Press Release Source: Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Buckeyes, Gators and Delta: A Winning Combination for 2007 BCS Championship Game

Friday December 8, 9:43 am ET

Airline to fly special nonstop flights for Ohio State and Florida fans to watch the game

PHOENIX, Dec. 8, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Whether you wear the scarlet and gray of Ohio State or the orange and blue of Florida, Buckeyes and Gators fans will have one thing in common next month -- convenient nonstop service between their hometowns and Phoenix aboard Delta Air Lines. In response to overwhelming requests by customers in the two communities, Delta will add special nonstop flights from Columbus, Ohio, and Gainesville, Fla. to Phoenix for fans to cheer on their teams at the Bowl Championship Series national championship football game in Glendale, Ariz.

Delta will offer fans two nonstop flights each from Gainesville and Columbus to Phoenix on Jan. 6 and two nonstop flights each from Phoenix to Gainesville and Columbus on Jan. 9. The flights will be operated using a combination of Boeing 757 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft, seating 183 and 150 passengers, respectively.

''Cheering for your favorite team from the stands of a roaring stadium is the best way to watch football,'' said Bob Cortelyou, Delta's vice president of Network Planning. ''As the largest carrier in Columbus and Gainesville in terms of flights, we're thrilled to support the overwhelming request from our customers for convenient nonstop service to the BCS championship game.''

Delta's extra flights between Columbus and Phoenix, operating Jan. 6 and Jan. 9 only:

Flight Departs Arrives Effective
9695 Columbus at 8:15 p.m. Phoenix at 10:30 p.m. Jan. 6, 2007
9697 Columbus at 8:45 p.m. Phoenix at 11 p.m. Jan. 6, 2007
9694 Phoenix at 9:30 a.m. Columbus at 3:10 p.m. Jan. 9, 2007
9696 Phoenix at 3 p.m. Columbus at 8:40 p.m. Jan. 9, 2007

Delta's extra flights between Gainesville and Phoenix, operating Jan. 6 and Jan. 9 only:

Flight Departs Arrives Effective
9691 Gainesville at 5 p.m. Phoenix at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 6, 2007
9693 Gainesville at 7:45 p.m. Phoenix at 10:15 p.m. Jan. 6, 2007
9690 Phoenix at 10:30 a.m. Gainesville at 4:20 p.m. Jan. 9, 2007
9692 Phoenix at 1:45 p.m. Gainesville at 7:35 p.m. Jan. 9, 2007

Football fans in other cities also can consider convenient options for reaching the 2007 Bowl Championship Series championship in Phoenix. With its January 2007 schedule, Delta will offer customers 14 peak-day departures between Phoenix and its hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City.

I think you will see CO add flights as well, mostly from CLE but also from CMH, CVG and DAY.

Quoting Mbm3 (Reply 1): I think you will see CO add flights as well, mostly from CLE but also from CMH, CVG and DAY.

I think we may add trips from CLE and CMH, but not from DAY and CVG. When OSU played the 'Horns in Austin last year, CO added extra sections to IAH and AUS from CMH, I believe.

Quoting Falcon84 (Reply 2): When OSU played the 'Horns in Austin last year, CO added extra sections to IAH and AUS from CMH, I believe.

Yep, we were crawling with equipment upgrades and extra flights into AUS on Friday night.

-Mike

Not to be too picky, but I always get wiggy about 9xxx flights by DL in one category, food service. There is a whole other debate about what routes should have food service, but according to the rules that we have for FC meal service, the routes (though outside of mealtimes in going to PHX from CMH, one flight from GNV is in mealtime, the other borderline) meet the criteria for meal service - but DL has long since removed the catering arrangement for CMH and GNV doesn't usually get DL mainline.

So, does anyone know?

Just in case anyone asks, no this really doesn't matter. Glad to see DL putting routes where the customers want them!

The Gainesville Sun indicated prices this morning were $1400 R/T coach and $1600 R/T in F. Comparable 1 stop prices were less than $600.

Should be interesting to see the larger a/c in Gainesville! One reason I never flew out of Gainesville when I was at UF was because of the connecting services and small aircraft...I always drove down to MCO for direct flights, bigger planes and cheaper prices.

