U.S. Scope Clause ‘Relief’ a Double-Edged Sword
A new proposed scope clause at Delta Air Lines would cut Delta Connection capacity by 60 percent.
The Delta Connection carriers now fly 153 seventy-six-seat jets, mainly Bombardier CRJ900s.
The Delta Connection carriers now fly 153 seventy-six-seat jets, mainly Bombardier CRJ900s.

Scope clause revisions at Delta Air Lines and elsewhere in the U.S. could spell relief for regional jet manufacturers such as Bombardier and Embraer, both of whose commercial aircraft businesses have suffered through a long period of sluggish sales in North America and now face the likely prospect of an extended slump in recession-plagued Europe. But the proposed new scope clauses, particularly at Delta, would result in the grounding of hundreds of 50-seat regional jets, undoubtedly driving down their values to new depths and, in the end, cutting total capacity among the airline’s regional affiliates.