lisbon,milan,& stockholm.

[ItsNotThatSerious]

Hasn't U tried for approval for MXP service before? I wonder if we will get approval this time?

 

[sharkstooth]

I spoke to someone who was very involved in fleet planning and resources, and they absolutely had plans for it.

It is a job for any corporation to have, on hand, up-to-date continguency plans for any scenario. I would suspect they also have/had plans for Ch 7 as well as plans for 747 expansion.

So, just because a corporation has plans for a plan of action is not and should never be construed as an indicator they will implement such a procedure, ever.

It continues to amaze me how ignorant our employees, especially union officials and electees (can we say, ALPA?), are, about basic corporate policies and procedures.

 

[ITRADE]

Umm....you're forgeting plan B from the early 2000-2001 years...

An the plan was more than a contingency plan.

 

[ringmaruf]

guys let's not get too excited. remember i said that " i hope this was true" until there is a press release then i still have my 5% doubt that this will happen. but it looks like it's 95% true. but i still gotta see the press release. no press release ,no truth ,still a rumor.

Waiting for the press release? Then I guess US isn't flying BOS-PUJ or PIT-MBJ or CLT-GUA or FLL-MBJ or PIT-SCE/ITH/BGM/ELM or a few others. There were never any press releases, after all. 😛 😉

I'd wait until they're uploaded into the schedules, seems a safer bet with this management.

 

[ringmaruf]

Hasn't U tried for approval for MXP service before? I wonder if we will get approval this time?

Yes, US did try for PHL-MXP and was denied, but that was before the U.S. and Italy had open skies. Now, there are basically no restrictions on who can fly between the two countries. In fact, US Airways already holds broad U.S.-Italy authority and broad U.S.-Portugal authority. They don't have U.S.-Sweden authority yet, though there's an application pending, and I'm sure it would be fast-tracked should they want to use it; it's nothing more than a formality.

Code-sharing with TP and SK, on the other hand, would require lengthy applications that would take on the order of 3 months to get approved, and that's not counting the time it would take for US and TP and/or US and SK to come to and draw up an agreement before submitting it to the DOT. Approval would be certain, though; it's just that the codeshare benefits might not be available at the very start of the service.

The codeshare will be important, though; since US serves a more diverse network of European cities than UA does, it can codeshare with Star partners that UA can't have huge partnerships with since it doesn't serve their cities, like Spanair at MAD, and now perhaps TAP at LIS and SAS at ARN.

BRU was halted because of light loads according to my sources.

Well, yes, but as ITRADE mentioned, the light loads were caused in large part by the demise of SABENA, with whom US had a partnership back in the day. With SABENA, the route was marginal; without them, that was the final nail in the coffin, since US can't afford to use its limited widebody fleet on marginal destinations. I could see a 757 going to BRU at some point, though.

Oh, and as for my thoughts on what equipment will operate the new service, I'd imagine that LIS and ARN will get 757s, and that MXP will get a 762, freed up by sending the third 757 to SNN. MXP would probably be year-round, perhaps with a decreased frequency in the winter, since it's more business-oriented than US's other seasonal destinations. And we've all heard the rumors about year-round Ireland service just about since the day the seasonal service was announced. 😉

One final thought...

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that the second it's announced that US/East is getting more planes, the West AFA MEC is going to start sending out nasty e-lines and letters talking about how the evil East is stealing flying that should somehow "rightfully" be theirs in their poor self-pitying brand of logic, because of "all they've been through". :unsure:

(No, I'm not picking on HP line f/a's, just the MEC, so go bark at someone else.)

 

[ItsNotThatSerious]

Yes, US did try for PHL-MXP and was denied, but that was before the U.S. and Italy had open skies. Now, there are basically no restrictions on who can fly between the two countries. In fact, US Airways already holds broad U.S.-Italy authority and broad U.S.-Portugal authority. They don't have U.S.-Sweden authority yet, though there's an application pending, and I'm sure it would be fast-tracked should they want to use it; it's nothing more than a formality.

Code-sharing with TP and SK, on the other hand, would require lengthy applications that would take on the order of 3 months to get approved, and that's not counting the time it would take for US and TP and/or US and SK to come to and draw up an agreement before submitting it to the DOT. Approval would be certain, though; it's just that the codeshare benefits might not be available at the very start of the service.

The codeshare will be important, though; since US serves a more diverse network of European cities than UA does, it can codeshare with Star partners that UA can't have huge partnerships with since it doesn't serve their cities, like Spanair at MAD, and now perhaps TAP at LIS and SAS at ARN.
Well, yes, but as ITRADE mentioned, the light loads were caused in large part by the demise of SABENA, with whom US had a partnership back in the day. With SABENA, the route was marginal; without them, that was the final nail in the coffin, since US can't afford to use its limited widebody fleet on marginal destinations. I could see a 757 going to BRU at some point, though.

