If labor costs are lowered and the new business plan kicks in, I look for major MAINLINE downsizing at the CLT and PHL hubs and the elimination of the PIT hub.
Traditional hub-and-spoke carriers like U must adopt a lower-cost business model to compete with the influx of low-cost carriers that are aggressively taking market. Today's hub-and-spoke model was originally developed in the late 1970s to provide passengers quick and convenient connections through hub cities. The market is now mature enough that you don't need to design your operational structure around the connecting passenger. The local traffic to and from traditional hubs (focus cities) is so large that you can afford to adopt much more efficient point-to-point operating procedures and still provide connections as a by-product of the system. Hub-and-spoke carriers must change now or continue losing share to low-cost competitors.
Usairways is small enough to make the changes faster than any other hub-and-spoke carrier. What this means is fewer mainline flights in CLT, PHL and more direct mainline flights out of LGA, BOS, DCA, IAD, BWI, TPA, MCO, MIA, ATL to cities like RIC, ORF, CHS, GSO, BUF, ALB, PVB, BDL. I think you will see the feed for CLT and PHL's long haul service come from some mainline but mostly RJ's.
Traditional hub-and-spoke carriers like U must adopt a lower-cost business model to compete with the influx of low-cost carriers that are aggressively taking market. Today's hub-and-spoke model was originally developed in the late 1970s to provide passengers quick and convenient connections through hub cities. The market is now mature enough that you don't need to design your operational structure around the connecting passenger. The local traffic to and from traditional hubs (focus cities) is so large that you can afford to adopt much more efficient point-to-point operating procedures and still provide connections as a by-product of the system. Hub-and-spoke carriers must change now or continue losing share to low-cost competitors.
Usairways is small enough to make the changes faster than any other hub-and-spoke carrier. What this means is fewer mainline flights in CLT, PHL and more direct mainline flights out of LGA, BOS, DCA, IAD, BWI, TPA, MCO, MIA, ATL to cities like RIC, ORF, CHS, GSO, BUF, ALB, PVB, BDL. I think you will see the feed for CLT and PHL's long haul service come from some mainline but mostly RJ's.