More Competition

[flyJOE]

I live in Kings Mountain Cleveland county (20 minutes West of Gastonia) & I'd never drive to Greenville for lowerfares. If you're looking for cheap airfares - Go with Airtran out of Charlotte. I mean... Is it really worth driving down there when AirTran is in Charlotte?

Absolutely agree! I live in the Charlotte metro area. For my business travels, I would never travel down to GSP. AirTran fares are usually matched by US. There are not many places that you could take Southwest with a connection from GSP that you couldn't get to on AirTran from CLT via either ATL or BWI. Again, most likely being able to get a similar AirTran fare on US. I would most likely eat up my savings with mileage reimbursement or rental car expenses.

Now for personal travel, you can't say never, but it has to be an unbelievable fare to consider a 1.5-2 hour drive each way, with the added cost of gas at close to $3 a gallon (for now).

 

[CLTBWIDAYSYR]

I live in Kings Mountain Cleveland county (20 minutes West of Gastonia) & I'd never drive to Greenville for lowerfares. If you're looking for cheap airfares - Go with Airtran out of Charlotte. I mean... Is it really worth driving down there when AirTran is in Charlotte?

Neither would I, but I'm just saying traditionally, this is the classic WN m.o. They hit smaller cities that are adjacent to larger ones to draw leisure travelers from those markets. It's straight out of their playbook.

 

[SS255]

Now for personal travel, you can't say never, but it has to be an unbelievable fare to consider a 1.5-2 hour drive each way, with the added cost of gas at close to $3 a gallon (for now).

Nor would I. But a family of 5 might. And that's what WN's counting on.

 

[flyJOE]

Nor would I. But a family of 5 might. And that's what WN's counting on.

Absolutely... I would also consider making the drive for a big savings, but WN needs more than that to be successful in GSP. They will definitely get some family vacationers making the drive down 85. I would think WN's GSP operation will be built on the business travel from area companies like BMW, Michelin, Hubbell and not the potential travel from the CLT or Northern ATL areas. I would say we could expect an initial launch of about 8-10 flights, to the usual suspects, BWI, MDW, BNA, and a leisure spot or two such as MCO, TPA, or LAS.

 

[Travelpro72]

As mentioned, this is exactly how WN operates. Their history speaks for itself. Look at cities like BDL and MHT. Who would have thought they'd land in Boston. Look at ISP. Who would have thought they'd land in LGA. The list goes on and on. It's just a matter of time before they land in CLT. Obviously as time goes by less markets are left to explore. US willl NOT keep WN from entering CLT when they are ready. When they're ready I can see them taking an express gate if they have to.

 

[flybynite]

As mentioned, this is exactly how WN operates. Their history speaks for itself. Look at cities like BDL and MHT. Who would have thought they'd land in Boston. Look at ISP. Who would have thought they'd land in LGA. The list goes on and on. It's just a matter of time before they land in CLT. Obviously as time goes by less markets are left to explore. US willl NOT keep WN from entering CLT when they are ready. When they're ready I can see them taking an express gate if they have to.

They have had their eye on CLT for a long time. Their CEO was here a few years ago, wining and dining the business leaders and the city council ( belly shots and all ) in an attempt to pry loose tax exemptions. If Jerry Orr had anything to do with it, they'd be here already. However, it seems our city council have been very cautious about this because USAirways is one of the largest employers in the area (who are registered voters) and the Banking Industry wants to maintain their international flying without having to connect from ATL , PHL or JFK.

 

[Travelpro72]

Regardless, WN will enter a US hub like CLT simply because they can. WN loves nothing more than to give US "the ugly girl" a few more grey hairs. 😉 They have entered many a market with important industries and other airlines hubs or focus cities should I say. Just a matter of time.