Reliable service delivery key to Delta Air Lines success — Managing Director
The Managing Director, International and Speciality Sales, Delta Air Lines, Rob LeBel, has attributed its two decades of operations in the country to strong engagement with the Ghanaian community, reliable service delivery and strategic connectivity between Accra and major destinations in the United States.
He said the company's operations in Ghana had been built around maintaining passenger trust through safe, timely and dependable services.
Mr LeBel added that the company was also ensuring that travellers were able to connect easily from New York and Atlanta to other parts of the United States where large Ghanaian communities reside.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic to mark the launch of the 20th anniversary of the airline, he said approximately half of the passenger traffic on its Accra route was linked to New York, making the city one of its most important gateways for Ghanaian travellers.
Beyond New York, he said the company had deliberately structured its schedules to allow convenient onward connections to destinations such as Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio, all of which had sizeable Ghanaian populations.
Mr LeBel also indicated that increasing demand during the December-January festive season informed its decision to introduce additional seasonal flights between Accra and Atlanta, explaining that the period recorded a sharp rise in travel by Ghanaians and Ghanaian-Americans visiting family and friends.
Connectivity strategy
Speaking on Delta’s operational strategy in Ghana, Mr LeBel explained that the company’s success in the market had depended largely on understanding the travel needs of the Ghanaian community and aligning its services accordingly.
He said Delta had maintained a strong relationship with the community over the years to "ensure that passengers associate the airline with safety, reliability and comfort.
“Our motto is safe, clean, on time and with bags,” the official said, adding that customer confidence remained central to the airline’s operations in Ghana.
He said that beyond transporting passengers between Accra and New York, the airline had focused on building seamless connections to other cities across the United States.
According to him, the airline schedules its arrivals in New York in such a way that passengers are able to connect to other destinations within a few hours.
vResponding to concerns over the airline’s transition from evening arrivals to morning arrivals at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Mr LeBel said the decision was based on balancing operational efficiency with passenger convenience.
He explained that although longer ground times for aircraft in Ghana could create different scheduling opportunities, they would also significantly increase operational costs.
“As an airline, you have to operate efficiently and maximise the use of your aircraft because the more the aircraft operates, the more return on investment you generate,” he stated.
He said Delta considered the current turnaround arrangement the best compromise because it still enabled passengers to access onward connections while ensuring the sustainability of the route.
