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Breaking: Delta to No Longer Provide Airport Services for Alaska Airlines

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Image: David Parker Brown / AirlineReporter.com. Press Release: In response to sequestration budget cuts, Alaska Airlines is recommending that customers check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport and allow additional time to check in when traveling to or from Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Newark, San Diego and San Francisco. The Federal Aviation Administration plans to furlough air traffic controllers starting Sunday, which the agency predicts could cause extensive ground delays ranging from 50 minutes to two hours and a reduction in flight arrivals of 30 to 40 percent at certain airports. Alaska Airlines does not intend to pre-cancel any flights. The carrier is recommending that customers arrive at the airport two hours before departure for domestic flights and three hours before departure for international flights. Connection time between flights, especially when arriving from Mexico or Canada, may be challenging as travelers will need to clear customs and immigration. Travelers booking future flights are encouraged to allow adequate connection times in case air traffic delays continue. "While we hope the impact of these FAA furloughs does not cause massive flight delays across the country, it is with an abundance of care for our customers that we caution themespecially travelers flying to or from Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco where we have several daily flights," Alaska Airlines Chief Operating Officer Ben Minicucci said. Minicucci said the airline has contingency plans in place to divert flights and shuttle passengers to and from nearby airports should widespread delays occur. The airline will allow passengers who miss flights to rebook their travel when space is available, with no increase in fare or change fee. While the FAA says ground delays are expected to impact six airports Alaska Airlines serves, rolling delays could affect the carrier's entire 95-city operation and cause crew scheduling issues that would force the cancellation of dozens of flights. The airline is encouraging the public to share their feedback about the FAA's staffing cutbacks at www.dontgroundamerica.com. Alaska Airlines operates more than 800 flights a day including an average of: ’¢38 daily roundtrip flights to/from Los Angeles ’¢20 daily roundtrip flights to/from San Diego ’¢16 daily roundtrip flights to/from San Francisco ’¢ 5 daily roundtrip flights to/from Chicago ’¢2 daily roundtrip flights to/from Newark ’¢1 daily roundtrip flight to/from Fort Lauderdale

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 – Photo: David Parker Brown | AirlineReporter.com

The relationship between Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines has just become a bit more intense. Alaska has confirmed that they are looking for different vendors to help with airport operations at 13 stations, services that Delta currently provides. This appears to be something that Alaska was already planning, but Delta has sped up the timeline.

“We have been considering a change in vendors who provide passenger service, ground handling, cargo, and deicing at various locations for some time now,” an Alaska Airlines spokesperson told AirlineReporter.com. “This is something we routinely do to ensure our costs and services for our customers are being optimized. Delta notified us last Friday that it has elected to discontinue these service agreements with Alaska Airlines effective March 31,2014.  This change will affect 13 stations, 6 cargo offices, and various deice locations, and simply speeds up the transition we’d been planning.”

This comes after Delta had announced additional service to Seattle, where Alaska Airlines is based.

This story will be updated with additional information.

This story was written by one or more of our AirlineReporter staff members. Email us: staff@airlinereporter.com

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5 Comments
Wandering Aramean
October 9, 2013

This would be Delta Ground Services (DGS) which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta. What are the 13 stations? I wonder if they are locations where Delta is shifting away from DGS staffing levels for other reasons as well.

Reply to Wandering
Daniel
October 11, 2013

Mainline Delta agents do provide above wing services for Alaska. This announcement has nothing to do with DGS.

Reply to Daniel
Nick
October 9, 2013

I don’t think this has anything to do with a bad relationship. It has to do with saving money and improving the bottom line. I am certain American Eagle or DGS providing ground services will save a lot of $$$ for Alaska…

Reply to Nick
Jay F.
October 10, 2013

The fact that there was no mention of the new contractor taking over these operations suggests it is a defensive move and not an operational one.

Reply to Jay
Rich
October 11, 2013

This may not be DGS. In PHL, Alaska’s entire operation in handled by Delta, not DGS. From ticket counter to ramp, it’s all Delta. There is only one actual Alaska employee that works there

Reply to Rich

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