Quote
"Circle Line would not be the first to offer business travelers an alternative to taxicabs as a way to get from the Wall Street area to La Guardia. Delta Air Lines provided a similar service, which was operated in its later years by New York Waterway, until the end of 2000, when the service closed."
Quote
Delta Air Lines Offers Bonus SkyMiles for Water Shuttle; High-Speed Ferry Provides Quick, Convenient Access between LaGuardia Airport and Manhattan
Jan 05, 2000, 00:00 ET from Delta Air Lines, Inc.
ATLANTA, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the Delta Air Lines'
(NYSE: DAL) SkyMiles(TM) program will earn 100 miles for each Delta Water
Shuttle trip or 200 miles for each round-trip through June 30, 2000.
Delta Water Shuttle offers frequent, direct access between Delta Shuttle's
Marine Air Terminal at New York LaGuardia Airport and Manhattan.
"The water shuttle's high-speed ferry service offers a convenient,
traffic-free alternative when traveling between the airport and Manhattan,"
said Christine Pierce, director of Delta's relationship marketing.
"The water shuttle is a great complement to our LaGuardia airport service,
which includes Delta Shuttle, located in the Marine Air Terminal, just steps
from the Delta Water Shuttle," said Pierce.
Departing the Marine Air Terminal every hour, Monday through Friday, the
water shuttle provides quick access to three popular Manhattan locations: East
34th Street, East 62nd Street and Wall Street Pier 11. The water shuttle also
departs from these same three Manhattan locations, hourly, Monday through
Friday. Fares are $15 for one-way travel and $25 for a round-trip. Travel
time to LaGuardia from the 62nd Street port is approximately 20 minutes; from
the East 34th Street port, 30 minutes; and from Pier 11, 45 minutes.
Delta Shuttle offers hourly departures on the half-hour between LaGuardia
and both Boston Logan and Washington National airports and nonstop departures
between Boston and Washington every other hour throughout the business day.
Delta Water Shuttle arrivals to the Marine Air Terminal coincide with Delta
Shuttle departures, enabling passengers to purchase a ticket and board the
airplane in a time-efficient manner.
Reservations are not required for Delta Shuttle or the Delta Water
Shuttle; however, customers may make reservations or obtain additional
information by calling the automated information line at 1-800-WE-FLY-DL
(1-800-933-5935) or accessing Delta Shuttle Web site at
http://www.delta-air.com/shuttle .
Delta SkyMiles members earn mileage by flying Delta, the Delta Connection
carriers, Delta Express, Delta Shuttle and Delta's airline partners. The
Delta SkyMiles program offers many other mileage-building opportunities,
including the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, MCI WorldCom
services, participating hotels, car purchases, car rental companies, cruise
lines, restaurants, mortgages with North American Mortgage Company and Better
Homes & Gardens Real Estate.
Delta, named "Airline of the Year" by Air Transport World magazine and
"Best-Managed Major Airline" for 1999 by Aviation Week & Space Technology
magazine, is the world's most flown carrier. More than 105 million passengers
traveled on Delta in 1999. Delta, Delta Express, Delta Shuttle, the Delta
Connection carriers and Delta's Worldwide Partners operate 5,423 flights each
day to 365 cities in 60 countries.
SOURCE Delta Air Lines, Inc.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/delta-air-lines-offers-bonus-skymiles-for-water-shuttle-high-speed-ferry-provides-quick-convenient-access-between-laguardia-airport-and-manhattan-71956402.html
Quote
NY Waterway To Operate Delta Water Shuttle
May 01, 1998, 01:00 ET from Delta Air Lines, Inc.
NEW YORK, May 1, /PRNewswire/ -- NY Waterway, the largest privately-
operated commuter ferry service in the nation, has assumed operation of the
Delta Water Shuttle, which provides high-speed ferry service between Manhattan
and the Delta Shuttle's exclusive facilities at La Guardia Airport's Marine Air Terminal,
NY Waterway President Arthur E. Imperatore, Jr. announced today.
