Delta takes its shuttle show to the US west coast – and the reception is anyone’s guess

Delta Air Lines officially launched its shuttle product between Los Angeles and San Francisco on 3-Sep-2013, initiating an interesting experiment in one of the most competitive markets in the US. It caps off recent expansion by both Delta and American from Los Angeles as both carriers work to refine their strategy in the highly fragmented market.

The replication of Delta's US east coast shuttle service on the west coast intensifies growing competition among US major, hybrid and in some cases low-cost carriers to garner a higher share of premium higher-yielding passengers, evidenced by the recent spate of plans tabled by those airlines to offer new premium products in the key US transcontinental market from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

It is tough to predict if Delta can successfully execute a shuttle product on the intra-California route as other carriers in the past have not achieved much luck from similar efforts. Delta also has a lower profile in the Los Angeles market than American or United, based on seat deployment, so wooing corporate travellers from those carriers could prove to be a formidable challenge.