More Flight Cuts

[700UW]

US Airways flight cuts keep coming at Pittsburgh International
San Diego, Seattle head list of US Airways flights to be eliminated in August
Wednesday, May 25, 2005

By Dan Fitzpatrick and Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

US Airways plans to eliminate 15 more nonstop flights out of Pittsburgh International Airport in August, including routes to San Diego and Seattle.

Click for Story

 

[hp_fa]

This is a shame. I have been working the LAS-PIT night flight quite a bit of late and I have nothing but nice thoughts about that airport. I would love to see that airport utilized more so that the taxpayers don't take a bath and so a truly nice airport can survive and thrive.

I have also taken a liking to downtown Pittsburgh and my usual eating establishment, Jimmy John's. Hey, my per diem goes farther there. Even better, maybe Pitbull will have a late lunch with me on one of the three days I will be there!

 

[USA320Pilot]

Hp_fa:

It’s my understanding that there will be more flights between the East and West coast hubs, but some of the point-to-point flights between PHL, PIT, and CLT to the West Coast cities and some of the point-to-point flight between PHX and LAS and East Coast cities will be pulled down.

The idea is to provide more connecting opportunities, higher load factors, and better yields. Transcontinental flights are hyper-competitive and have some of the worst, if not the worst yields in the business.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[RowUnderDCA]

isn't this another high cost solution to low revenue?

 

[usair_begins_with_u]

Interesting.. the plan is to abandon the point to point stuff for more hub and spoke flying?

Does anyone know why wN has been profitable for the last 20 years?

 

[Reservation Agent]

Sounds to me like less people connecting at an efficient, clean and passenger friendly airport like Pittsburgh means more congestion at Phil and Charlotte hubs...

 

[TechBoy]

Sounds to me like less people connecting at an efficient, clean and passenger friendly airport like Pittsburgh means more congestion at Phil and Charlotte hubs...

[post="272913"][/post]​

Nope. It means that they will be flying United instead.

 

[ClueByFour]

It’s my understanding that there will be more flights between the East and West coast hubs, but some of the point-to-point flights between PHL, PIT, and CLT to the West Coast cities and some of the point-to-point flight between PHX and LAS and East Coast cities will be pulled down.

The idea is to provide more connecting opportunities, higher load factors, and better yields. Transcontinental flights are hyper-competitive and have some of the worst, if not the worst yields in the business.

[post="272874"][/post]​

So, point to point flights are going to be pulled down. Take a minute to ponder why hub and spoke airlines have failed. Take a moment to ponder how you are going to have a "barbell" without the "bar" in the middle. Take a moment to ponder why one would intentionally create "double connection" options (and how competitive that would be with every other major who will connect you in the midwest). Take a moment to ponder how much lower costs get as stage length increases.

The only "hypercompetitive" transcon markets are out of NYC and BOS. You might as well not even publish a fare from NYC-LAX if you are not willing to beat the B6s and AAs of the world. Nobody will connect if the direct is just as cheap.

 

[funguy2]

I thought flights from the hubs were referred to as "spokes". Thus I cannot imagine point-to-point routes from PHX, LAS, PHL, CLT.

Also, I beleive Parker said that flights from PHL/CLT to the west would focus on local O&D traffic (i.e. making CLT-LAX like a point-to-point flight), and flow traffic to the west (i.e. BOS-LAX) would be flown via PHX and LAS.

 

[N924PS]

Hp_fa:

It’s my understanding that there will be more flights between the East and West coast hubs, but some of the point-to-point flights between PHL, PIT, and CLT to the West Coast cities and some of the point-to-point flight between PHX and LAS and East Coast cities will be pulled down.

The idea is to provide more connecting opportunities, higher load factors, and better yields. Transcontinental flights are hyper-competitive and have some of the worst, if not the worst yields in the business.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

[post="272874"][/post]​

I can only speak for San Diego, but I think you will find that the 6 daily flights from SAN-PHL-CLT-PIT have historically the highest load factors in the system. Sadly, the yields do not match, and as I have been told many times in the past 15 years, "We can't make money on this route, even though the planes are full."

Wait and see. WN will once again fill the void as we vacate.

 

[WestCoastGuy]

As always, when the "talented exec's" at CCY run away from a market such at PIT, WN is waiting in the wings to jump in. They will be highly successful and take even more traffic from US at PIT, and will have a ripple effect across the east coast for US. The one thing US is good at, is giving our customers away on a silver platter.

 

[sfb]

Take a moment to ponder how you are going to have a "barbell" without the "bar" in the middle. Take a moment to ponder why one would intentionally create "double connection" options (and how competitive that would be with every other major who will connect you in the midwest).

This is one of the things which I don't "get" either as part of the sales job for the merger. Cutting the long-haul flying out of the hubs will reduce the connectivity options from the various spokes, and double-connect itineraries simply will not be competitive unless your fares are drastically lower. Why would someone connect twice to go between SJC and GSO, when just about everyone else can get them there with one connection?

The only "hypercompetitive" transcon markets are out of NYC and BOS. You might as well not even publish a fare from NYC-LAX if you are not willing to beat the B6s and AAs of the world. Nobody will connect if the direct is just as cheap.

Exactly. And it's only going to get worse from NYC as Song gets into the act on JFK-LAX/SFO/SEA and from BOS as B6 expands. America West tried the BOS/JFK/IAD-LAX/SFO transcons and got their a$$es handed to them; they're down to one LAX-BOS and two LAX-JFK flights now.

 

[USA320Pilot]

SFB:

There is more to the route network restructuring that has yet to be announced, due to competitive reasons.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[RowUnderDCA]

well, there almost HAS to be another shoe to drop to explain this pull down of transcons. BUT WHAT COULD IT BE?

 

[funguy2]

Perhaps HP management feels good about their ability to connect mid-sized eastern cities to the west coast over PHX/LAS... HP has flown to RDU, CMH, MSY, MEM, BDL for a long time. Perhaps they think they can add flights between PHX/LAS and BUF, GSO, ORF, etc... Thus still a single connection, just at PHX/LAS rather than PHL/CLT? Just speculation on my part.