It’s Attorneys at ten paces as United Airlines and Delta Air Lines continue to tussle for the last remaining frequencies on the US – South Africa country pair. Seventeen of the 21 available weekly return frequencies are already allocated, and both airlines want to snare what’s left to operate flights to Cape Town.
Delta and United duke it out for remaining South Africa frequencies
United wants to fly between Washington Dulles (IAD) and Cape Town (CPT) three times a week. The flights would be in addition to the existing daily New York Newark (EWR) to Johannesburg (JNB) and thrice-weekly Newark to Cape Town flights. Delta Air Lines flies daily between Atlanta (ATL) and Johannesburg. The bilateral air services agreement between the US and South Africa allows for US carriers to operate 21 flights in each direction each week between the two countries.
Both airlines have submitted applications to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to lock in those last available frequencies. On March 18, Delta called its submission “superior to United’s in all material respects.” Indeed, Delta argued (unsuccessfully, it seems) that the DOT should stop overthinking the matter and simply award Delta the frequencies now.
“The substantive merits of Delta’s application and the public benefits that will flow from its proposal are so clearly superior to United’s that the Department would be well justified in granting Delta’s application now based on the relevant filings to date,” Delta’s Attorneys on behalf of the Atlanta-based airline.
Delta Air Lines already flies daily between Atlanta and Johannesburg. Photo: Delta Air Lines
United calls Delta’s submission brazen and criticizes existing flights to South Africa
Now United has fired back. United Airlines has called Delta’s submission brazen and suggested their existing flights between ATL and JNB aren’t quite up to scratch.
“United has firm plans to utilize these valuable frequencies….