Cool to see Delta rolling out these special routes for the game. I'll be interested to see how they do. Wouldn't be surprised to see them do well.

Looks like I got my wish about CMH seeing 757s again. Too bad it's only for a couple days.  

Oh, and Go Bucks!

DeltaRules

When OSU played in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, it was a nightmare for HP at T4 here in PHX... WN was very much complaining about the number of HP pax taking up their space at the ticket counters. I was helping out the ticket agents the very next day after the Fiesta Bowl, and witnessed a woman from Ohio assaulting one of our CSR leads and ended up getting arrested while resisting arrest too!

I bet it's gonna probably be the same problem at T3 this year with the extra crowds!

I wonder what other charters CMH will see this time around. In 2003 for the Fiesta Bowl, CMH saw an Omni & a World DC-10, at least two TZ L-1011s, a Champion 727, a Miami Air 738 & even a United 747-400.

DeltaRules

Quoting DeltaRules (Reply 9): I wonder what other charters CMH will see this time around. In 2003 for the Fiesta Bowl, CMH saw an Omni & a World DC-10, at least two TZ L-1011s, a Champion 727, a Miami Air 738 & even a United 747-400.

I dont remember seeing ANY of these planes in PHX. When I was at HP, nearly every single flight going EAST was jam packed. See my reply #8: T4 was the most croweded I've ever seen it the day after the Fiesta Bowl.

Quoting DeltaRules (Reply 9): I wonder what other charters CMH will see this time around. In 2003 for the Fiesta Bowl, CMH saw an Omni & a World DC-10, at least two TZ L-1011s, a Champion 727, a Miami Air 738 & even a United 747-400.

I believe NW also had a 744 they were using.

Delta has used 767s and 777s in the past - I'll be interested to see the upgrades we get during the first week of January. I'll put money on a 777 from DL and at least a 767 from CO (last year we got one of their 777s on a couple of the EWR flights).


S

Notice the spacing of arrivals and departures in PHX (with the exception of the last GNV inbound and first CMH inbound). Trying to reduce conflict maybe?

Glad I will have arrived in PHX the previous week.

I can't see any equipment upgrades yet - but there are zero non-stop seats left for sale for CLE-PHX and CVG-PHX on the 6th - and the 7th is getting very high-dollar.

Here's what is shown so far:

CMH-PHX

Jan 6:

WN 3405
WN 3345

DL 9695 (757)
DL 9697 (757)


MCO-PHX

WN 3450


GNV-PHX

DL 9691 (757)
DL 9693 (757)


I'll be interested to see what gets added between now and then...

With 2 arrivals from CMH and 1 from GNV all within 45 minutes, on top of their regular flights (14 seems like a low number to me)... those rampers should have their hands full.

How many gates does Delta have in Terminal 3? Its been forever since I've been to that side of the Terminal.

Seeing a 757 at GNV will be something else....usually just an ATR or CRJ there. Ramper's wont know which side is up.

The flights look like this so far, impressive bookings thus far:

9691 GNV PHX 6JAN 500P 6JAN 730P DELTA 752 17/17 (26) N/A 109/117 (158)
9693 GNV PHX 6JAN 745P 6JAN 1015P DELTA 752 26/26 (26) N/A 150/169 (158)

9690 PHX GNV 9JAN 1030A 9JAN 420P DELTA 757 16/16 (24) N/A 116/140 (159)
9692 PHX GNV 9JAN 145P 9JAN 735P DELTA 738 13/13 (16) N/A 109/124 (134)

They're a little pricey, maybe it'll turn into a non-rev express!  Wishful thinking though. The Gator Nation is huge.

DeltaGuy

Quoting Thegooddoctor (Reply 13): but there are zero non-stop seats left for sale for CLE-PHX and CVG-PHX on the 6th - and the 7th is getting very high-dollar.

There are still quite a few seats left on the CMH and GNV nonstops to PHX, if you want to pay $1000 R/T. I'm sure there will be some diehard fans on the flights though.

Quoting Cactus739 (Reply 14): How many gates does Delta have in Terminal 3? Its been forever since I've been to that side of the Terminal.