Assumption of the Delta Water Shuttle is part of NY Waterway's purchase of
the assets of Harbor Shuttle, Inc., which had provided the service.
NY Waterway's purchase of Harbor Shuttle, which was concluded today, also
includes four 149-passenger ferry boats and one 88-passenger boat, landing
rights, and service from Staten Island to Yankee Stadium, which will continue.
"With our commitment to service, backed by 11 years of experience, NY
Waterway is confident that we can continue the tradition of excellent service
established by the Delta Shuttle and Harbor Shuttle," Imperatore said.
"We look forward to expanding and improving this service by linking it to
our extensive ferry network, providing safe, reliable, convenient service to
the Delta Shuttle at the Marine Air Terminal and to the rest of La Guardia
Airport."
"We believe the Delta Water Shuttle offers our customers a unique and
unbeatable shortcut to their business destinations, with ferry schedules that
provide fast and easy connections to their Delta Shuttle flights," said Bill
Crumbley, managing director of the Delta Shuttle. "Our new partnership with
NY Waterway will provide even more convenience and future enhancements for the
Delta Shuttle customer."
"As with all our ferry operations, airport service provides an attractive
alternative to auto and bus commuting, helping to reduce pollution and traffic
congestion on New York City streets," Imperatore added.
NY Waterway also had been designated by the Port Authority of New York &
New Jersey to provide high-speed ferry service from Manhattan to the Main
Terminal at the east end of La Guardia Airport and will continue to develop
that route in partnership with the Port Authority.
Under the terms of its agreement with Delta Air Lines, NY Waterway will
continue to provide weekday morning and evening rush hour service between the
Marine Air Terminal and four Manhattan ports, at Pier 11 at the foot of Wall
Street, East 34th Street, East 62nd Street, and 90th Street. Fares of $15 for
one-way travel and $25 for round-trip travel will remain unchanged. Delta
Shuttle customers receive 100 Delta SkyMiles for each trip on the Delta Water
Shuttle and have access to AT&T Wireless telephone service and complimentary
Green Mountain coffee, juices and newspapers while traveling between
destinations...
SOURCE Delta Air Lines, Inc.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ny-waterway-to-operate-delta-water-shuttle-77729112.html
Quote
NY Waterway To Operate DELTA WATER SHUTTLE
May 01, 1998, 01:00 ET from Delta Air Lines, Inc.
NEW YORK, May 1, /PRNewswire/ -- NY Waterway, the largest privately-
operated commuter ferry service in the nation, has assumed operation of the
Delta Water Shuttle, which provides high-speed ferry service between Manhattan
and the Delta Shuttle's exclusive facilities at La Guardia Airport's Marine
Air Terminal, NY Waterway President Arthur E. Imperatore, Jr. announced today.
Assumption of the Delta Water Shuttle is part of NY Waterway's purchase of
the assets of Harbor Shuttle, Inc., which had provided the service.
NY Waterway's purchase of Harbor Shuttle, which was concluded today, also
includes four 149-passenger ferry boats and one 88-passenger boat, landing
rights, and service from Staten Island to Yankee Stadium, which will continue.
"With our commitment to service, backed by 11 years of experience, NY
Waterway is confident that we can continue the tradition of excellent service
established by the Delta Shuttle and Harbor Shuttle," Imperatore said.
"We look forward to expanding and improving this service by linking it to
our extensive ferry network, providing safe, reliable, convenient service to
the Delta Shuttle at the Marine Air Terminal and to the rest of La Guardia
Airport."
"We believe the Delta Water Shuttle offers our customers a unique and
unbeatable shortcut to their business destinations, with ferry schedules that
provide fast and easy connections to their Delta Shuttle flights," said Bill
Crumbley, managing director of the Delta Shuttle. "Our new partnership with
NY Waterway will provide even more convenience and future enhancements for the
Delta Shuttle customer."
"As with all our ferry operations, airport service provides an attractive
alternative to auto and bus commuting, helping to reduce pollution and traffic
congestion on New York City streets," Imperatore added.
