Hmm....that's not what I've read on here before. There are a number of posts all over these forums saying that TATL on the 752 is wholly unacceptable. Never mind that EWR-DUB is shorter than SFO-PTY.
The issue hasn't been EWR-DUB, it has been the IAD-AMS and IAD-CDG westbound stops at the seasonal UA hub at Goose Bay which some of us found objectionable.
And if UA has never flown SFO-PTY with anything nonstop, it isn't a downgrade to start it with a 757.
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Very happy to see the return of SFO-CDG -- sadly about a year too late for my frequent trips between the two ending -- but still good to see it back.
AF was flying the A380 last summer and even had 2xdaily in peak season with a 747 or A340 and 380 so there is clearly lots of traffic. I think we can all agree that any paying premium passenger would be advised to choose AF but not everybody knows this so UA should be able to get some of this traffic.
I heard once that for AF, CDG-SFO had the "highest percentage of French passengers" compared to any other route they fly. The French love Northern California as a vacation and expat destination so I guess that didn't completely surprise me but that is a strange statistic and I can't find anything to back that up.
And you actually believe that a public company would make a financially poor business decision to prove a point?
Heck yeah....many business decisions are made to retaliate and/or bluff against decisions made against a company involved reardless of the financial impact.
In this case Jeff threatened to stop the IAH term B exansion if WN got HOU INTL gates (bluff), then UA pulled IAH-AKL (claimed will lose money), they then issued layoff letters at IAH (claimed this would happen) and lastly they are pulling down IAH-CDG (claimed losing money). Now you have Spirit moving into IAH and AF putting 2X daily flights to CDG. All the while WN will not start flights out of HOU until 2015. Now announcing 10 new flights with IAH out in the cold. So in essence United will lose O&D traffic and connecting traffic while ceding market share in the southwest/mexico area and you think this was done as financially sound business move.
All of this occurring in the past 2 months....great coincedence or retaliation?
I just don't see how Jeff is planning to make up for the cuts at IAH that will keep his O&D/regional connecting passengers/ground staff happy to stick with UA. I know Jeff's game plan...he will try to show that IAH is losing more money than they gain from HOU INTL flights, so that the city may come back with great incentives as an apology, but at the same time its a big gamble because he is causing alot of ill will toward many O&D and connecting passengers. He is playing a game of chicken with a huge market to prove a point. As an added note.. The city of Houston did not have many options either....WN would start INTL operations at SAT or AUS if they didn't get approval at HOU then add in the fact that WN said they would pay for the new facilities.
Heck yeah....many business decisions are made to retaliate and/or bluff against decisions made against a company involved reardless of the financial impact.
In this case Jeff threatened to stop the IAH term B exansion if WN got HOU INTL gates (bluff), then UA pulled IAH-AKL (claimed will lose money), they then issued layoff letters at IAH (claimed this would happen) and lastly they are pulling down IAH-CDG (claimed losing money). Now you have Spirit moving into IAH and AF putting 2X daily flights to CDG. All the while WN will not start flights out of HOU until 2015. Now announcing 10 new flights with IAH out in the cold. So in essence United will lose O&D traffic and connecting traffic while ceding market share in the southwest/mexico area and you think this was done as financially sound business move.
All of this occurring in the past 2 months....great coincedence or retaliation?
I just don't see how Jeff is planning to make up for the cuts at IAH that will keep his O&D/regional connecting passengers/ground staff happy to stick with UA. I know Jeff's game plan...he will try to show that IAH is losing more money than they gain from HOU INTL flights, so that the city may come back with great incentives as an apology, but at the same time its a big gamble because he is causing alot of ill will toward many O&D and connecting passengers. He is playing a game of chicken with a huge market to prove a point. As an added note.. The city of Houston did not have many options either....WN would start INTL operations at SAT or AUS if they didn't get approval at HOU then add in the fact that WN said they would pay for the new facilities.
Have you even looked at O&D numbers for IAH? I'm guessing you haven't.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goalie
and I am doing a MAJOR happy dance on this change I actually do like
There you are You are the first person I thought of when I heard this on the TV this morning. I am glad it's back too, just hoping they release I/IN for us more than 24 hours before flight.
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Great news! I am really enjoying those route announcement lately.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ORDSteve
Also, Copa flies PTY-LAX daily on a 737-800, so a 757 should have the range for a SFO-PTY run shouldn't it?
Copa flies the 738 on PTY-EZE/GRU/GIG, so the 738 can do PTY-SFO and a 73G can do it in its sleep Naturally, I would prefer a 757 since there are more F seats
Quote:
Originally Posted by DonSFO
A little OT: Are these 767-300's being re-fitted with IPTE or have they already been completed?
The 763s are not getting the "IPTE" seats, but they are being reconfigured with CO lie-flat BusinessFirst seats [similar to the ones found on sCO longhaul birds]. Nonetheless, it will be a vastly superior hard product compared to AF's lame C product.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goalie
And imho, it's just the start of "stuff happening" at/to IAH
Well it all started when UA picked Chicago to be the site of their headquarters, but IAH is one of the most profitable hubs in the world along with EWR, so UA is not going to downsize IAH. They will strong arm the city of Houston, but dumping IAH will break UA's bank. Yes, I am saying dumping IAH will push UA into the red no doubt. They have tons and tons of high yielding corporate contracts that is tied into IAH. Same with the finance contracts out of EWR connecting all of the big banks to London, Frankfurt, and Hong Kong. It is the contracts that makes both hubs wildly profitable, not because it is a fortress hub. So, the speculation of UA cutting a bunch of flights out of IAH or going to severly downsize IAH in favor of other hubs is just simply not going to happen unless UA wants to implode.
Guessing it should be quick - probably transferring the rights from IAH-CDG to SFO-CDG.
I don't think there should be anything to transfer. That caveat was actually confusing to me as there should be Open Skies between the USA and EU. I don't know what approvals would be pending.
and I am doing a MAJOR happy dance on this change I actually do like 
You are the first person I thought of when I heard this on the TV this morning. I am glad it's back too, just hoping they release I/IN for us more than 24 hours before flight.
