US airlines have stepped up the battle for lucrative US north-eastern corridor traffic. Delta Air Lines and US Airways have announced plans to expand their Washington-New York-Boston shuttle operations, while United Airlines is to increase services between the three cities.
Delta will offer flights every other hour between Boston Logan and Washington Reagan National Airport, from 1 June. The weekday services will use two Delta Shuttle Boeing 727s and a Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet operated by Delta Connection carrier Comair. This will be increased later to an hourly service, operated by Delta Shuttle 727s.
Delta Shuttle also operates hourly weekday flights between Washington National and New York LaGuardia, and between LaGuardia and Boston.
Meanwhile, US Airways' hourly weekday service between Boston Logan and Washington National will become part of its shuttle operation, beginning on 9 July. The airline says its hourly services between Washington Dulles International Airport and Boston and New York LaGuardia are to become part of USAirways Shuttle "within the next few months".
USAirways Shuttle operates an hourly weekday service between Boston and LaGuardia and between LaGuardia and Washington National.
Last month, United Airlines announced plans to inaugurate a Washington-New York shuttle service in competition with Delta and US Airways (Flight International, 7-13 April). The hourly flights, beginning on 4 May, will operate between LaGuardia and Washington Dulles. On 4 April, the airline expanded its service between Boston and Dulles to hourly, using Airbus A319/A320s and Boeing 737s.
Source: Flight International
