Originally Posted by
LPDAL
1) At what point, in the 2000s, was CVG at its largest point in its life? When I say largest, I mean not just the Delta hub, but also other airlines serving the field.
2) Was CVG a Delta hub from the start or was it acquired from a merger?
3) Did any airline at any point during the 2000s run any other IntraOhio routes other than CVG-CLE-CVG, and on what equipment?
4) Is it true that as a result of the DL / NW merger that most CVG ops were transferred to DTW? Or were they just gotten rid of?
5) At what point in the 2000s did Delta begin to seriously reduce CVG's total operation?
6) To this day, are there any DL 757s serving the CVG hub? If not, why?
Second, MEM.
1) Prior to the merger, did NW make any significant cuts at MEM?
2) When does the Cancun seasonal flight generally start and end?
3) When was the date of completion for the "upside down" pyramid main terminal structure?
4) Has it been expanded at any point?
5) Pre-merger, Delta CEO Richard Anderson hinted at there being a MEM-CDG-MEM flight. Did this ever come to fruition?
Third, MIA.
1) How many airlines, in total, have attempted to make MIA a hub airport (NOT including AA) and ultimately left?
Thanks for all knowledge, you guys will be shouted out in the trip report.
-LPDAL / Colby
CVG
1) Cincinnati reached its peak in total daily flights in 2005, just before Delta filed for Chapter 11.
2) Cincinnati became a hub shortly after deregulation to serve as Delta's Midwestern hub
3) Comair had some flights to Toledo and Akron.
4) Delta began to cut back Cincinnati during bankruptcy. By 2005, Cincinnati became a 50 seater heavy hub. With the spike in fuel prices, Cincinnati began to hemorrhage cash. THe merger essentially ended Cincinnati's role as Delta's second hub.
5) Again to the previous answer, Delta cut Cincinnati heavier than any hub, save for closing the DFW hub in early 2005 to stave off Chapter 11 temporarily. Cincinnati kept getting cut with the merger as Detroit became Delta's second largest hub in terms of flights per day.
6) Many many years ago, I flew on a 757 from DCA to CVG. I even received a nice breakfast on the flight. Today, there are probably only one or two if any 757s that still fly into CVG. The daily 767 to CDG still remains for now
MEM
Can't say much about MEM other than it served as NWA's southern hub with the Republic Airlines merger. It also relied on 50 seaters but not nearly as much as CVG did towards its peak. The problem with MEM was Memphis was the smallest city to have an airline hub. Couple that with a mediocre economy and the recession, Memphis began to lose a significant amount of money. The hope of it serving as a reliever to ATL with the merger died with high oil prices and the phase out of 50 seaters. Had NWA been able to stay independent, its very likely they would have had to embark on significant changes to MEM, possibly even moving the hub to BNA where they would have had a larger population and much much better economy to sustain a southern hub. MEM was barely able to sustain a MEM-AMS flight. Not a chance a MEM-CDG would have worked unless MEM-AMS was dropped. A MEM-LHR is the only possible transatlantic flight that could have had any chance of sustaining itself in the long term with the right aircraft, 787-8.
MIA
United inherited Pan Am's South American operations after 1991. United kept a decent sized focus city/South American hub until eliminating it during bankruptcy in 2002.
Hope all of this helps Colby. Looking forward to your next trip report!
Longboater