NY Waterway also had been designated by the Port Authority of New York &
New Jersey to provide high-speed ferry service from Manhattan to the Main
Terminal at the east end of La Guardia Airport and will continue to develop
that route in partnership with the Port Authority.
Under the terms of its agreement with Delta Air Lines, NY Waterway will
continue to provide weekday morning and evening rush hour service between the
Marine Air Terminal and four Manhattan ports, at Pier 11 at the foot of Wall
Street, East 34th Street, East 62nd Street, and 90th Street. Fares of $15 for
one-way travel and $25 for round-trip travel will remain unchanged. Delta
Shuttle customers receive 100 Delta SkyMiles for each trip on the Delta Water
Shuttle and have access to AT&T Wireless telephone service and complimentary
Green Mountain coffee, juices and newspapers while traveling between
destinations...
Quote
NY Waterway To Operate DELTA WATER SHUTTLE
May 01, 1998, 01:00 ET from Delta Air Lines, Inc.
NEW YORK, May 1, /PRNewswire/ -- NY Waterway, the largest privately-
operated commuter ferry service in the nation, has assumed operation of the
Delta Water Shuttle, which provides high-speed ferry service between Manhattan
and the Delta Shuttle's exclusive facilities at La Guardia Airport's Marine
Air Terminal, NY Waterway President Arthur E. Imperatore, Jr. announced today.
Assumption of the Delta Water Shuttle is part of NY Waterway's purchase of
the assets of Harbor Shuttle, Inc., which had provided the service.
NY Waterway's purchase of Harbor Shuttle, which was concluded today, also
includes four 149-passenger ferry boats and one 88-passenger boat, landing
rights, and service from Staten Island to Yankee Stadium, which will continue.
"With our commitment to service, backed by 11 years of experience, NY
Waterway is confident that we can continue the tradition of excellent service
established by the Delta Shuttle and Harbor Shuttle," Imperatore said.
"We look forward to expanding and improving this service by linking it to
our extensive ferry network, providing safe, reliable, convenient service to
the Delta Shuttle at the Marine Air Terminal and to the rest of La Guardia
Airport."
"We believe the Delta Water Shuttle offers our customers a unique and
unbeatable shortcut to their business destinations, with ferry schedules that
provide fast and easy connections to their Delta Shuttle flights," said Bill
Crumbley, managing director of the Delta Shuttle. "Our new partnership with
NY Waterway will provide even more convenience and future enhancements for the
Delta Shuttle customer."
"As with all our ferry operations, airport service provides an attractive
alternative to auto and bus commuting, helping to reduce pollution and traffic
congestion on New York City streets," Imperatore added.
NY Waterway also had been designated by the Port Authority of New York &
New Jersey to provide high-speed ferry service from Manhattan to the Main
Terminal at the east end of La Guardia Airport and will continue to develop
that route in partnership with the Port Authority.
Under the terms of its agreement with Delta Air Lines, NY Waterway will
continue to provide weekday morning and evening rush hour service between the
Marine Air Terminal and four Manhattan ports, at Pier 11 at the foot of Wall
Street, East 34th Street, East 62nd Street, and 90th Street. Fares of $15 for
one-way travel and $25 for round-trip travel will remain unchanged. Delta
Shuttle customers receive 100 Delta SkyMiles for each trip on the Delta Water
Shuttle and have access to AT&T Wireless telephone service and complimentary
Green Mountain coffee, juices and newspapers while traveling between
destinations...
Quote
ATLANTA, Jan. 5, 2000 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the Delta Air Lines'
(NYSE: DAL) SkyMiles(TM) program will earn 100 miles for each Delta Water
Shuttle trip or 200 miles for each round-trip through June 30, 2000.
Delta Water Shuttle offers frequent, direct access between Delta Shuttle's
Marine Air Terminal at New York LaGuardia Airport and Manhattan.
"The water shuttle's high-speed ferry service offers a convenient,
traffic-free alternative when traveling between the airport and Manhattan,"
said Christine Pierce, director of Delta's relationship marketing.
