Airtran To Ric

[airport]

AirTran is supposed to announce service to RIC today with flights to ATL, PHL, and MCO.

With so many business travelers, I gotta think PHL-RIC has got to be one of the higher-yield routes on the US system....at least for now.

 

[Oliver Twist]

AirTran is supposed to announce service to RIC today with flights to ATL, PHL, and MCO.

With so many business travelers, I gotta think PHL-RIC has got to be one of the higher-yield routes on the US system....at least for now.

[post="261235"][/post]​

I can tell you this, my brother, who works the SE region for a PHL based company is drooling waiting for such a move. He routinely drives to RDU to fly to PHL and saves big buck over flying RIC-PHL. The amount he saves including driving and parking fees, pays for his hotel in PHL. It's that big a difference.

I see the real problem as this, if reasonable fares were charged from cities like RIC to begin with, perhaps the $29.00 loose your rear end fare from RDU to PHL would not exist, the horrible future of legacy carriers may have been a bit brighter. The stampede of the LCC's would not have been a stampede afterall. You simply can't make money for long robbing one city to throw it away in another. Either you fix the disparity, or the disparity fixes you!

 

[airport]

The interesting thing is that Airtran served RIC about 5 or 6 years ago. The market continued to fly US and DL at the Airtran fares...so Airtran bailed after less than a year. I wonder what will happen this time?

 

[RICflyer]

As someone who lives in Richmond this announce is BIG news. I think people will fly Airtran this time because they fly new 717 & 737 planes. Last time AirTran flew to RIC they flew old DC9s and their customer service was bad.

Also as US flies more and more rjs into RIC people are willing to change to another airline.

I am pulling for US but RIC needed lower fares and I wish US could have brought them here but they did not.

 

[Bus Driver]

I live near RIC.

My recollection is that Air Tran flew here before the Valu-Jet merger with just a few flights to MCO.

It didn't work.

Now, it is a whole different market, a whole different ball game, so to speak. And Air Tran is a whole new airline since then.

In Feb, DAL passed US as the number 1 carrier with its new fare structure. They increased market share by increasing the market, rather than stealing the loads from the competition. says alot.

The high fares that gouge the customer don't work.

US MGT needs to figure out life, but they can't.

Bus Driver

 

[AgMedallion]

The high fares that gouge the customer don't work.
US MGT needs to figure out life, but they can't.

[post="261383"][/post]​

US had been prospering on monopoly or near monopoly fares for many years. Exorbitant short haul East Coast routes with little or no competition. That's been changing little by little for the past 10-15 years. Places like RIC were/are among the last holdouts. Even US's fortresses like PHL are being attacked by WN. WN made them cut their BWI ops drastically. There's even LCCs at DCA. This move into RIC (LONG overdue) by an LCC is just one more nail, albeit small, in US's cofin. RIC will finally see lower airfares. Perhaps I won't have to drive to ORF, IAD or DCA in search of lower fares in the future. I had reserved RIC for award flights because their normal fares are outrageous in comparison to the other airports I mentioned.

 

[javaboy]

I can tell you this, my brother, who works the SE region for a PHL based company is drooling waiting for such a move. He routinely drives to RDU to fly to PHL and saves big buck over flying RIC-PHL. The amount he saves including driving and parking fees, pays for his hotel in PHL. It's that big a difference.

I see the real problem as this, if reasonable fares were charged from cities like RIC to begin with, perhaps the $29.00 loose your rear end fare from RDU to PHL would not exist, the horrible future of legacy carriers may have been a bit brighter. The stampede of the LCC's would not have been a stampede afterall. You simply can't make money for long robbing one city to throw it away in another. Either you fix the disparity, or the disparity fixes you!

[post="261237"][/post]​

just wondering if it takes what about 3hrs to drive RIC to RDU, park arrive 1hr before (cutting it close to get parked and thru security) plus the 1 hr 20 min block time and call it 30 mins to get off/out and bag to curb in PHL that means total time is about what 6hrs of total time...coudnt you just drive RIC to PHL in 6?

 

[airport]

just wondering if it takes what about 3hrs to drive RIC to RDU, park arrive 1hr before (cutting it close to get parked and thru security) plus the 1 hr 20 min block time and call it 30 mins to get off/out and bag to curb in PHL that means total time is about what 6hrs of total time...coudnt you just drive RIC to PHL in 6?

[post="261768"][/post]​

Excellent point!

 

[coolflyingfool]

I think that AAI can make a go of it this time in RIC. AAI has new planes and better service now. Their pockets are a little bit better lined and passengers are less loyal to their old legacy carriers. Just my thoughts.........

 

[RICflyer]

I think that AAI can make a go of it this time in RIC. AAI has new planes and better service now. Their pockets are a little bit better lined and passengers are less loyal to thir old legacy carriers. Just my thoughts.........

[post="261791"][/post]​

I think coolflyingfool has it right. As someone who lives in Richmond I think it well be different for AirTran this time.

By the way Valujet never flew to RIC, Airtran flew from RIC to MCO, before the meger with Valujet, after the meger they increased service to include 3 flights a day to ATL then left RIC to focus more on PHF (Newport News) where they fly to ATL, MCO, BOS, LGA and TPA

 

[airport]

Delta has responded to AirTran going into RIC by announcing additional nonstops from ORF & RIC to MCO, TPA, FLL, BOS, & ATL. The battle is on.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Feel free to provide evidence to the contrary, but I don't believe AirTran has become a significant player in any medium to small city where Delta has decided to fight back.

 

[DLFlyer31]

Feel free to provide evidence to the contrary, but I don't believe AirTran has become a significant player in any medium to small city where Delta has decided to fight back.

[post="273571"][/post]​

I would argue that PHF fits the bill. When FL first started service to PHF, DL didn't even bother serving PHF.

As FL grew stronger, DL decided to react launching 3x daily RJ service. That service increased with DL adding more and more RJ's. Last year, DL added RJ service to CVG and this past winter DL introduced a daily mainline flight to PHF.

Despite all of DL's growth at PHF, Airtran has continued to grow and is the largest carrier at PHF with service to BOS, LGA, ATL and MCO....all using 717's.

 

[lowfareair]

I would argue that PHF fits the bill. When FL first started service to PHF, DL didn't even bother serving PHF.

As FL grew stronger, DL decided to react launching 3x daily RJ service. That service increased with DL adding more and more RJ's. Last year, DL added RJ service to CVG and this past winter DL introduced a daily mainline flight to PHF.

Despite all of DL's growth at PHF, Airtran has continued to grow and is the largest carrier at PHF with service to BOS, LGA, ATL and MCO....all using 717's.

[post="273613"][/post]​

Add CAK to that list as well... Delta tried adding flights there, but so far AirTran has them beat out on daily seats with an average of over 1400 seats/day compared to Delta with 880 and no mainline. AirTran also has added flights at DFW as DL pulled the hhub down. MDW has grown a bit, and would have grown more if FL purchased ATA.

How do you define 'signifigant' WorldTraveler? Most of the cities where FL/DL compete that fit the 'small/medium' bill wouldn't support more than several flights to the hub and maybe one to Orlando with the 717 AirTran flies.

 

[RICflyer]

Ok, I took a big step yesterday and bought a ticket on Airtran from RIC to ATL. I saved about $100 over DL and about $50 over US. So I will give FL a chance!!!

By the way Ukrops, the largest supermarket in Richmond has BIG ads on all of its grocery bags for Airtran, starting service to RIC on June 23.