Dca Slots.

[TJoe]

This might help Alaska's application.







Transportation's top gun impressed with RNP technology
Posted February 24, 2004

Captain Kim Rackley and First OfficerMarc Henegar took U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta on a joy ride of sorts last Friday to show off Alaska’s new RNP precision guidance technology. 


Mineta flew jumpseat on an Alaska demonstration flight from San Francisco to Palm Springs to see the cutting-edge technology first-hand. The hope is that Mineta’s up close experience will speed approval of RNP for use at more airports, including Palm Springs—where just last Sunday four Alaska aircraft were diverted to Ontario due to low-visibility weather.           


From the sounds of it, Mineta was impressed.


"Seeing RNP in operation showed what a valuable tool it is for improvingaviation safety and expanding capacity," Secretary Mineta said. "Airports that otherwise might be hard to access because of obstacles, difficult terrain or adverse weather conditions are now better able to accommodate more service. I look forward to seeing this technology in use by other carriers at other airports around the nation."


Already approved for use in San Francisco and seven airports in Alaska, RNP, or Required Navigation Performance, uses onboard navigation systems and Global Positioning System Satellites to chart aircraft on a computer-plotted course. The result is pinpoint navigational accuracy. 


Another benefit of RNP is that it permits aircraft to fly more direct routes, thereby cutting flight times and fuel burn. Cutting just 10 miles off one flight over the course of a year can save 3,650 miles per year. Using RNP in Palm Springs would allow aircraft to make a single turn on approach, versus the zigzag flight path currently used.


And for Alaska employees, how was it to have a high-profile celebrity onboard?


“The Secretary seemed very interested in and supportive of RNP,â€￾ said RNP and Aircraft Technology Engineer Kristin Fuson. “He asked great questions and seemed to enjoy watching the procedures from the jumpseat.â€￾ The Secretary even stayed afterward to meet employees and pose for a photo.


“He was particularly impressed to learn that Alaska Airlines had not only pioneered 17 RNP approaches, but that we had also authored detailed engineering procedures on how to do it—all with five people and no budget,â€￾ said Rackely. Rackley noted that Alaska is the world leader in RNP technology and is working in synergy with other airlines and the FAA to standardized RNP for the industry.


Alaska pioneered RNP in 1996, as a way to improve schedule reliability out of Juneau, an airport know for its bad weather conditions and challenging terrain. 


Plans are in the works to introduce RNP to Reagan National in Washington D.C., a challenging approach for pilots due to its location near densely populated neighborhoods and restricted airspace. “Right now the pilots follow the Potomac River for approach. RNP will give us a guided turn, under lower approach minimums, for a much more predictable path,â€￾ said Rackley.

 

[TJoe]

The U.S. Department of Transportation today awarded Alaska Airlines two prized slots at Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport (DCA)—a second daily nonstop from Seattle and the only nonstop service from Los Angeles International Airport. In fact, Alaska will be the only carrier offering nonstop service to Reagan from anywhere in the state of California. The flights are set to commence on June 6 and June 7, respectively. The new Seattle-Reagan slot will be routed to provide same-plane, one-stop service between Fairbanks and DCA.


"This is really an unprecedented victory for us," said Alaska CEO Bill Ayer. "Despite intense competition from around the industry, we effectively have been granted one-third of the new slots being created at Reagan National. Los Angeles is the largest city in the country without nonstop service to Reagan. This will fill a huge void in the nation's transportation network and we're proud to be the carrier to do it. The additional Seattle slot will for the first time give residents of Fairbanks same plane service to the nation’s capital.â€


Nine carriers, counting Alaska, applied for a collective 27 new daily roundtrips at DCA. DOT awarded slots for just six of them. Alaska had applied for four—two each from Seattle and Los Angeles. Called “beyond-the-perimeter slots,†they are highly coveted because Reagan National has a limited number of them available to serve markets more than 1,250 miles away. Moreover, Reagan is just minutes from downtown D.C., making it the region’s preferred airport.


“While the odds of getting more than one new flight were very long, so getting these two additional flights is a huge victory,†said Ayer.


He credited the grassroots efforts of business, community and political leaders throughout the region, as well as the thousands of letters of support received from customers and employees for the success of the airline’s application.


“The competition was intense, but with the support of our employees and people throughout Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and California, we were able to put forth a very compelling case,†Ayer said.


"We're sincerely grateful to House Transportation Committee Chairman Don Young and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens of Alaska and Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Patty Murray of Washington for their tremendous support," Ayer said.