"The water shuttle is a great complement to our LaGuardia airport service,
which includes Delta Shuttle, located in the Marine Air Terminal, just steps
from the Delta Water Shuttle," said Pierce.
Departing the Marine Air Terminal every hour, Monday through Friday, the
water shuttle provides quick access to three popular Manhattan locations: East
34th Street, East 62nd Street and Wall Street Pier 11. The water shuttle also
departs from these same three Manhattan locations, hourly, Monday through
Friday. Fares are $15 for one-way travel and $25 for a round-trip. Travel
time to LaGuardia from the 62nd Street port is approximately 20 minutes; from
the East 34th Street port, 30 minutes; and from Pier 11, 45 minutes.
Delta Shuttle offers hourly departures on the half-hour between LaGuardia
and both Boston Logan and Washington National airports and nonstop departures
between Boston and Washington every other hour throughout the business day.
Delta Water Shuttle arrivals to the Marine Air Terminal coincide with Delta
Shuttle departures, enabling passengers to purchase a ticket and board the
airplane in a time-efficient manner.
Reservations are not required for Delta Shuttle or the Delta Water
Shuttle; however, customers may make reservations or obtain additional
information by calling the automated information line at 1-800-WE-FLY-DL
(1-800-933-5935) or accessing Delta Shuttle Web site at
http://www.delta-air.com/shuttle .
Delta SkyMiles members earn mileage by flying Delta, the Delta Connection
carriers, Delta Express, Delta Shuttle and Delta's airline partners. The
Delta SkyMiles program offers many other mileage-building opportunities,
including the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, MCI WorldCom
services, participating hotels, car purchases, car rental companies, cruise
lines, restaurants, mortgages with North American Mortgage Company and Better
Homes & Gardens Real Estate.
Delta, named "Airline of the Year" by Air Transport World magazine and
"Best-Managed Major Airline" for 1999 by Aviation Week & Space Technology
magazine, is the world's most flown carrier. More than 105 million passengers
traveled on Delta in 1999. Delta, Delta Express, Delta Shuttle, the Delta
Connection carriers and Delta's Worldwide Partners operate 5,423 flights each
day to 365 cities in 60 countries.
SOURCE Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Quote
New Ferry Line to La Guardia Is to Begin Service by Midyear
By PATRICK MCGEEHAN JAN. 8, 2005
Despite the financial troubles other ferry services have had, the company that takes tourists to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island plans to start running passenger boats from Manhattan to La Guardia Airport by midyear.
Circle Line Harbor Cruises intends to start running high-speed ferries every 30 minutes on weekdays from Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan to 34th Street and then to a dock near the Marine Air Terminal at the airport, J.B. Meyer, the president of the company, said. The trip would take 30 minutes and cost $25 each way, Mr. Meyer said.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey chose the company, which is not affiliated with the operator of Circle Line sightseeing cruises around Manhattan, in December. Among the other bidders was New York Waterway, which has been struggling to keep its Hudson River commuter service operating.
Establishing ferry service from downtown to New York's airports has been a pet project of Gov. George E. Pataki, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority. He said the agency was seeking proposals from companies that would run a similar service to Kennedy International Airport starting in 2006.
The governor has been an ardent advocate of linking Lower Manhattan to Kennedy by building a rail line that would connect to the Long Island Rail Road. But that project, if it happens, will take about a decade to complete. In the meantime, ferries would provide the only new route to the airports.
Circle Line would not be the first to offer business travelers an alternative to taxicabs as a way to get from the Wall Street area to La Guardia. Delta Air Lines provided a similar service, which was operated in its later years by New York Waterway, until the end of 2000, when the service closed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/08/nyregion/new-ferry-line-to-la-guardia-is-to-begin-service-by-midyear.html
Quote
Gliding in a Floating World, Life Is but a Dream
By JANNY SCOTT
Published: October 13, 2000
To see New York City from the water is to see it anew, spread out serenely along the horizon in the shifting light, distorted by distance, blurred by haze, magically rearranging itself as you move in the muffled quiet toward someplace, anyplace or, better yet, no place at all...
