How About MIA As A Focus City?

[traderjake]

PI (Piedmont, a very successful airline that was modeled very simular to SWA) had a very successful hub at MIA and AAA (USAIR) dismantled it back in the very late 80's, you know when you were still in primary school and I was actually flying for this airline. The void was filled by AMR, just like voids at California, BWI, Long Island were filled by SWA, etc, etc.

What planet do you live on?

American's Miami hub to South America filled the void left when PI's Florida Shuttle was dismantled?

SWA filled the BWI void? I guess you now believe SWA is filling the PHL void.

 

[AstroLounge]

What planet do you live on?

American's Miami hub to South America filled the void left when PI's Florida Shuttle was dismantled?

SWA filled the BWI void? I guess you now believe SWA is filling the PHL void.

Piedmont was VERY BIG in MIA in the 1980's.......just behind Eastern (who was based there). It wasn't until Eastern went in the tank that AA came into all those routes to the Caribbean and The America's (roughly 1990-91). MIA was a crew base for PI and The Florida Shuttle (intraFLA service) was very profitable for the airline.......that Cool Northern Management of US <CCY> dismantled the FLA Operation, and ultimately DIDN'T show any interest in the Eastern assets. This is FACT........NOT Speculation or Hearsay.

 

[BoeingBoy]

The difference is that PI, and initially US after the merger, never used MIA as a hub for Caribbean/LA/SA operations while AA initiated their MIA hub for precisely those ops. If AA filled a void, it was the one left by Eastern's demise, not the dismantling of the Florida Shuttle.

Jim

 

[AstroLounge]

The difference is that PI, and initially US after the merger, never used MIA as a hub for Caribbean/LA/SA operations while AA initiated their MIA hub for precisely those ops. If AA filled a void, it was the one left by Eastern's demise, not the dismantling of the Florida Shuttle.

Jim

Exactly My point.............US may have had the service at MIA but never really operated MIA as a Hub or showed ANY interest in developing one there. AA made a good move into MIA that will be very hard for ANY carrier to combat. AA filled the void of Eastern and eventually what Pan Am/United walked away from. (I only pointed out the FLA Shuttle because SWA wasted little time in going into those intr FLA routes that other airlines didn't seem necessary to their route system).

 

[Coffee_Tea_Or_Me]

Before US expands and builds focus cities, it should probably fix its own problems and learn how to fly what they currently offer instead of pi$$ing off a serious competitor like AA.

 

[flyJOE]

Exactly My point.............US may have had the service at MIA but never really operated MIA as a Hub or showed ANY interest in developing one there. AA made a good move into MIA that will be very hard for ANY carrier to combat. AA filled the void of Eastern and eventually what Pan Am/United walked away from. (I only pointed out the FLA Shuttle because SWA wasted little time in going into those intr FLA routes that other airlines didn't seem necessary to their route system).

The USAir of the early 90s wasn't at all setup or ready to do anything internationally. Remember, before the PI merger, the extent of US' int'l ops was to YYZ, YUL, YXU, and YHM. The only time a US aircraft crossed a body of water of any size was on the ERI-YYZ and BUF-YYZ flights.

Things changed a little bit with PI, but US jumping in and filling the huge void to Central & South America left by Eastern would likely have been the equivalent of a smaller regional carrier based in the southwest picking up the ops. of a larger airline with a decent amount of int'l flights to Europe & the Caribbean, but still trying to run it like the southwest based company. It would have been real ugly. Wow, that really sounds familiar?