Special shuttle flights between two major business centers is not a new concept and airlines have provided shuttle flights between large east coast cities for a number of years. Currently Delta and US Air offer shuttle flights that provide more amenities than a typical flight between two domestic cities and compete against major bus lines and Amtrak. Shuttle service typically offers hourly departure, or almost every hour, weekdays from 6am-7pm (and sometimes later)
Currently shuttle flights & amenities offer Include
Delta:
New York (LGA) – Boston
New York (LGA) – Washington (DCA)
New York (LGA) – Chicago
- Speed through security with exclusive, expedited lines. And you only need to show up at the gate five minutes before departure.
- Complimentary snacks, like fresh bagels before 11 a.m., along with coffee, soft drinks and a selection of wine and beer in both economy and first
- GoGo WiFi on all shuttle flights
- Complimentary newspapers like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and The Financial Times.
- Plated meal service is offered in First Class to Chicago/ORD.
- 500 miles minimum on all flights for SkyMiles Members
- Front & rear deplaning on most flights
US Airways
New York – Boston
New York – Washington, (DCA)
Boston- Washington (DCA)
- Check in 20 minutes before departure if traveling with no checked luggage, 30 minutes with luggage
- Dedicated departure gates and baggage carousels
- Dividend Miles members earn 500 miles per segment flown on US Airways Shuttle
- Semi-private workstations at gate areas in Boston
- Every weekday flight is on a modern Airbus A319 or Embraer 190 aircraft
- Exit the plane quickly from either the front or rear door
- Spacious First Class seating
- In First Class, free snack basket, beer, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks all day
- In Coach, free snacks, beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks all day
- Elite Limo service at New York LaGuardia (reserve your limo at any US Airways Shuttle kiosk or with an agent when you check in)
- Assigned seats day of departure
September 3, Delta is stepping up service on the west coast, transforming their current 11x daily flights on CRJ-900s and 700s between LAX and SFO into a shuttle flight and increasing its frequency. Flights will depart ever hour on the hour at 7am and there will be 14 daily flights Monday-Friday between the two cities.
“Our new Delta Shuttle on the West Coast is designed to make doing business between Los Angeles and San Francisco easier. And with a product that’s tailored to California, we’re also making business travel more enjoyable and productive,” said Tim Mapes, senior vice president – Marketing. “With our growth in Los Angeles, our ongoing investments to transform Terminal 5 and the introduction of more convenient schedules, we’re listening carefully to customers and doing everything possible to give them the experience they want from Delta.”
Customers flying the Delta Shuttle between Los Angeles and San Francisco will enjoy:
- Check-in as close as 30 minutes prior to departure
- Dedicated check-in counters exclusively for Shuttle customers
- Gates located near security
- Complimentary newspapers for all customers including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Financial Times and more
- Assigned seating
- Two classes of service with complimentary upgrades for SkyMiles Medallion members when available.
- Complimentary onboard snacks provided by LYFE Kitchen, a California-based lifestyle food brand, offering great-tasting, good-for-you food
- Complimentary beverages in-flight including Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. craft beer, Starbucks coffee and wine from Wente Vineyards in all classes of service
- Cocktails available for purchase in Economy
- Access to in-flight Wi-Fi on all Shuttle flights
The flights between the two cities will be on the larger and nicer regional aircrafts, the E-175. The Delta jet, operated by Compass Airlines, E-175 accommodates 76 passengers in 12 First Class, 12 Economy Comfort seats, and 52 Economy seats. This is the first time that Delta has offered a shuttle service on the west coast, and I believe it’s a great enhancement to this route and fits with other Delta west coast enhancements. I truly hope other airlines follow suit and more shuttle routes with increased offers made available. Or better yet, just roll these enhancements out systems wide! Oh what a dream!
