WN's PIT Plans

zethya

Veteran
Mar 23, 2006
624
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I think this should put to bed what WN REALLY has planned for PIT, which is significantly less than predicted and surely not a competitive concern to US. Also note in Parker's letter to Specter, he states the $40M shortfall publicly and to a key member of the Senate.

"Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said today the Dallas-based low-cost carrier "will probably" add as many as two additional flights a day in Pittsburgh next year as US Airways retrenches.
He also dismissed rumors that Southwest could add more than 60 new flights, saying in a conference call with reporters that "we don't have plans to do anything of that magnitude. I don't think any of us know how large an operation we might operate."......"

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07291/826499-100.stm

"US Airways Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker contacted Pennsylvania's two U.S. senators this week to address their concerns about the airline's decision to pull another 40 daily flights from Pittsburgh in January, eliminate 450 local jobs and shut down its 500-person Pittsburgh pilot-and-flight attendant crew base......."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07291/826513-100.stm
 
I was bashed for saying that PIT doesn't have the demographics to support 62+ new WN flights in 1 year....told that it could support that number of flights "to be sure" and was accused of "naively" supporting management for saying that.

I defended that stance by saying that a net reduction of 9 mainline flights does not mean a new unmet demand of 60 737s, and instead predicted about 4-6 new WN flights.....

I was still called a hater and a US apologist

Now Southwest is predicting about 2 new flights in PIT over the next year

Now.....I hate to say I told you so......BUT I TOLD YOU SO!

Posts below for reference......TOLD YOU SO!....sorry....couldn't resist

QUOTE(TechBoy @ Oct 5 2007, 11:48 PM)
Why wouldn't the demographics of PIT support that level of flights? With over 2.5M people in the addressable market and median income slightly above the national average, it should not be difficult to support 60-80 WN low priced 737 flights. Adding 60 flights in a year would be quite aggressive, but with US abandoning the market it would not surprise me to find WN occupying the market before another LCC can make a serious attempt there. If WN can support 90+ flights at SAN, 60-80 at PIT is certainly workable (even more if there is sufficient concentration for connecting traffic).




QUOTE(legacy-to-LCC @ Oct 5 2007, 11:56 PM)
and i have to think this (read: your post) is another instance of naivete in support of an egregiously incompetent "management" team.
both demographics and potential exist, to be sure. but, like the "management" team you endorse, you fail to do the homework. it's just easier that way, ey? that's right, america west kicked southwest's butt in phx. laughable.
move along to the next fantasy...



How did my post have anything to do with supporting management? You are delusional. Was there one point in my post where I endorsed or supported anything that management has done? If you think by saying that PIT does not have the demogrpahics for WN to move in with 60+ flights that that somehow means I am "naively" supporting management, then that just shows how closed minded you are to anything other than management bashing, and I guess by your standards I would be supporting them. But I am not, and all I am saying is that if demand ever existed to where US dropping 9 mainline flights constituted a need for 60+ new flights...IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE ALREADY!!!! I realize that there were pulldowns in smaller community flying....but WN doesn't fly to the majority (actually, nearly all) of these cities so that can't have much of an impact. So they are dropping DEN, ORD, BNA, and ORF. These are the only destinations being dropped that WN serves. So are they going to add 60+ flights in these markets that US is abandoning? The current pulldown in no way can justify 60+ flights....regardless of how much US pulls down because if there were ever than much demand WN would have pounced on it long ago. The net reduction is 40 flights...many of which are on B1900Ds and Dash 8s and Saab 340s and E145s. That does not corrspond to a new unmet demand of 60 737s.

Well its too bad that we are conversing over an internet message board and can't make some sort of bet and shake on it. Regardless of what you think about the PIT market, Southwest does not expand anywhere near 60 flights for an airport in 1 year. Maybe if PIT was growing at the rate of LAS or PHX or somewhere similar, starting the flights now could be justified to accomodate the future growth.....BUT THAT GROWTH IS NOT THERE!! Do I expect WN to expand PIT, YES! But I expect somewhere in the range of 5-8 flights in the next year (LAX, maybe DEN, maybe HOU, maybe some BDL, PVD, maybe RDU...maybe a little more Florida). But if you think 60 new flights for PIT is ever a possibility, you need to pass me some of the WN koolaid that you are drinking.
 
I hope they are making money to PHL. Maybe these TWO flights may be going to PHL?

If they redeploy airplanes that might cause a problem for our commuters(I've heard that some have already been blacklisted for bad behavior).

Does anyone have an idea where the TWO additional flights per day will be going?