Bear96 & DLflyer31:
Bear96 said: "If UA pulls out of a city, it is doom and gloom, an example of how terribly UA is doing, mismanagement and another bone-headed decision by Glenn, indecision, no plan, UA can't compete, how The End Is Near, etc...."
Chip asks: Bear96, with all due respect, can you show me where I made the statement above?
Dlflyer31 said: "Chip (or should I say Pollyanna), that's a very naive way of looking at it. While I'm sure there are a few business that might want to beef up their accounts, most just want to get to their destination quickly and conveniently. US is no longer offering that. Why fly MDT-PIT-DEN-SNA, when you can fly MDT-ORD-SNA or either AA or UA? Your routing requires a double connection..something most people would rather avoid. More connections just means more running through terminals, more chances of delays/misconnects and more chances of baggage being lost. Sorry, but US will not keep most of the SNA traffic. It will shift to other airlines who are more convenient."
Chip comments: DL, I fully understand the double connect issue, but that doesn’t seem to stop WN passengers who routinely double or even triple connect to travel across the country.
My point is there are a number of reasons that go into a decision to serve a particular market and load factor is not an accurate indicator of profitability. From a corporate perspective, not locally effected employees, the airline continues to fly the same amount of mainline block hours and is re-deploying assets into markets that management believes have higher margins. Isn’t that good management if it’s successful?
In regard to SNA, airport operating costs, landing fees, weight restrictions, noise abatement issues, the CWA/Fleet Service contract provisions, and the alliance all were fundamental factors that effected the decision to leave the market. But, what’s to say US won’t re-enter the market in the future in one form or another?
The bottom line is any airline must be profitable and there is often more information behind a decision that the front line employee does not access to, which could make perfect sense.
Best regards,
Chip