East River
In some ways, the most delightful excursions were the most mundane. Early one morning I caught the Delta Water Shuttle off a barge in the East River at 62nd Street, steamed north past Roosevelt Island, then veered east through Hell Gate, passed under the Triborough Bridge, skirted Rikers Island and docked behind the Marine Air Terminal at La Guardia Airport in Bowery Bay.
It had seemed inconceivable, standing there alone at the southern end of the East River Walk, that a ferry would actually show up. The river looked empty that morning and the gate to the dock was locked. Then the boat materialized in the distance, steaming toward me. Suddenly she was there, the Amelia Earhart. A man in uniform hopped off, said hi and unlocked the gate. I went aboard.
There were just two other passengers that morning, noses buried in work. I stood on the sliver of deck at the stern, watching the skyline flatten and the waterway widen as we rounded the northwestern flank of Queens, past sewage treatment and power plants, tank farms and cormorant-crowded markers. A single gull followed us up the East River. Ducks flapped low over the glistening bay.
To the south and west, the Manhattan skyline came back into view, transected by the Triborough Bridge. Sailboats motored past in the windless morning, heading for the harbor and beyond. At La Guardia, jets were lumbering into position and arcing skyward against the glare. We disembarked up a rambling gangway and into the terminal. Reality abruptly resumed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/13/arts/gliding-in-a-floating-world-life-is-but-a-dream.html?pagewanted=all
Quote
A Ferry Loop Plan To Connect the Dots For New York Bay
By ANDREW JACOBS
Published: February 10, 2001
From Boston to Seattle to San Diego, maritime cities across the country have embraced ferries as an inexpensive and people-pleasing way to ease congestion, spur waterfront revitalization and stitch together far-flung communities snubbed by other forms of mass transit.
Now a coalition of ferry advocates in New York and New Jersey has quietly put together a proposal for an ambitious, 25-stop ferry loop for Upper New York Bay, one that would link Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn and New Jersey with a fleet of 99-passenger vessels...
And recent history gives reason for both optimism and concern. While two dozen ferry routes have begun since 1986, low ridership has forced operators to discontinue more than half of them, including a Queens-to-Midtown Manhattan link that New York Waterway plans to abandon next month and the Delta Air Lines LaGuardia Airport water taxi, which made its last run in December.
Quote
RELATIVE COSTS [to LaGuardia]
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Sunday, June 27, 1999, 12:00 AM A A A
Way to Go: Subway Price: $1.50 (to JFK or LaGuardia) Way to Go: Bus Olympia Trails, (212) 964-6233 Price: Manhattan to Newark, $10 New York Airport Service (formerly Carey Bus Service), (718) 706-9658 Price: Manhattan to JFK, $13 (students $6, seniors $4) Manhattan to LaGuardia, $10 (students $6, seniors $3) LIRR Jamaica Station to either JFK or LaGuardia, $5 Way to Go: Delta Water Shuttle 800-53FERRY (800-533-3779) Price: $15 one way, $25 round-trip. Weekdays only, and only between LaGuardia's Marine Air Terminal and three sites in Manhattan Way to Go: Taxi to/ from Manhattan JFK, about $45 LaGuardia, about $17 Newark, about $35 Way to Go: Safeway Car Service (718) 336-1010 Price from sample location (34th St. and Second Ave., Manhattan): JFK, $25 plus tolls Newark, $28 plus tolls LaGuardia, $20 plus tolls Way to Go: AAA Classic Limo (212) 717-5466 Price from sample location (34th St. and Second Ave., Manhattan): JFK, $104 Newark, $104 LaGuardia, $85 Way to Go: Helicopter Provider: Helicopter Flight Services, (212) 355-0801 Price: $595 (to any of the three major airports) Way to Go: Hitchhiking Price: Dangerous, possibly illegal, but free.
Quote
Delta Jettisons The Best Shuttle Service Afloat
By Ken Ringle February 8, 2001
Talk about air rage! In one of the sneakiest corporate maneuvers in recent times, Delta Air Lines has quietly discontinued the Delta Water Shuttle, thereby scuttling one of the major reasons for flying Delta to New York.
