Delta's Song readying New York expansion = = = = Tuesday November 18, 3:43 PM EST = By Julie MacIntosh NEW YORK, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The skies over New York could turn a bit gre= ener next year. Delta Air Lines Inc.'s (DAL) lower-cost offshoot, Song, plans to signific= antly expand in the New York City area next year, bringing more of its li= me-green airplanes directly into the operational heart of New York-based = rival JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU). Song already flies out of all three New York metro area airports, mainly = to leisure destinations in Florida. Because Song operates as a unit of No. 3 U.S. airline Delta, it can use g= ates and flight slots already held by Delta, which has cut back on flight= frequencies to survive the travel slump along with the rest of the indus= try. John Selvaggio, Song's president, said at an appearance on Tuesday in New= York that Song's new service out of the area would run to the western an= d southern United States. He would not provide additional information, ex= cept to say he felt there was still untapped New York passenger capacity = to reach. = JetBlue, the groundbreaking low-cost carrier that lures travelers with le= ather seats and live television, has been in continuous expansion mode si= nce its birth more than three years ago, and it ordered 65 Airbus airplan= es with an option for 50 more back in April. Selvaggio, who launched an array of barbs at JetBlue in his speech, said = the number of seats filled on Song's flights has averaged in the 70 perce= nt range since Song's mid-April launch. He was happy with that load factor given Song's youth, but hoped it would= hit the low 80-percent range within a year. Song does not break out its results separately from Delta's, citing gover= nment regulation, but Selvaggio said the unit is "doing well enough that = it says we're going to continue on." Selvaggio said in a recent interview that Song was looking to take on mor= e Boeing 757 aircraft from its parent to expand its fleet, which currentl= y sits at 36 jets. = =A92003 Reuters Limited. = Roger EWROPS