AA/Eagle Restarting DCA-ATL

[commavia]

5x daily with Republic EMB175s - ATL departures at 0620, 0900, 1135, 1645 and 1935 and DCA departures at 0622, 0852, 1152, 1652 and 1930
 
Large and important O&D market for both the ATL and WAS regions, another addition to AA's DCA operation, and now rounding out the final AA "hub" from ATL (AA will soon have quite the impressive non-hub station at ATL with >50 peak day departures nonstop to nine cities)

 

[FWAAA]

So Parker has re-started/begun service between ATL and both LGA and DCA. That helps fill out the network. With the huge presence at DCA, new AA needs to leverage that strength to attract/retain key corporate customers.

For several years, we've heard that Parker prefers to avoid head-to-head competition, and yet lately, we've seen more and more evidence that he's willing to challenge DL and UA. Has anything changed?

 

[wings396]

I'm going to say that he now has more tools to play with. We knew all along that US was very limited as to what they could do. The equipment was spread thin just for starters. Seemed that there were very few charters and extra sections compared to what they ran years ago.

 

[FWAAA]

Sounds fair; I'll buy that.

 

[WorldTraveler]

US had enough equipment but they did not have the corporate revenue that AA could have. The AA DCA hub has virtually the same amount of slots as US had and US also had a higher percentage of regional jets in its fleet than AA had; there was no lack of equipment. The fare situation at DCA has actually deteriorated since the AA/US merger because of WN and B6' growth. ATL happens to be one of the stronger markets and one where WN has not been able to move share from DL.

It is more significant that WN is reducing ATL-DCA service and restarting IAD - which FL flew and which was cxld. - and that even if AA manages to get enough share to fill its new ATL-DCA flights, they will likely have fares higher than what WN has.

AA might actually help push WN out of the ATL-DCA market which would be better for DL while allowing WN to refocus its DCA slots on other DCA markets which likely have a higher overlap with AA.

 

[FrugalFlyerv2.0]

AA might actually help push WN out of the ATL-DCA market which would be better for DL while allowing WN to refocus its DCA slots on other DCA markets which likely have a higher overlap with AA.

 
Translation: don't you guys get it?  DL always wins!

 

[commavia]

 
Translation: don't you guys get it?  DL always wins!

 
Precisely.  Now you're getting it.
 
Anyway, back here in reality, I highly doubt AA would be driving Southwest out of the ATL-DCA market - if anything I'd guess the other way around - but I think more realistically all three should be able to compete in such a large market.

 

[WorldTraveler]

AA will offer more frequency in a market where WN will be down to a couple flights/day against near hourly service by DL.

In a short haul market, frequency matters.

There are alot of ATL markets where WN has reduced its presence to 1-2 flights/day. They won't cater to the business passenger with that kind of schedule. ATL-DCA is indeed a market where WN could have dropped so low in frequency and the large RJ is a good enough product that AA becomes the #2 carrier while pushing WN out.