Or maybe for flying to New York at all.
The $15 water taxi ($25 round trip), which sped commuters up and down the East River in 30 minutes between Wall Street and the old Pan Am seaplane terminal at LaGuardia Airport, was one of New York's best-kept secrets and most sybaritic bargains -- a highly civilized waterborne alternative to the jolting kamikaze taxi rides for which Fun City has long been famous.
Operating in one form or another since 1987, it ran hourly from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays, connecting passengers in the most painless way possible with Delta Shuttle flights to and from Boston and Washington, with Manhattan stops at 34th and 62nd streets. Its dock at LaGuardia was just steps from the flight ramp, and boasted a terminal entrance beneath the same decorative frieze of flying fish that greeted the fabled Pan Am Clipper in the 1930s and '40s.
Few journeys were more satisfying than exiting Manhattan by water shuttle on summer afternoons, rumbling northward on the sparkling water beneath bridges clogged with honking, frustrated drivers. It was a half-hour time-out from the urban rat race -- a commute so calming it felt stolen and vaguely illegal. And from the water, whether one was leaving or arriving, the Apple's skyscrapers looked as magical as they're supposed to in songs and old movies. The water shuttle made you want to be a part of it, just like Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli. Even if you hate bagels and Rudy Giuliani.
And now all that's gone! Stolen! Downsized!
Murdered?
"We were unable to reach agreement with our service provider," said a spokesman for Delta, which inherited the water shuttle when it took over the Pan Am shuttle 10 years ago. While deftly sidestepping any statement that the water shuttle was axed as a cost-cutting measure, she noted that only 2 percent of the air shuttle's passengers used the water service each year.
The spokesman conceded that no cancellation announcement was ever made to the press, but said signs noting the demise have been in place in Boston, Washington and New York airports since service halted Dec. 29.
"We are always looking to provide the best service for our passengers," said Delta spokesman Helen O'Dell.
Fuggedaboutit, says Pat Smith, a spokesman for NY Waterway, which has run the water shuttle operation since 1997. To Smith, the water shuttle died for one reason and one reason only: "Delta chose not to continue the service."
Quote
Old Jan 2, 01, 6:22 pm #1
bdschobel
Moderator: Marriott Rewards forum & Travel with Children
LGA Water Shuttle
The Water Shuttle between LGA and Manhattan shut down, apparently permanently, on December 29. It was a good way to avoid New York's ghastly traffic but obviously did not get enough ridership. They tried lowering the price but that didn't work, so they shut down.
Quote
COMPREHENSIVE CITYWIDE FERRY STUDY
2013
Final Report
LaGuardia Airport Model
Background
A privately-operated ferry service to LaGuardia Airport operated from 1988 to 2000.
This service, connecting ferry terminals at Pier 11 and East 34th Street in Manhattan
with the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport, was sponsored by Delta Airlines and
was marketed as the “Delta Water Shuttle” to provide a connection to Delta’s flights
to Washington D.C. and Boston. Since the service was sponsored solely to support
flights leaving from the Marine Air Terminal (Terminal A), connections to other
terminals were not marketed. In interviews with ferry operators familiar with the
service, it was described as a “nice service”, “consistent” for customers, but one that
“lost money” for the operator as well as for Delta, which provided a fuel subsidy for
their sponsorship.
http://www.nycedc.com/sites/default/files/filemanager/Resources/Studies/2013_Citywide_Ferry_Study/Citywide_Ferry_Study_-_Final_Report.pdf
Quote
Delta Jettisons The Best Shuttle Service Afloat
By Ken Ringle February 8, 2001
Talk about air rage! In one of the sneakiest corporate maneuvers in recent times, Delta Air Lines has quietly discontinued the Delta Water Shuttle, thereby scuttling one of the major reasons for flying Delta to New York.
Or maybe for flying to New York at all.
The $15 water taxi ($25 round trip), which sped commuters up and down the East River in 30 minutes between Wall Street and the old Pan Am seaplane terminal at LaGuardia Airport, was one of New York's best-kept secrets and most sybaritic bargains -- a highly civilized waterborne alternative to the jolting kamikaze taxi rides for which Fun City has long been famous.
