.

Here is Delta’s proposed schedule with all times local:
• Depart Atlanta at 5:45 p.m., arrive Johannesburg at 3:45 p.m. the next day
• Depart Johannesburg at 5:15 p.m., arrive Cape Town at 7:25 p.m.
• Depart Cape Town at 9:25 p.m., arrive Atlanta at 6:45 a.m. on the next day

• Delta does not plan to carry local traffic between Johannesburg and Cape Town, it said. In addition, tickets will not go on sale until it has the relevant approvals from both the South African and U.S. governments.

 

[Hogpatrol]

The Atlanta-based SkyTeam Alliance carrier aims for flights to begin with an Airbus A350-900 on Oct. 24, Delta said in a regulatory filing Thursday. The service will extend its existing nonstop between Atlanta (ATL) and Johannesburg (JNB) to a triangle that includes a stop in Cape Town (CPT) on the return leg.

Here is Delta’s proposed schedule with all times local:
• Depart Atlanta at 5:45 p.m., arrive Johannesburg at 3:45 p.m. the next day
• Depart Johannesburg at 5:15 p.m., arrive Cape Town at 7:25 p.m.
• Depart Cape Town at 9:25 p.m., arrive Atlanta at 6:45 a.m. on the next day

• Delta does not plan to carry local traffic between Johannesburg and Cape Town, it said. In addition, tickets will not go on sale until it has the relevant approvals from both the South African and U.S. governments.

Sweet, 19 & 1/2 hours total time to Atlanta. Are they going to allow deplaning anyone that wants to leave the aircraft and then reload everyone? Good luck with that boys & girls.

Edit: Qatar is looking better all the time.

 

[Hogpatrol]

What a shame, those poor folks in LA are going to have to fly private to Aspen.

Netjets is picking up that slack. But more likely, flying private out of John Wayne.

https://flightaware.com/live/findflight?origin=klax&destination=KASE

 

[Hogpatrol]

Hmm. Does anyone who's take Delta 200 and 201 remember the ages of the flight attendants? I'd say they're the ones with high seniority ergo slightly geriatric. With the virus floating around, I wonder how many of them will return to those long haul flights. Methinks there will be some retirements in the offing and some younger ones taking their place. Not that it would sway me from my Qatar flights.

 

[CAustin]

Hmm. Does anyone who's take Delta 200 and 201 remember the ages of the flight attendants? I'd say they're the ones with high seniority ergo slightly geriatric. With the virus floating around, I wonder how many of them will return to those long haul flights. Methinks there will be some retirements in the offing and some younger ones taking their place. Not that it would sway me from my Qatar flights.

you are correct as to the ones who had been on that route! I once traveled all the way from JNB through Atlanta and back to Kansas City with one of the flight attendants and she told me that she was 71......no joke. Said she only flew about ten days a month. She actually lived in the Kansas City area. I suspect many more senior attendants will retire if offered a package during this pandemic!

 

[VAHunter]

I just checked Delta's website for a Apr 2021 flight and DL200 has been updated with the new plane. Comfort+ is no longer offered, but Comfort+ Premium is.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I just checked Delta's website for a Apr 2021 flight and DL200 has been updated with the new plane. Comfort+ is no longer offered, but Comfort+ Premium is.

Delta, $2853 for premium select for my old route, PHL, ATL, JNB plus an overnight hotel in JNB and only a four hour difference in total travel time each way. Steerage on Delta is $1048 21 hrs. 35 min to JNB, return is 21 hrs. 15 min.

Qatar RT, Leave out of Philly, no flight to Atlanta or layover there, one stop in Doha for 4 hours, no overnight in JNB, for steerage $711, no intermediate seat, only business. $3629
25 hours 35 minutes to JNB, 24 hours 15 minutes return direct to Philly.

My 2¢, If I were so inclined, for another $776, I'd go business on Qatar rather than Delta comfort but being the COB that I am, I'll go steerage on Qatar. YMMV.

 

[spike.t]

What a shame, those poor folks in LA are going to have to fly private to Aspen.

But surely that is how you get to aspen?...........

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Delta's business class price has dropped quite a bit. Back in the day they were charging between $7k and 10k round trip. Now about $3.7K. (IAH-JNB Apr May 2021). Delta's purchase with miles is still outrageous though.

 

[Philip Glass]

You guys would prefer to add 15 hours to your total flight time than fly Delta?! You are still making a stop, either way. I'll take Delta!

I agree historically but now Delta makes a stop on the way back. So that one flight will be around 19 hours. Everything has changed and I’ll have to re-evaluate all the flight options.
philip

 

[Philip Glass]

Sweet, 19 & 1/2 hours total time to Atlanta. Are they going to allow deplaning anyone that wants to leave the aircraft and then reload everyone? Good luck with that boys & girls.

Edit: Qatar is looking better all the time.

I agree. Time to re-evaluate.

 

[wesheltonj]

But surely that is how you get to aspen?...........

