NEWS: Delta Airlines Unveils Latest Facet of Operational Changes

Delta Airlines announced another piece of their ongoing effort to re-make themselves. Its called Operation Clockwork and its designed to flatten out the operational peaks and valleys associated with hub flying. Most airlines, in response to the customer, will jam large numbers of flights into particular hours of the day. This creates an operation that is not terribly efficient, difficult to plan labor for and prone to failure when problems occur. The new plan spreads out departures more evenly throughout the day. Delta expects to save something on the order of $100 million annually with the new plan.

I've said this before but it bears repeating. This is why I say Delta, despite there huge 2004 losses, stands a better chance of surviving than United Airlines or US Airways. They recognize the faults in their current operation and are focused on improving it. What is going on at Delta is so much more that just fare cuts and cost cuts.