"We also very much appreciate the efforts of Senators Feinstein and Boxer, Reps. Mary Bono and Jane Harman and many other members of the Southern California Congressional delegation who encouraged DOT to open the LAX-DCA link. In addition, Senator Maria Cantwell and Rep. George Nethercutt of Washington and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska as well as the many other members of Congress from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, provided strong support for our application."


Ayer also saluted Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Gary Locke of Washington, Frank Murkowski of Alaska, Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho and Ted Kulongoski of Oregon for their efforts.


Alaska will kick off the new LAX-DCA service with an introductory, 21-day advance purchase fare of $89 each way, when purchased by June 30.


Alaska plans to use 120-seat Boeing 737-700 aircraft on these flights. In hopes of gaining at least one new DCA flight, Alaska’s planning department already had built the necessary aircraft time into the summer schedule. The other will come from drawing down Dulles service from two daily roundtrips to one. With these additions, Alaska will serve the D.C. area with four daily roundtrips, three from Seattle and one from Los Angeles.


Eastbound flights will depart LAX at 12:30 p.m. and arrive in the nation’s capital at 8:31 p.m. Westbound flights depart Reagan at 8:15 a.m., arriving in LAX at 10:50 a.m.


The additional Seattle flight, timed to complement Alaska's existing service to Washington, D.C., will depart Fairbanks at 2:35 a.m. and Seattle at 8:40 a.m., arriving in the nation’s capital at 4:36 p.m. Westbound flights will depart Reagan at 5:30 p.m., arriving in Seattle at 8:08 p.m. and Fairbanks at 11:58 p.m.


All departure times are subject to government approval

 

[Cosmo]

Alaska plans to use 120-seat Boeing 737-700 aircraft on these flights. In hopes of gaining at least one new DCA flight, Alaska’s planning department already had built the necessary aircraft time into the summer schedule. The other will come from drawing down Dulles service from two daily roundtrips to one. With these additions, Alaska will serve the D.C. area with four daily roundtrips, three from Seattle and one from Los Angeles.

So basically there is no additional service by AS in the SEA-Washington market, only the shifting of flights between airports at one end of the route. Big deal! DL did the same thing when it was awarded DCA-SLC authority in 2002, switching an IAD-SLC flight to DCA. If the DOT is going to award additional (and scarce) beyond-perimeter slots at DCA for new service, it should really be for a new service. <_<

 

[whlinder]

Moving an IAD flight to DCA is crap. I'm disappointed in the DOT.

 

[C54Capt]

Congrats. I wouldn't think that AS would need to drop the IAD service though, unless they will be short of aircraft. DCA is a whole new market, you'll see.

 

[mach none]

Congrats. I wouldn't think that AS would need to drop the IAD service though, unless they will be short of aircraft. DCA is a whole new market, you'll see.

We are short of planes and pilots. But then again, we started contract negotiations last month. So the management games have begun.

 

[N305AS]

Moving an IAD flight to DCA is crap. I'm disappointed in the DOT.

C'mon Will - you're just bent that one of the IAD flights will be gone since you fly in and out of there.

MOST people prefer DCA, and since AS doesn't have enough equipment right now to offer 2X daily service to both airports, it makes sense to allocate the assets in a way that makes the most financial sense.

And that means DCA instead of IAD.


Don't fret though - rumor has it that shiny new B-737-800 equipment may soon be on the property, meaning more service to ALL our East Coast markets, including IAD.

 

[whlinder]

C'mon Will - you're just bent that one of the IAD flights will be gone since you fly in and out of there.

Shhhh don't tell anyone. I don't want to drive to DCA to non-rev.


I mean of course DCA makes more sense, but all AS press releases on the matter have referred to flights as additional DC service. Even the website today is advertising "additional" DC service. There is nothing additional about moving a flight from IAD to DCA. Believe me, I love AS, but come on! But if lack of aircraft is the real reason and the daytime to IAD comes back with more planes, then I'll live. But to make up for it, AS better add some LAX-IAD, and not just codeshares on AA!

I will note, however, that DCA service was originally a 900, but after 9/11 did not return to a 900 once the 156 seat rule was lifted. But IAD managed to earn a 900 last summer and this summer until it was moved with the 2nd DCA slot. And I remember in the early days of DC service, with only 1 IAD flight, that frequently the DCA flight would have lower loads than IAD. Perhaps the fares were much higher than IAD and it was still making more money, but I distinctly remember being told by a CSR at SEA that the DCA flight had 40 people on it that day while my IAD flight had over 100. They mentioned how that occurred regularly.

