JetBlue TrueBlue - AS/QX leaving LGB--extra slots

Looks like AS/QX may be announcing soon a pull out from LGB. If B6 got the slots, would extra capacity be added to existing routes or are there new routes that would work well out of LGB?

Looks like AS/QX may be announcing soon a pull out from LGB. If B6 got the slots, would extra capacity be added to existing routes or are there new routes that would work well out of LGB?

Where did you hear this? It would be great news for B6 but didn't Alaska/Horizon only just add Portland OR service? Expansion would seem to indicate the Alaska/Horizon would be doing well at Long Beach. Even if they did leave and had control over slots, I'll bet that AS/QX would attempt to give/sell slots to someone other than Jetblue such as UPS and Fedex.

i wish they'd have LGB-SAN...since the connections for IAD would be much better then JFK.

i wish they'd have LGB-SAN...since the connections for IAD would be much better then JFK.

Were B6 to "discover" new slots in LGB I'd be quite shocked to see them used for such a short flight, particularly one with almost zero O/D traffic. They'll look for routes where there is money to be made.

Where did you hear this? It would be great news for B6 but didn't Alaska/Horizon only just add Portland OR service? Expansion would seem to indicate the Alaska/Horizon would be doing well at Long Beach. Even if they did leave and had control over slots, I'll bet that AS/QX would attempt to give/sell slots to someone other than Jetblue such as UPS and Fedex.

If Alaska/Horizon did leave, I believe that there is a prescribed system for redistributing slots at LGB, such that Alaska couldn't just choose to give them to a shipper instead of jetBlue.

Two sets of slots are being "shared" by DL right now but they will revert back to the airport at the end of the year. It looks like AS mainline will end in either October or November so some additional slots may become available from these reductions as well.

Two sets of slots are being "shared" by DL right now but they will revert back to the airport at the end of the year. It looks like AS mainline will end in either October or November so some additional slots may become available from these reductions as well.

Will the airport bid them out to keep the airport going strong or choose to just kill them to appease the NIMBY's?

Looks like it is official as the Alaskaair.com website has now been updated. November 7th is the last day for AS at LGB. Horizon will keep two CR7s to PDX and 2 CR7s for SEA. The 3rd SEA flight has been dropped completely.

Were B6 to "discover" new slots in LGB I'd be quite shocked to see them used for such a short flight, particularly one with almost zero O/D traffic. They'll look for routes where there is money to be made.

agreed, but they need to improve the IAD-west coast options. LGB and OAK are nice, but anywhere else it's a 6 or 7am flight out of IAD to JFK. not really ideal.

agreed, but they need to improve the IAD-west coast options. LGB and OAK are nice, but anywhere else it's a 6 or 7am flight out of IAD to JFK. not really ideal.

I've thought JetBlue has underserved IAD for years. The only real competition for JetBlue in the Washington area is United at IAD and Southwest and Airtran at BWI.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think there is market support for a JFK style hub there but certain is room to add some more frequencies to Florida and more west coast and carribean dots.

agreed, but they need to improve the IAD-west coast options. LGB and OAK are nice, but anywhere else it's a 6 or 7am flight out of IAD to JFK. not really ideal.

Transcons are relatively expensive to operate with lower yields. B6 seems to be moving traffic to the Caribbean where the stage length (ergo operating cost) is shorter (lower) and the average fare is higher.

Why compete on less profitable routes?

Transcons are relatively expensive to operate with lower yields. B6 seems to be moving traffic to the Caribbean where the stage length (ergo operating cost) is shorter (lower) and the average fare is higher.

Why compete on less profitable routes?

JetBlue has started transcons with a red-eye flight in the schedule. Why not use an A320 to connect IAD to BDA/AUA/NAS/MLB/etc... during the day and IAD-LAS/SAN/DEN/PHX/LAX/SFO during the evening/overnight hours?

JetBlue has started transcons with a red-eye flight in the schedule. Why not use an A320 to connect IAD to BDA/AUA/NAS/MLB/etc... during the day and IAD-LAS/SAN/DEN/PHX/LAX/SFO during the evening/overnight hours?

all i'm saying is, B6 isn't really worth a look because of the times to the west coast not names LGB or OAK.

i really miss the IAD-SAN flight.

i know JFK is the hub, but i think they could do a decent job out of IAD.

i really miss the IAD-SAN flight.

i know JFK is the hub, but i think they could do a decent job out of IAD.

I totally agree with you. I am suprised that the SAN flight disappeared. Either there wasn't any money in it or more money somewhere else. Nevertheless, IAD may not be able to support a HUB infastructer like at JFK for JetBlue but certainly could provide much more Focus City operations than what are there now. I've always thought that and will for atleast the forseable short term future. Now, we just need to watch Airtran and Southwest at BWI, both whom are growing there by leaps and bounds (only question is about the profitability with that grudge match/turf war).

I'm thinking that JetBlue's main focus is the Carribean right now and no clear indicator what's next after that. (Am I stating the obvious?)

Why not use an A320 to connect IAD to BDA/AUA/NAS/MLB/etc... during the day and IAD-LAS/SAN/DEN/PHX/LAX/SFO during the evening/overnight hours?

You can potentially start to run into over-utilization issues with a lot of those routes. Flying a turn IAD-PHX and IAD-BDA will require about 15 hours in the air. That is towards the upper edge of reasonable. I know that B6 pushes their fleet to the limit in that regard but this would be pretty agressive.

Plus, there is the part where the transcons are more expensive to operate and have lower yields.

Looks like the LGB slots are going to be used to serve SFO starting in January.

http://investor.jetblue.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=131045&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1325076&highlight=

and add an additional flight to OAK. This makes sense to hold the slots until they can figure out what makes the most sense for the summer schedule. Good to see more flights coming to SFO. Keeping the 2nd flight to JFK and having 2 flights to BOS is also great.

Looks like they are taking on VX with these additional flights in SFO, competition is good.

As per the press release, 9 Bay area flights to LGB per day (5 SFO and 4 OAK). They seem to be capturing a decent share of the Bay to South End of LA traffic pretty well.