Delta Terminates Two Regional Airlines, Streamlines Operations

by Miles Jackson

According to a recently leaked memo and some conversations on several travel discussion boards, Delta has announced termination of its agreements with regional carriers Compass Airlines and GoJet.

Delta will continue its agreements to use Skywest, Republic and Endeavor. These airlines help Delta serve many regional routes throughout North America that it doesn’t  operate on its own mainline planes. (You often see this marketed as a Delta Connection flight operated by Republic, etc.)

Delta has continued to impress with its on-time performance and the move is seen as an effort to continue making improvements on that front. Also, as Delta brings online more A220 jets of its own, these aircraft will pick up more routes.

Related: Delta’s Full List Of Airbus A220 Routes

The Delta Memo In Full 

A post, reportedly from an internally communicated memo inside Delta has surfaced on Reddit.

Here’s the content of that memo:

“Delta Connection will soon trim its regional carriers from five to three, reducing operational complexity and creating better consistency with the overall product and experience for customers, while maintaining the airline’s network footprint. To achieve these goals, Delta will not renew its contract with GoJet Airlines and Compass Airlines.

This strategic move to reduce the number of carriers allows Delta to simplify the Delta Connection network, reducing geographical overlap between the carriers. As a result of the transition, the three remaining carriers — Endeavor Air, Delta’s wholly-owned subsidiary, along with SkyWest Airlines and Republic Airways — will focus on specific regions of the U.S. This will help minimize the number of Delta Connection carriers serving each Delta hub and allow for more efficient allocation of each carriers’ resources.

“The talent and dedication Compass and GoJet employees have displayed over the last several years under the Delta Connection umbrella has been incredibly valuable and we thank them for their passion, professionalism and continued service through this transition,” said David Garrison, S.V.P. — Delta Connection and CEO — Endeavor Air.

Delta will work with GoJet and Compass over the next 11 months to reallocate 56 aircraft and wind-down their flying for Delta. Seven remaining GoJet CRJ-900 aircraft are under contract through 2022, and Delta is working with GoJet to evaluate the possibility of an early removal.”

Any Changes For Customers With This Move?

No significant changes in Delta’s overall network and destinations served are planned as a result of the transition and all customers who have traveled on routes traditionally operated by GoJet and Compass can continue to make travel plans with Delta as they have in the past.

Customers can also expect similar reliability and service as the three remaining Delta Connection carriers transition to those markets previously served by GoJet and Compass.

To aid in the transition, Delta will also be working with Endeavor and SkyWest to host job fairs, resume reviews and guaranteed application programs for GoJet and Compass employees.

Delta has announced termination of its agreements with Compass Airlines and GoJet

(Image: Delta)

Related: Delta’s Fantastic On-Time Performance Leads The US Carriers 

The Upshot

This recent announcement by Delta announcing termination of Compass Airlines and GoJet Agreements should not come as any surprise.

Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian has been talking about terminating Compass Airlines as a partner for some time. Delta is focusing on improving its on-time performance and operational consistency. This latest move will move it closer to those goals.

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