Operating in one form or another since 1987, it ran hourly from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays, connecting passengers in the most painless way possible with Delta Shuttle flights to and from Boston and Washington, with Manhattan stops at 34th and 62nd streets. Its dock at LaGuardia was just steps from the flight ramp, and boasted a terminal entrance beneath the same decorative frieze of flying fish that greeted the fabled Pan Am Clipper in the 1930s and '40s.
Few journeys were more satisfying than exiting Manhattan by water shuttle on summer afternoons, rumbling northward on the sparkling water beneath bridges clogged with honking, frustrated drivers. It was a half-hour time-out from the urban rat race -- a commute so calming it felt stolen and vaguely illegal. And from the water, whether one was leaving or arriving, the Apple's skyscrapers looked as magical as they're supposed to in songs and old movies. The water shuttle made you want to be a part of it, just like Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli. Even if you hate bagels and Rudy Giuliani.
And now all that's gone! Stolen! Downsized!
Murdered?
"We were unable to reach agreement with our service provider," said a spokesman for Delta, which inherited the water shuttle when it took over the Pan Am shuttle 10 years ago. While deftly sidestepping any statement that the water shuttle was axed as a cost-cutting measure, she noted that only 2 percent of the air shuttle's passengers used the water service each year.
The spokesman conceded that no cancellation announcement was ever made to the press, but said signs noting the demise have been in place in Boston, Washington and New York airports since service halted Dec. 29.
"We are always looking to provide the best service for our passengers," said Delta spokesman Helen O'Dell.
Fuggedaboutit, says Pat Smith, a spokesman for NY Waterway, which has run the water shuttle operation since 1997. To Smith, the water shuttle died for one reason and one reason only: "Delta chose not to continue the service."
Quote
LaGuardia Airport Model
Background
A privately-operated ferry service to LaGuardia Airport operated from 1988 to 2000.
This service, connecting ferry terminals at Pier 11 and East 34th Street in Manhattan
with the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport, was sponsored by Delta Airlines and
was marketed as the “Delta Water Shuttle” to provide a connection to Delta’s flights
to Washington D.C. and Boston. Since the service was sponsored solely to support
flights leaving from the Marine Air Terminal (Terminal A), connections to other
terminals were not marketed. In interviews with ferry operators familiar with the
service, it was described as a “nice service”, “consistent” for customers, but one that
“lost money” for the operator as well as for Delta, which provided a fuel subsidy for
their sponsorship.
Quote
In serving LaGuardia Airport by ferry, an hourly service and a service every 30 minutes
have been discussed over the years. The prior defunct ferry service to LaGuardia
Airport was an hourly service. A service every half hour has been proposed in the past
but never implemented. Two vessels would be needed to provide an hourly service.
To provide a more attractive service every 30 minutes, four vessels would be needed.
This makes a service every half hour twice the operational cost of an hourly service.
The prior Delta Water Shuttle, at one time during its 12-year run, operated on a split
schedule with a morning service of 6am to 10am and an afternoon service of 3pm to
7pm. This schedule was likely timed with the Delta shuttle service, which had a
morning peak and afternoon peak for a Washington D.C. - New York City – Boston
travel market. However, in attempting to serve the whole LaGuardia Airport market
which offers 1,000 daily landings and take-offs to destinations nationwide as well as
Canada and the Caribbean, there are not the same morning and afternoon peaks.
Therefore, an analysis for a split service is not presented below.
Quote
- The likely reason for the failure of the prior ferry service was insufficient market
reach to other LaGuardia Airport terminals. The Terminal A market was
inadequate to support two vessels with hourly service. An inter-terminal
connection was never promoted with the ferry service, as it was sponsored by one
airline as an added amenity to its aviation shuttle services located in Terminal A.
- For a LaGuardia Airport ferry service to be viable, it must be combined with an
attractive and efficient inter-terminal bus connection to attract and serve riders.