Oh, and as for my thoughts on what equipment will operate the new service, I'd imagine that LIS and ARN will get 757s, and that MXP will get a 762, freed up by sending the third 757 to SNN. MXP would probably be year-round, perhaps with a decreased frequency in the winter, since it's more business-oriented than US's other seasonal destinations. And we've all heard the rumors about year-round Ireland service just about since the day the seasonal service was announced. 😉

One final thought...

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that the second it's announced that US/East is getting more planes, the West AFA MEC is going to start sending out nasty e-lines and letters talking about how the evil East is stealing flying that should somehow "rightfully" be theirs in their poor self-pitying brand of logic, because of "all they've been through". :unsure:

(No, I'm not picking on HP line f/a's, just the MEC, so go bark at someone else.)

I'm sure they will!!!

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Well, if its the 757 going to Europe, the good news for the F/A's is maybe those trips will go junior! Not enough room for our "widebody" F/A's to fit down the aisle of a narrow body A/C! Couldn't resist! 😛

Ooooo, you're gooonnaaa get it nowwwww...oooooo. Keep it up and you're gonna get smacked with a broomstick.

The only reason the company is considering the new flights is to get the three open gates on PHL A concourse to keep Southwest from getting more gates. Apparently, Southwest wanted Delta moved over the A so they could get additional gates. Delta said they would move to A, but the company said, whoa Nelly, we'll add three International flights and take the gates. So, it's gonna happen and 757s look like the aircraft du jour.

 

[Whatnow?]

Ooooo, you're gooonnaaa get it nowwwww...oooooo. Keep it up and you're gonna get smacked with a broomstick.

I already have gotten it from them......It's time for most of them to park their broomsticks in the hangar. 😀

 

[ClueByFour]

Continental and American seem to be doing well with the 757 on long-thin European routes.

BOS-LHR is not exactly long or thin. BOS-UK is only what, a 5 hour flight?

 

[ITRADE]

About as long as SFO-PHL....

 

[Travelpro72]

The f/a agreement just reached states that us-west gets up to two int'l flights daily. Maybe the PHX f/a's will be getting these. I hope all this is true.

 

[luvthe9]

What planes are they going to use?

There are no spare widebody aircraft to use, especially with seasonal services starting up again.

Just a rumor in ground school 20 white tail A-330-200s till the 350s show up , 76s would be gone

 

[rjh]

There is no more Envoy Class...the minds in Tempe, AZ call is Business Class now. From what I know they are going to make them as similar as possible to our current 757/767 fleet. The "rumor" is true....the managers in PHL are making so bones about spreading the word.

Who really cares what it's called??

 

[ringmaruf]

The only reason the company is considering the new flights is to get the three open gates on PHL A concourse to keep Southwest from getting more gates. Apparently, Southwest wanted Delta moved over the A so they could get additional gates. Delta said they would move to A, but the company said, whoa Nelly, we'll add three International flights and take the gates. So, it's gonna happen and 757s look like the aircraft du jour.

I've said it before, and I'll repeat it. It's amazing how PHL sticks airlines like F9 and JM in A-West, and now is probably going to put DL there (whether US adds these flights or not, I'll bet money DL will be moving to A), when there's not enough room for US as it is, and US already has to still use gates in A-East. They're only the biggest tenant by far, paying scads of rent, and bringing in almost all of the international customers, yet they can't even get all of the gates in their brand new international terminal, and are stuck operating out of the crummy old one. And of course the terminal was built ready for expansion, but no talk of that, unlike at airports like CLT that actually give a damn about the airline that pays the airport's bills. Leave it to PHL...

BOS-LHR is not exactly long or thin. BOS-UK is only what, a 5 hour flight?

Er, BOS-LHR is not exactly operated with a 757 by AA or anyone else. AA currently has 2x 772 on the route. You're confusing it with either the seasonal BOS-MAN or BOS-SNN.

The f/a agreement just reached states that us-west gets up to two int'l flights daily. Maybe the PHX f/a's will be getting these. I hope all this is true.

So exactly how many Italian, Portuguese, and Swedish LOD/O's does HP have in PHX? 😛

 

[rjh]

The f/a agreement just reached states that us-west gets up to two int'l flights daily. Maybe the PHX f/a's will be getting these. I hope all this is true.

That's doubtful, because our current ETOPS certification only allows us to fly over the Pacific, not the Atlantic.