Delta Will Stop Hourly Shuttle From L.A. to S.F.

Faced with stiff competition in the crowded California skies, Delta Air Lines on Thursday said it will eliminate hourly service between Los Angeles and San Francisco after passenger traffic and financial results fell below expectations.

Instead of hourly shuttle service, Delta will operate six round-trips between the two cities beginning Nov. 1. The reduction in service will mean the reassignment of some employees and equipment to Delta’s Atlanta base of operations.

Last year, USAir also reduced service between Southern and Northern California in reaction to low fares and a corporate restructuring. USAir pulled out of Burbank, Ontario, Palm Springs, San Jose, Oakland and Orange County’s John Wayne airport.

Delta pulled the plug on the hourly shuttle only 14 months after it began the service in what many consider the busiest air corridor in the nation.

Since Delta started service, prices have fallen, competition has intensified and the recession has taken a toll on the volume of business travelers.

A last-minute, one-way ticket cost as much as $220 when Delta started service. Now walk-on fares are available for as low as $69 on routes connecting the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.