MDT loses mainline service

[wings396]

This is the part of the puzzle/business that most consumers and uninformed employees DO NOT UNDERSTAND. FULL flights do not necessarily equate to PROFITABLE cities. It all comes down to YIELD.....what are they paying in relation to what does it cost to operate the segment. Yield Management is rather tricky. Southwest tends to flood a market with high frequencies to certain destinations but I am sure not all of their flights bring in much revenue, it just keeps the competition from being able to fight them in the trenches). Rather than completely pull down service, (Mainline as opposed to regional Partners), it seems like the best thing the legacy carriers SHOULD do in places like MDT, BTV, TUS etc is offer 2-3 Mainline jet flights and suppliment with 2-3 regional flights to keep a presence in these markets.JMO

Based on some factual information that came out of CCY, the ABE-PIT market at one time had one of the highest yeilds on the system. Please keep in mind that I am going back into the early 90's with this, but either way it is sad to see how far the ABE station and market have gone downhill..

 

[BuffaloJoe]

This is a trend everywhere. In PIT, AA no longer flies there. It's all American Eagle. Imagine flying to DFW in a wind-up jet. The other legacy airlines have almost as many wind-up jets. The less seats there are, the more they are worth (at least theoretically).

PIT-DFW is about 2 1/2 -3 Hour flight. Who would want to be stuck in a RJ for that long. I'll take them, but no longer than 90 minutes.

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

Harrisburg gets 3 pages on this board. Amazing.

 

[john john]

My..are we the little drama queen today. <_<

If you call being outsourced drama you should try it sometime and see what reality is really like and how the process and hardships all come about.

 

[wings396]

Harrisburg gets 3 pages on this board. Amazing.

At least it is a new topic that covers something other than the Pilot group and their woes....There are other workgroups here on the property you know. While they are crying over those on furlough getting screwed, there are many that have been screwed more than they can imagine already...

 

[AstroLounge]

Harrisburg gets 3 pages on this board. Amazing.

What is amazing is that Marketing would even contemplate downsizing in MDT. Almost every flight is heavily booked, it is the State Capital and is capable of drawing from a wide region.If it comes to booking an RJ to a hub on any carrier, more than likely the locals will choose to drive the distance to BWI and fly Southworst.(The legacy carriers seem intent on helping SW every chance they can).

 

[BuffaloJoe]

What is amazing is that Marketing would even contemplate downsizing in MDT. Almost every flight is heavily booked, it is the State Capital and is capable of drawing from a wide region.If it comes to booking an RJ to a hub on any carrier, more than likely the locals will choose to drive the distance to BWI and fly Southworst.(The legacy carriers seem intent on helping SW every chance they can).

I don't think that US likes to fly out of New Terminal's. Or better said, The Other tennents in the new terminals don't want their value to go down with US around. It depreciates their concept.


Don't Worry, It was just a joke!

 

[SS255]

Harrisburg gets 3 pages on this board. Amazing.

Harrisburg may not be the most exciting city US services, but I think this 3-page thread is indicative of what is so very wrong with US: I think it makes a strong statement when a city like MDT (a state capital, no less) is reduced to an all-express station. MDT is like a poster child for all of the former US strongholds which have been stripped down to virtually nothing.

The revenue management folks will argue ad nauseum that there is not enough of a customer base to support mainline flights, when in reality the customers are leaving in droves because of a combination of ridiculous pricing structures and crappy service. And this extends to ABE and AVP, as well: 3 airports in a state where US once had 2 hubs (OK...now one hub and a "focus city"....and they can't even cobble together enough customers to support mainline flights. That's truly pathetic. I don't know what the opposite of "If you build it, they will come" is....perhaps "If you destroy it, they will go"??

 

[wings396]

Excellent reply to this topic. I feel the same exact way, as there have been many stations dismantled over the years. It just so happens that MDT is the one brought to light in this topic, but ABE, AVP, and many others have gone the same route. :down:
Just a few years ago, ABE was filling up 737-400's to CLT, MCO, and PIT. As of this month the PIT market has been abandoned altogether following 40 years of service. While I can understand the PIT market given the fact that PIT no longer is a Hub, CLT and MCO still puzzle me. A local airport that draws people from the boundries of PHL, EWR, RDG, and AVP has and can support Mainline service if scheduled properly with competitive fares. Being that I have sat back and watched dozens of similar stations go by the wayside over the years, I can relate all too well to the MDT situation at hand. This company has lost more passengers and marketshare in small stations than they realize. A good portion of the ABE traffic has been lost to CO at EWR, but I guess who really needs all of those pesky passengers anyway. This discussion started about one city, but relates to many around the system.

