Delta 717s are Finally Going West

We have heard a lot from passengers on the west coast asking Delta when they will bring their 717’s out west. Well, the time is coming. Delta has recently announced that their Boeing 717’s will be flying 8 of the 15 daily flights between Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport starting on June 3, 2015.

Delta acquired these 717’s through a loan with Southwest Airlines. Southwest got these 717’s through their merger with AirTran Airways however Southwest only uses Boeing 737’s so they agreed to a loan with Delta to put the 717’s to good use. Delta’s new Boeing 717’s have become a favorite among passengers. The airline is using these 717s on shorter routes from smaller airports who might not see any other mainline service. These birds also come equipped with A/C and USB ports at every seat so passengers can charge their electronic devices in flight.

Delta is bringing the 717’s to Los Angeles mainly to fly the Delta Shuttle route between Los Angeles and San Francisco, however they will be flying several additional west coast routes out of LAX and Salt Lake City. Delta Shuttle is a premium, low cost product that flies on the hour, every hour from 6 AM to 9 PM. Delta Shuttle was introduced on the east coast from New York to Boston and Washington D.C. where it became very successful and in Sept., 2013 Delta brought Delta Shuttle to the west coast.

There are many premium services on Delta Shuttle that passengers might not have access to on regular Delta flights. Passengers can check in as little as 30 min before their flight at a dedicated check-in desk for shuttle flights. Delta Shuttle even has their own gates which are always one of the closest ones to security so passengers on these flights do not have to walk down to the end of the terminal. On board, the flight passengers have access to free newspapers and on all flights all the passengers are provided with a complimentary snack box by Luvo. Passengers also receive complimentary drinks and for our friends how are over 21, alcoholic beverages are on the house as well.

Bringing the 717’s to the west coast Shuttle route is all part of Delta’s plan to continue to invest and improve their Los Angeles market.

“As we continue to grow in Los Angeles, upgrading to fuel-efficient 717s on a majority of our daily Shuttle flights is a logical next step in strengthening our position in this important market,” said Ranjan Goswami, Delta’s Vice President of Sales.

This is not the only change that has come to Los Angeles. Delta is currently continuing their $229 million expansion of Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport. Also, Delta has started new service to London-Heathrow, Dallas, Austin and Vancouver from LAX. Delta has filed for the right to fly from LAX to Shanghai, China and are starting service to Managua, Nicaragua in July.

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