US Airways, In Surprise Filing, Seeks DCA-SFO Nonstops

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chipmunn

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[BR][FONT face=Times New Roman size=3][STRONG]US Airways, In Surprise Filing, Seeks DCA-SFO Nonstops[/STRONG][/FONT][BR][BR][FONT face=Times New Roman size=3]WASHINGTON (Aviation Daily) - US Airways yesterday recast its bid for two beyond-perimter slots at Washington National Airport, now seeking to serve DCA-San Francisco. And it would provide a wide array of beyond-SFO feed with its new alliance partner, providing network benefits sought by DOT. US Airways would not code share with United under restrictions on Washington-areea services under their alliance approval.[/FONT][BR][BR][FONT face=Times New Roman size=3]Several carriers applied for the slots in advance of DOT establishing a slot exemption proceeding - including United, which, like American, applied for DCA-Los Angeles nonstops. Delta wants Salt LAke City nonstops. US Airways noted that American, Delta and United all serve their requested points from the Washington area. [/FONT][BR][BR][FONT face=Times New Roman size=3]The two highly coveted slots - 12 are available for six daily nonstop roundtrips beyond 1,250-mile perimeter at DCA - are up for grabs because National Airlines will not be able to restart service that was interrupted as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks.[/FONT]
 
[P]
[BLOCKQUOTE][BR]----------------[BR]On 10/18/2002 12:37:20 PM DLFlyer31 wrote:
[P]There's nothing stopping US from launching BWI-SFO or IAD-SFO.  Or if all else fails, just dump people on UA's WAS-SFO flights....that is after all why US started the alliance.[BR][BR]I think Alaska has the best bid with DCA-LAX.  If not them, I say give FRNT the other slot so that they can run DCA-DEN twice daily.[/P]----------------[/BLOCKQUOTE]
[P]This argument could apply equally to any airline. AA could easily fly BWI-LAX or IAD-SFO. In fact, AA already flies IAD-LAX.[/P]
[P]I think the two winning candidates will be either US's DCA-SFO or DL's DCA-SLC.[/P]
[P] [/P]
 
I think it is a smart move to change the slot request to SFO. The LAS request didn't stand a chance.

However, I still don't think US is the best candidate for the slot. Why should the gov't provide a slot to connect two alliance partners hubs? UA is the dominant carrier at SFO and US is dominant at DCA, so why should the gov't encourage further domination in this market segment?

There's nothing stopping US from launching BWI-SFO or IAD-SFO. Or if all else fails, just dump people on UA's WAS-SFO flights....that is after all why US started the alliance.

I think Alaska has the best bid with DCA-LAX. If not them, I say give FRNT the other slot so that they can run DCA-DEN twice daily.
 
[P][FONT face=Times New Roman size=3]DLFlyer 31, the BWI-LAX market has a RASM of 2.4 cents. Southwest can have it.[/FONT][/P]
[P][FONT face=Times New Roman size=3]Chip[/FONT][/P]
 
This is a very good idea as SFO-WAS has some of the highest O&D fares in the country, higher than LAX-WAS.

However, the purpose of Air 21 is to let carriers get access to DCA that don't have access or have limited access.

US has more slots than anyone.

It gives them a better chance that before but they still aren't going to win the slots with Alaska applying LAX-DCA and F9 applying DEN-DCA.
 
[P]I understand the purpose of the AIR-21 initiative. I also understand that one tenet of the initiative was to ensure connectivity on at least one, if not two, ends.[/P]
[P]To pick apart applications, AS's DCA-LAX is viable but doesn't present nearly as many connections as would AA or UA out of LAX, UA out of SFO, or DL out of SLC.[/P]
 
ALK could feed AA s ops. in LAX.Could AA ALK code share be in the works?
 
Hmm. Didn't US have BWI-SFO in the past? I think was Ben B. meant to say was that we dont' want to take on LUV out of BWI to LAX or OAK, so we need this slot(s) at DCA. Does anybody really think that giving this slot to US will result in better fares? No. And, fares aside, this flies in the face of what Air 21 tries to do.