 

[BuffaloJoe]

Excellent reply to this topic. I feel the same exact way, as there have been many stations dismantled over the years. It just so happens that MDT is the one brought to light in this topic, but ABE, AVP, and many others have gone the same route. :down:
Just a few years ago, ABE was filling up 737-400's to CLT, MCO, and PIT. As of this month the PIT market has been abandoned altogether following 40 years of service. While I can understand the PIT market given the fact that PIT no longer is a Hub, CLT and MCO still puzzle me. A local airport that draws people from the boundries of PHL, EWR, RDG, and AVP has and can support Mainline service if scheduled properly with competitive fares. Being that I have sat back and watched dozens of similar stations go by the wayside over the years, I can relate all too well to the MDT situation at hand. This company has lost more passengers and marketshare in small stations than they realize. A good portion of the ABE traffic has been lost to CO at EWR, but I guess who really needs all of those pesky passengers anyway. This discussion started about one city, but relates to many around the system.

I personally believe it is US' goal to have an ALL RJ Domestic fleet and fly Mainline internationally. The few domestic mainlines will be for certain few routes.

 

[SS255]

This company has lost more passengers and marketshare in small stations than they realize. A good portion of the ABE traffic has been lost to CO at EWR, but I guess who really needs all of those pesky passengers anyway. This discussion started about one city, but relates to many around the system.

This is what I have seen happen at AVP over the past 5 or 6 years:

US charges an exorbitant premium to fly out of AVP. People with some semblance of loyalty (i.e. lots of US miles and no other frequent flyer accounts) who otherwise would be willing to pay a modest premium to fly out of a small local airport begin driving to PHL to fly on US.

US sees the passenger loads out of AVP drop, assumes there is "no market," and slowly pick off the mainline flights to PIT and PHL.

The pax who have been driving to PHL to fly nonstop on US discover a world of possibilities on other airlines, further negating the possibility that they will choose US during those times when prices temporarily drop for all airlines out of AVP.

US sees the passenger loads out of AVP continue to drop, assumes there still is "no market," and continues to pick off the mainline flights.

The no-longer-loyal former customers who have now discovered CO begin driving to EWR for nonstops on an airline with better service.

US sees the passenger loads out of AVP continue their downward spiral, assumes there is still no market, cancels all mainline service out of AVP, cancels service to PIT out of AVP, and forces most connections through PHL.

Repeat process at ABE and MDT.

The reality is that the past few years have seen DL, UA and NW penetrate the AVP market as US's service has decreased commensurately. Obviously there is a market for reasonable premiums over nonstop flights from hub airports, and CO, DL, UA & NW are penetrating it. Now when I fly to AVP and people ask me what airline I flew, almost inevitably the reaction is "Oh, I refuse to fly them anymore."

 

[Bear96]

If it comes to booking an RJ to a hub on any carrier, more than likely the locals will choose to drive the distance to BWI and fly Southworst.

Hate to break it to you, but the locals have been doing that for years.

 

[Bear96]

Harrisburg may not be the most exciting city US services, but I think this 3-page thread is indicative of what is so very wrong with US: I think it makes a strong statement when a city like MDT (a state capital, no less) is reduced to an all-express station.

Woo-hoo! A state capital!

So Madison, WI; Tallahassee, FL; Augusta, ME; Pierre, SD; Springfield, IL; Sacramento, CA; Baton Rouge, LA; Lansing, MI; Jefferson City, MO; Helena, MT; Santa Fe, NM; Juneau, AK and Salem, OR, (etc.) all have mainline service?

 

[Travels2mch]

I personally believe it is US' goal to have an ALL RJ Domestic fleet and fly Mainline internationally. The few domestic mainlines will be for certain few routes.

I thought the same thing too.....but wouldn't it take a lot more of the RJ's to feed the big boys going international?

 

[Bear96]

A local airport that draws people from the boundries of PHL, EWR, RDG, and AVP has and can support Mainline service if scheduled properly with competitive fares.

If "competitive" to you = money-losing to LCC, then LCC is better off pulling out.