Is US ready?

gilbertguy

Senior
Aug 29, 2002
368
0
The talk is that AA will announce a reduction of service in STL....will US take advantage of this to ''push'' Westward?
 
Are you kidding? When was the last time US took advantage of anything, except it''s employees. We are only geared up to be taken advantage of by the competition. It was a nice thought anyway...
 
Doubt it, US has given lots of marketshare to the competition due to very poor decisions in downsizing - just look at ORF, BWI, BOS.
 
----------------
On 7/10/2003 8:45:24 PM USHenry wrote:

Doubt it, US has given lots of marketshare to the competition due to very poor decisions in downsizing - just look at ORF, BWI, BOS.

----------------​

You forgot SAN,ONT, BUR, SFO, OAK, LAS, PHX, SEA and PDX which they gave away to AWA and Alaska. They spent a ton of money to buy PSA and then gave it away. Nice move management!!!!!
 
Don''t forget to throw PVD & ISP in the mix too....I''m sure there are some I forgot..OH YEA, RDU & GSO...
 
----------------
On 7/10/2003 9:39:40 PM wings396 wrote:

Don''t forget to throw PVD & ISP in the mix too....I''m sure there are some I forgot..OH YEA, RDU & GSO...

----------------​
...and DAY, CVG, SYR, EWR, SDF...
 
Bob,

Not having seen the article, can''t comment on it, but Southwest pricing is far superior for the last minute traveler and the business traveler - just try an empirical test using the web.

US tariffs are still in the mode of "let''s gouge the business traveler, why, because we can".
 
----------------
On 7/11/2003 4:18:50 PM wings396 wrote:

----------------

On 7/11/2003 4:03:24 PM Upsgnr wrote:


Bob,


Not having seen the article, can''t comment on it, but Southwest pricing is far superior for the last minute traveler and the business traveler - just try an empirical test using the web.


US tariffs are still in the mode of "let''s gouge the business traveler, why, because we can".


----------------​

That''s kind of like "Lets gouge the Employees" because we can too.

----------------​

That''s actually a good example, the only choice any of of have is if we have a choice.

Business travelers have a choice today, in some markets, to fly on Air Tran, Southwest, ATA, Jet Blue. The US product is just not that superior to justify the gouging that the old stick-it-to-the business traveler pricing model was based on.
 
2 comments here:

1) U lost CA to Southwest. Period. AWA? Alaska? No, it was LUV.
2) U went from a very high cost (12cents) to a high CASM (10cents). Last I heard they expected to get it down to 9.5 cents or so, which is still 20% higher than LUV at 7.5. So U has a ways to go before they can compete successfully head to head with LUV, IMO.

Besides, I expect AA will stay in all the major markets... look at history... They no longer operate hubs RDU, BNA, nor SJC. Yet they still fly (although recently downgraded to Eagle) RDU-BOS, BNA-LGA, and SJC-LAX. Point being, just because they give up the hub, doesn''t mean they give up the big markets... So if AA pulls out of STL-CID, and U wants to go for it, fine have at it. If AA does scale back STL (and at this point, its still an if), does U really want to go against AA on STL-LGA/BOS/LAX/SFO/etc? Especially with all the AA Frequent Flyers in STL? I would have to think that if U thought they could compete with AA on STL-LGA, they would already be doing it.
 
----------------
On 7/11/2003 4:03:24 PM Upsgnr wrote:

Bob,

Not having seen the article, can''t comment on it, but Southwest pricing is far superior for the last minute traveler and the business traveler - just try an empirical test using the web.

US tariffs are still in the mode of "let''s gouge the business traveler, why, because we can".

----------------​
That''s kind of like "Lets gouge the Employees" because we can too.
 
----------------
On 7/11/2003 4:32:13 PM Upsgnr wrote:

The US product is just not that superior to justify the gouging that the old stick-it-to-the business traveler pricing model was based on.


----------------​
The US product is I believe superior but I see a trend toward an airline that offers little service and only a space on the plane. As far as the "gouging of the business traveler" I can see your point. Like Art in ISP says "it''s the fares stupid"