4 currently. Usually they don't use the jetways to deplane passengers though (bags and pax go straight onto tourbuses to avoid losing them all in the terminal...). If they add flights on top of that (2 757s will carry 1% of the fans that came from Ohio the last time OSU was in the BCS in PHX, so I'm sure they will...), they will probably make use of the staging area over by the old Executive terminal.

Quoting AirTranTUS (Reply 16): There are still quite a few seats left on the CMH and GNV nonstops to PHX, if you want to pay $1000 R/T. I'm sure there will be some diehard fans on the flights though.

Are you kidding, there are some Ohio fans who would buy the ticket instead of paying their heating bill for the next three months...

I also looked at flights into TUS for 1/6-1/9, but that was no better. The airlines allow for no trickery. Darn.

It's actually too bad they can't use GYR for some of the Charters - it's a lot closer to Glendale than PHX is...

I suppose most people aren't staying in hotels in Glendale anyways (still can't figure out for the life of me why they put a stadium out there...)

Quoting DeltaGuy (Reply 15): They're a little pricey, maybe it'll turn into a non-rev express! Big grin Wishful thinking though. The Gator Nation is huge.

The die-hard Alumni will probably be making the road-trip in the armada of RVs we see at every game, no need for them to fly. The crowd who will probably fill the charters will most likely be well-heeled groups from the colleges themselves. Fraternities, sororities, etc. Money is no object.

Quoting Thegooddoctor (Reply 11): I'll put money on a 777

I doubt DL would do that....Their A/C routing on Int'l flts goes to hell when just one B777/B767-400 breaks down.
They don't have spare B777B767-400 A/C to do this.
If anything they would use B757/B767-300/B737-800

KD

Quoting TWAL1011727 (Reply 21): If anything they would use B757/B767-300/B737-800

agreed. Glad to see GNV getting 757 and 738 a/c. I would've thought GNV seeing the 738 both ways to/from PHX.

MCOflyer

OH HOW I HATE, OHIO STATE!

Beliefs aside, I think that's great that someone's offering flights from Gainsville and Columbus. Glad that someone picked up the idea.

CVG72

If you want to get to Phoenix, check out jetBlue. I know our PHX flights weren't full last time I looked at those dates. Also, try TUS. I know for a fact there are like 40 seats sold on that flight.

The Delta service out of CMH appears to be similar to what HP/US offered last year.

Quoting DeltaRules (Reply 9): I wonder what other charters CMH will see this time around. In 2003 for the Fiesta Bowl, CMH saw an Omni & a World DC-10, at least two TZ L-1011s, a Champion 727, a Miami Air 738 & even a United 747-400.

Whenever OSU plays in Arizona for a bowl game all sorts of different charters operate to PHX from the two Columbus airports. Remember several Miami Air/Champion/ATA last year. Believe it was somewhere around 17 charters..

Gonna try to bid off to get up here to GNV to get the mainline birds.

Quoting Thegooddoctor (Reply 19): I suppose most people aren't staying in hotels in Glendale anyways (still can't figure out for the life of me why they put a stadium out there...)

Thats because the better QUALITY hotels are around ASU and the East Valley. They are already booked to death. Glendale ddoesn't have sh*t for hotels anyhow. Source: 12 News PHX & Arizona Republic Newspaper. They have been announcing this for some time....

Weird double post, cleared out, see the one below.

[Edited 2006-12-09 21:47:39]

Quoting TWAL1011727 (Reply 21): I doubt DL would do that....Their A/C routing on Int'l flts goes to hell when just one B777/B767-400 breaks down. They don't have spare B777B767-400 A/C to do this. If anything they would use B757/B767-300/B737-800

I'd love to have seena 763 for this, but understand not having it (as PHX can support a 757 for PHX-ATL and PHX-CVG between the special flights). DL used to run the 76's to PHX, but decision was made to stop that and use other types.

Quoting Av8rDAL (Reply 20): The crowd who will probably fill the charters will most likely be well-heeled groups from the colleges themselves. Fraternities, sororities, etc. Money is no object.

If not money no object, credit debit is easier (now).

Quoting DeltaRules (Reply 7): Looks like I got my wish about CMH seeing 757s again. Too bad it's only for a couple days.

