More Airline Cuts Ahead ? (Post Gazette 9/13)

[burghlaw1]

Here is my spin on this issue: They cannot justify point-to-point flying from PIT under a hub-and-spoke model. Either PIT is a hub, or PIT is a city that will have only direct access to hubs.

I do not believe them when they say that PIT is unprofitable. If that is the case, they might as well shut down the operation and go away. How is it they can compete with LUV in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Philadelphia, but not in Pittsburgh? For those routes where US has the only direct service (and there are still a number of them), there is no reason for the routes not to be profitable. It's all posturing for the next wave of cuts

As to whether PIT can be a hub, I agree with JimmyNeutron when he says "Funny how all of the other majors manage to run mid-size hubs in mid size markets----including US in CLT----"

 

[Jimmy Neutron]

The St. Pete news was on the local news last night, but the websites I checked didn't list the PIT information. Thanks for the link.

More missed opportunities...(sigh).

I wish DoUgIe would cough up hard data to prove his PIT unprofitability statements.

Too bad for us Prince that we end up with shortsighted management teams over and over and over-----Truth is Dougweiser needs to go and needs to go soon---

 

[Jimmy Neutron]

Here is my spin on this issue: They cannot justify point-to-point flying from PIT under a hub-and-spoke model. Either PIT is a hub, or PIT is a city that will have only direct access to hubs.

I do not believe them when they say that PIT is unprofitable. If that is the case, they might as well shut down the operation and go away. How is it they can compete with LUV in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Philadelphia, but not in Pittsburgh? For those routes where US has the only direct service (and there are still a number of them), there is no reason for the routes not to be profitable. It's all posturing for the next wave of cuts

As to whether PIT can be a hub, I agree with JimmyNeutron when he says "Funny how all of the other majors manage to run mid-size hubs in mid size markets----including US in CLT----"

And I see that we do have another smart person on this thread-----Thanks Burghlaw1----

 

[Travelpro72]

And perhaps a small item you neglected to mention--DAL fortress hub.

Oh please this is the same airline that flew all RJ's until recently out of it's "Crown Jewel" to ATL.

 

[leprechaun]

Yes Leprechaun---and so will be the entire airline once your boy Dougweiser gets done with it---Correct me if I'm wrong you are AWA right?

Is that the best you got? If you read you know thats not true, just like everytime I see you out here, your whinning about PIT.

 

[Jimmy Neutron]

Is that the best you got? If you read you know thats not true, just like everytime I see you out here, your whinning about PIT.

Too bad for you that when all of the 20 and 25+ year people in PIT start flowing into your station-----you will be the one whining when we take your shift and job right out from underneath you because we all know you don't have anywhere near the seniority we do-----We will be the ones laughing as we watch you fall down the seniority ladder---

Oh and you need to learn how to spell too......

 

[leprechaun]

Heh heh, sorry dude, I'd be senior, and you couldn't afford to live here anyway.

 

[Jimmy Neutron]

Heh heh, sorry dude, I'd be senior, and you couldn't afford to live here anyway.

I highly doubt that for we all know that AWA has only been in existence since what 1983----huh!

 

[Elevation]

How is it they can compete with LUV in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Philadelphia, but not in Pittsburgh? For those routes where US has the only direct service (and there are still a number of them), there is no reason for the routes not to be profitable.

There's not enough people with enough money who want to travel in or out of PIT. Look at STL,IND,MCI,BNA,CMH and even CVG to a certain extent, mostly are RJ's that used to have a big Mainline presence. The only saving grace was some of the big companies in PIT but it 's probably isn't enough profit to make the margins Mainline should be making therefore RJ's.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

There's not enough people with enough money who want to travel in or out of PIT. Look at STL,IND,MCI,BNA,CMH and even CVG to a certain extent, mostly are RJ's that used to have a big Mainline presence. The only saving grace was some of the big companies in PIT but it 's probably isn't enough profit to make the margins Mainline should be making therefore RJ's.

Elevation,

All of the big companies in PIT - U.S. Steel, Heinz, PPG, FreeMarkets, Bayer, Mellon Bank, Marconi, Westinghouse, UPMC, etc... have LEFT US Airways for LACK of service out of PIT. Most are using connecting flights on Northwest through Detroit and United through Chicago. To be fair this all started before "DoUgIe" came along. That being said, new managements LCC vision did nothing to try and patch up these once lucrative corporate arrangements. Whatever...

Later,
Eye

 

[leprechaun]

I highly doubt that for we all know that AWA has only been in existence since what 1983----huh!

Weak. I'm senior to you Jimmy, get over it. You'd never leave PIT because you'd have to move out of your moms' house.


No AWA here in beantown fool!

 

[burghlaw1]

There's not enough people with enough money who want to travel in or out of PIT. Look at STL,IND,MCI,BNA,CMH and even CVG to a certain extent, mostly are RJ's that used to have a big Mainline presence. The only saving grace was some of the big companies in PIT but it 's probably isn't enough profit to make the margins Mainline should be making therefore RJ's.

All airlines are using rjs as a means to reduce capacity. But with all respect, US cuts have been of express flying and mainline. At this point, there isn't much more mainline to cut. And, if what you say is true, other airlines wouldn't be expanding at PIT as they have been to pick up the slack. This isn't about swapping rjs for mainline. Practically every US plane goes in and out full because they have cut capacity so much, and yet you think all of the passengers are paying bargain basement fares (because there is not enough money in Pittsburgh)? I don't think so. There is plenty of money to be had in PIT for those that have the ability to compete.

 

[burghlaw1]

And I see that we do have another smart person on this thread-----Thanks Burghlaw1----

And thanks for that vote of confidence, Jimmy!

 

[EyeInTheSky]

It's getting uglier...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07257/817556-100.stm

US Airways' traffic falls steeply at airport
Friday, September 14, 2007

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It would be an exaggeration to say the Steelers-themed jet unveiled this week by US Airways may soon be the airline's only plane flying out of Pittsburgh International.

But statistics announced today indicate that demand for US Airways flights has fallen sharply.

At the Allegheny County Airport Authority meeting, officials reported that US Airways, which for decades has been the dominant Pittsburgh carrier, saw its share of total airport traffic decrease to 38.9 percent last month. That's a drop of 26.1 percent compared to last August.

The airline handled 343,065 passengers.

The gap is being filled by the airline's lower-cost competitors. Ten of the other 11 that serve Pittsburgh International saw increases in passengers.

That was led by Southwest, which carried more than 30,000 more passengers in August, compared to August 2006. That represented a 28.5 percent increase. Southwest handled 15.5 percent of all airport traffic last month.

 

[leprechaun]

Not much press outside of PIT, wonder why?

:rant: Oh I remember, cause NOBODY cares!