--
What's the deal with the pricing problems on these new flights/schedule changes? It might be smart to tell AA that AS 3/4 will be serving DCA instead of IAD so they stop selling tickets to IAD. And I have hard incredible trouble trying to get the new schedules for WAS and the new DCA-LAX to price. It shouldn't take that long to load those fares.

 

[N305AS]

Speaking of -800s...

Contact: Lou Cancelmi -or- Greg Witter
206/392-5170 206-392-5799

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 6, 2004

ALASKA TO SWAP TWO 737-900 ORDERS FOR
A PAIR OF 737-800S WITH WINGLETS

SEATTLE – Alaska Airlines will exchange two 737-900 aircraft it has on order with Boeing for two 737-800s. The planes are due for delivery in February and July of 2005.

Alaska sought the exchange as its requirements have evolved. Initially, the -800 aircraft will be used primarily in Alaska’s growing transcontinental markets, with its fleet of larger -900s focused on the carrier’s most heavily traveled markets up and down the West Coast.

“The 737-800 offers a nice blend of range and seating capacity, making it a good complement to our other Next-Generation aircraft,†said Gregg Saretsky, Alaska’s executive vice president of marketing and planning. “It’s perfectly suited for long-haul flights because of its range, payload and low unit costs.â€

The 737–800s will be configured with 150 to 160 seats, 16 of them in the first class cabin. The exact number will be determined after an analysis of various seat designs and configuration options.

Alaska’s 737-700s seat 120, its 737-400s seat 138 and its 737-900s seat 172.
Alaska plans to outfit the 737–800s with winglets that reduce fuel burn and extend range. Additional enhancements will include larger bins and four center-aisle pull-down stowage units.

Alaska and The Boeing Co. recently signed a letter agreement to make the switch. The move will reduce Alaska’s capital costs.

Alaska’s fleet currently consists of 108 aircraft – 40 737-400s, 26 MD-80s, 22 737-700s, 12 737-900s and eight 737-200Cs.

 

[Cosmo]

MOST people prefer DCA, ...

That's not really true anymore, at least among the approximately 5.5 million Washington area residents. Keep in mind that only 25-30% of the metro area population lives within the Beltway, the natural catchment area for DCA. For most of the remaining 70-75% of the Washington area population (and that's around 3.5-4.0 million people), IAD or BWI are considerably more convenient.

And even within the Beltway, those people who live under the DCA flight paths (which is a lot of people since DCA is in the middle of the Washington area) at not at all happy to have to deal with the added noise from additional flights landing or taking off at DCA.

Moreover, for business travelers coming to the Washington area, a substantial number of them are not going to downtown Washington or the close-in Virginia suburbs that are most convenient to DCA. For instance, there is more office space in the "Dulles Corridor" (which runs roughly 14 miles from Tysons Corner, next to the Beltway, along the airport access road to IAD) than in all of downtown Seattle, measured by square footage. This corridor is home to many defense contractors as well as numerous high-tech companies.

... and since AS doesn't have enough equipment right now to offer 2X daily service to both airports, it makes sense to allocate the assets in a way that makes the most financial sense.

And that means DCA instead of IAD.

Well, duh! It's called a monopoly market, with no possibility for any competitor to enter. For nonstop service to SEA, AS has DCA all to itself while it has to compete with UA at IAD. Perhaps this explains why the average local SEA-DCA fare for AS was $258.27 while the carrier's average local SEA-IAD fare was only $209.33 (in both cases, based on DOT's O&D data for the year ended September 30, 2003). Stated another way, AS passengers paid a yield of about 9¢ to fly 2,306 miles from SEA to IAD, but paid an 11¢ yield to fly 2,329 miles from SEA to DCA, meaning those last 23 miles cost over $2 per mile. Some bargain, huh? Why would a passenger pay a premium of almost 25% unless they lived or were destined within a few miles of DCA? The bottom line is that the only stakeholders truly benefitting from more long-haul flights at DCA are the members of Congress from western (beyond-perimeter) states -- after all, they wrote the law creating these additional DCA slots and the rules for their distribution -- and the airlines that have hubs or focus cities there.

Listen, I believe AS when they say that they have an equipment shortage. But IMHO it's misleading at best to talk about "new" service to Washington when all that will happen is a change in the Washington area airport used for the additional DCA flight. And incidentally, has it occurred to anyone else that when AS' press release talked about planning for only one new DCA flight in their summer 2004 schedule, that really meant AS was completely surprised by, and was clearly not expecting, the award of slots for nonstop DCA-LAX service?