As for UA's great route network ex-SFO and the codeshare--have you thought about what you would need to do to connect from US to UA at SFO? Not quite LHR-esque, but pretty close. I suppose if US moved in with UA at SFO, this would not be a problem. A pretty big if (I wonder if US still owns/stuck with most of those gates from the old PSA days).

Alaska should one slot DCA-LAX. You can get a perfectly good AA codeshare/partner flight from there on up the coast. US, already being the largest slotholder at DCA and the incumbent carrier for all intents and purposes should not get the other.
 
Alaska has connectivity with its American Eagle codeshare, among other possible connections.

They have 2 DCA slots. US has how many? Does US deserve any more? No.

If connectivity is an issue why did TWA win LAX slots originally?

And what does having connectivity on the DCA end accomplish, besides giving passengers in a handful of communities an extra hub to connect through on their was to LAX.
 
This SFO filing is a bit like pulling a rabbit out of the hat for US. You'll always have the folks in DCA on US's side here (note: ATSB money involved), and now you get the California Senators Boxer and Feinstein (both from Northern California, Feinstein former mayor of SFO). Also makes for easy one stop connections to other major cities out west with political pull like Sacramento, Portland, Eugene, etc. SFO is on the list of cities that US is looking at moving ops within the airport to make better connections with United. A friend of mine made the current connection about a week ago, and he said it was about a ten minute currently.
 
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On 10/18/2002 5:16:13 PM whlinder wrote:

Alaska has connectivity with its American Eagle codeshare, among other possible connections.

They have 2 DCA slots. US has how many? Does US deserve any more? No.

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U and UAL have beyond perimeter slots? Didn't know that. It'll be nice when the government finally quits playing the Robin Hood game and lets the companies that would give the greatest benefit to the CONSUMER have the slots. It's especially tacky now as they take from the cash strapped airlines and give to the ones with money
 
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On 10/18/2002 6:08:54 PM Busdrvr wrote:
U and UAL have "beyond perimeter" slots? Didn't know that.

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The issue is about access to DCA. UA and US have access. Lots of it. Smaller carriers from the western half of the country do not. That is what this legislation is about.


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[blockquote]
It'll be nice when the government finally quits playing the Robin Hood game and lets the companies that would give the greatest benefit to the CONSUMER have the slots.
[/blockquote]
ROTMLAO! Did you actually write this with a straight face? UA and US won't benefit the consumer one bit if awarded a DCA beyond perimeter slot, aside from giving them an extra airport to fly into. Would they force fares down? Would they increase competition? No. With them it is about keeping the competition away from their precious monopoly/duopoly routes.

[blockquote]
It's especially tacky now as they take from the cash strapped airlines and give to the ones with money
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[/blockquote]

Why should the consumer be punished because you are cash-strapped?
 
A few points:

-- TWA got the slot exemptions because of fierce help from Missouri politicos. And they were quite the sympathy case, the 75-year-old flag carrier now struggling for its life.

-- Depite its own sad-sack pleas, U has more access to DCA than anyone. I laughed out loud when U claimed in its press release to be a new entrant carrier. For a definition from the DOT on what that means, see the following link:

http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/pdf1a/194784_web.pdf

-- IMO, the only carriers that have a real shot at these are AWA, ALK and FRNT. AWA is sticking to LAS-DCA, which has superior connecting capabilities to ALK's LAX-DCA or FRNT's DEN-DCA. LAX, of course, has the ability of serving more people.

To me, ALK's LAX application looks like a moneygrab, as ALK itself has few connections from LAX. But it could work.

If I had to handicap who gets the slot exemptions, I'd say AWA has a 44 percent chance, ALK has a 35 percent chance, FRNT has a 20 percent chance, and everyone else together is at 1 percent. Just my opinion, though.
 
My order(biggest chance to least chance:

-F9(Only hub is more than 1250 miles away)
-AS(Not many connections on either side, second SEA might have been better)
-HP(Already have 3 beyond perimeter slots, I think that some politicians/airlines would be POed if HP had 2/3 of the 'coveted' slots.
-AA(Big political pull)
-US(Struggling airline, which slots were meant for)
-other.