I don't go to Aspen, I go to Deer Valley. That way I get a better geographic spread, CA, NYC, Chicago, instead of just CA like in Aspen. And as an added plus I get to ski by that famous Democrat Mitt Romney house.

 

[Dee S]

I was checking out the prices for both Qatar and Delta. When you fly Delta on that new purposed route, it looks like it went up about $400-$500 over the previous price for the 200/201 routes. The Qatar is still around $700, and the lowest I had ever seen it was $636, so not much of an increase. Yes, it's a longer journey on Qatar, but I'll deal with it.
And from what I read, on the new Delta route, the layover in CT, you won't be able to exit the plane. Not sure if that's true, but I think I read that in one of the articles posted previously?

 

[markm]

Delta isn't worth half what they charge let alone their high price tickets.

Delta's business class price has dropped quite a bit. Back in the day they were charging between $7k and 10k round trip. Now about $3.7K. (IAH-JNB Apr May 2021). Delta's purchase with miles is still outrageous though.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I was checking out the prices for both Qatar and Delta. When you fly Delta on that new purposed route, it looks like it went up about $400-$500 over the previous price for the 200/201 routes. The Qatar is still around $700, and the lowest I had ever seen it was $636, so not much of an increase. Yes, it's a longer journey on Qatar, but I'll deal with it.
And from what I read, on the new Delta route, the layover in CT, you won't be able to exit the plane. Not sure if that's true, but I think I read that in one of the articles posted previously?

EDIT: From info previously posted about no domestic flights on non RSA airlines, the only way to get off at Capetown would be if you bought a ticket from the U.S. to Capetown with the one stop and layover in Joburg. On top of that, steerage is $1350 round trip, almost double Qatar.

Just did a sample booking for Feb 2021. The flight from Joburg to Capetown is 2:15. The layover in Capetown is 2:00. I doubt very much anyone ticketed to the U.S. will be deplaning. Capetown to Atlanta is 16 hours and 15 minutes. Total time if all the planets are aligned is over 20 hours JNB to ATl.

In my case I have to add four hours for the flight from Atlanta to Philly. That includes a two hour flight and over two hours layover. Bottom line, it's less than an hour more flying time and less total travel time on Qatar.

 

[Mike B.]

One booking I looked at from Salt Lake City to Johannesburg round trip was 4700 flying the premium economy. That's 1500 more than my previously booked flight that was for this month. That's ridiculously expensive considering I can get a business class ticket on Qatar round trip from Dallas for $3600 for the same time frame. All I'd have to do is get a ticket to Dallas on delta which isn't tough or expensive to do. I'd probably just use miles. what I found interesting was, if I booked a multi stop trip and had the return flight start in cape Town and go to Salt Lake, I could get the flight for $3100. Seems silly that Delta thinks that leg from Johannesburg to Cape Town is worth $1600!

 

[sierraone]

One booking I looked at from Salt Lake City to Johannesburg round trip was 4700 flying the premium economy. That's 1500 more than my previously booked flight that was for this month. That's ridiculously expensive considering I can get a business class ticket on Qatar round trip from Dallas for $3600 for the same time frame. All I'd have to do is get a ticket to Dallas on delta which isn't tough or expensive to do. I'd probably just use miles. what I found interesting was, if I booked a multi stop trip and had the return flight start in cape Town and go to Salt Lake, I could get the flight for $3100. Seems silly that Delta thinks that leg from Johannesburg to Cape Town is worth $1600!

What dates did you check. Dates can make a big difference in price.

 

[Hogpatrol]

What dates did you check. Dates can make a big difference in price.

I checked the middle of February, on days that are the cheapest, leave Wednesday and return on a Saturday. Personally, I doubt they'll run a flight every day as before, maybe twice a week.

 

[Buffalo1]

"The Atlanta-based SkyTeam Alliance carrier aims for flights to begin with an Airbus A350-900 on Oct. 24, Delta said in a regulatory filing Thursday. The service will extend its existing nonstop between Atlanta (ATL) and Johannesburg (JNB) to a triangle that includes a stop in Cape Town (CPT) on the return leg.

Here is Delta’s proposed schedule with all times local:
• Depart Atlanta at 5:45 p.m., arrive Johannesburg at 3:45 p.m. the next day
• Depart Johannesburg at 5:15 p.m., arrive Cape Town at 7:25 p.m.
• Depart Cape Town at 9:25 p.m., arrive Atlanta at 6:45 a.m. on the next day

• Delta does not plan to carry local traffic between Johannesburg and Cape Town, it said. In addition, tickets will not go on sale until it has the relevant approvals from both the South African and U.S. governments."

The ATL to JNB is basically the old Delta Flight 200 with an updated time.

What about the return trip from JNB to ATL which was the old Delta Flight 201? Will this require catching the JNB to Capetown and then Capetown back to ATL?

 

[Hogpatrol]

What about the return trip from JNB to ATL which was the old Delta Flight 201? Will this require catching the JNB to Capetown and then Capetown back to ATL?

There isn't a JNB to CPT flight, just a stop in CPT for those flying back to ATL