Oh yes, me too. I think it was just 2004 I got a 757 CMH-CVG and the upgrade, that was sweet. But we'll take 738s, MD's, and E70s before we just vomit with CRJs for ATL service. The occasional ERJ is tolerable.

Quoting B4real (Reply 29): DL used to run the 76's to PHX, but decision was made to stop that and use other types.

PHX traffic has been changing over the past few years. Back in the day (late 90's early 2000s), they used them to ATL, LAS, JFK, SLC and CVG. Every 767 out of Phoenix (both the -200 and -300) that I was on were always full. I think this decision to stop using the 767 was not so much a Phoenix decision as it was a domestic-route system decision (look at what LAX gets compared to what they used to).

If US acquires Delta, I bet we'll see the 767 with greater frequency again         

Quoting Thegooddoctor (Reply 30): PHX traffic has been changing over the past few years....

Not just PHX on DL, but you are right, the traffic and service offerings have been changing. I even remember JFK-PHX-SAN on 763 with BusinessElite US!

Quoting B4real (Reply 31): Not just PHX on DL, but you are right, the traffic and service offerings have been changing. I even remember JFK-PHX-SAN on 763 with BusinessElite US!

Yep! I've taken that one - wasn't it DL 1988/1985? I remember it was a really odd set of flight numbers because it used a BizElite 763.

Quoting Thegooddoctor (Reply 32): Yep! I've taken that one - wasn't it DL 1988/1985? I remember it was a really odd set of flight numbers because it used a BizElite 763.

Yeah, good catch. The old rule for Int'l flights was n < 200 Int'l BizE and 1950 < n < 2000 for domestic flights for that type of cabin configuration.

Now, very few (if any other than positioning ATL-JFK, for example) domestic Int'l BizE configuration, and they are usually one-stop ATL-JFK-BOM and but 193 is ATL-JFK only.

....and speaking of 767s...

They ARE comming back to PHX on the regular schedule... I was looking up the new DL PHX-JFK flights and happened to notice the onestops - here are the upgraded flights:

PHX-ATL 767-300 1x/day by Jan, 2x/day by Feb, 3x/day in Mar

The march schedule is as follows
DL 594 (835a-203p) - 763
DL 559 (210p-745p) - 763

ATL-PHX

DL 989 (915a - 1033a) - 763
DL 1629 (1100a - 1220p) - 763
DL 1139 (440p - 553p) - 763

I can't for the life of me figure out where that first inbound (989) goes from PHX.

Quoting Thegooddoctor (Reply 34): ....and speaking of 767s... They ARE comming back to PHX on the regular schedule...

Hey, awesome catch on watching the schedules. I think that there is a 'gap' in the schedule between loads. Maybe if we look tomorrow, it will make more sense? Like you, I can't see where it goes, as it is lopsided currently.

Glad to see PHX returing hte 76's. Now, if only DTW, ORD, and DEN can do it also again. As a DL fan, it is a real warm and fuzzy to see DL widebodies at other airlines' domestic hubs.

Quoting B4real (Reply 35): Glad to see PHX returing hte 76's. Now, if only DTW, ORD, and DEN can do it also again. As a DL fan, it is a real warm and fuzzy to see DL widebodies at other airlines' domestic hubs.

Yeah, I remember those... I think PHX might be getting some 'special treatment' from DL right now. PHX getting 767s and JFK service back might (don't flame me yet - I said MIGHT) be due to A) FL's entry into the PHX market and B) US unsolicited bid on DL more than other factors... Availability from ATL-PHX is going from 9 flights/day (1494 seats) to 14 flights/day (2377 seats).

Quoting B4real (Reply 4): There is a whole other debate about what routes should have food service, but according to the rules that we have for FC meal service, the routes (though outside of mealtimes in going to PHX from CMH, one flight from GNV is in mealtime, the other borderline) meet the criteria for meal service - but DL has long since removed the catering arrangement for CMH and GNV doesn't usually get DL mainline. So, does anyone know?

I have checked the timetable, and it doesn't appear that these flights will have any meal catering for the first class cabin (if applicable on the a/c).

Quoting KarlB737 (Thread starter): Delta To Fly Nonstops For Ohio State-Florida Fans

And to Make Fans experience even better, these fares will be offered at a discount of -490$  




Garri767