USAirways start service - CLT - ROME - Today - pls .comment
 

front page of Charlotte Observer has an excellent article about USAirways starting direct service from Charlotte to Rome Today. It also talks about other services that USAirways may start in Rio, China and India market.
Nicely written and put a good plug for Charlotte market.
I fly in and out of GSO but was happy to see increased service by USAirways in Charlotte.
Please feel free to share your positive thoughts on this matter.

Thanks

China? With what airplane????? Certainly not the 330-200 which would be maxed out on that range with NO reserves.

I want to go to Rome, never been there.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201...charlotte.html

"US Airways is scheduled to receive 14 new Airbus A350 aircraft in 2017 - planes that will allow the airline to reach China and India from Charlotte or Philadelphia"

That's a lot of pie in the sky thinking for something 7 years out. Can the 350 fly to those destinations from CLT? Yes. Will it? Probably not, in favor of PHL.

While HNL is not international, this was a big deal to US because it was only competing with ATL and EWR for East-of-the-Mississippi direct service. Yet, no mention in the article about that route being dropped 9 months after it began.

And if the yields to GIG continue to disappoint the bean counters, you can count on it going bye bye too.

I love articles that try to position CLT as this great alternative, but at least this one was sober enough to admit that the connecting traffic is key. Without it, CLT is a ghost town like PIT became. PHL will always have the O&D, regardless which airline is flying a route like FCO, LHR, CDG or FRA.

This is so true. I was amazed last week when I flew CLT-PIT on a full plane only maybe 4-5 bags were on the belt in baggage claim and everyone seemed headed to the Caribbean or some other destination.

Hey, Chicago is East of the Mississippi, and AA and UA fly nonstop to Hawaii from ORD. US was really just competing with CO for East Coast (or practically East Coast) nonstop service. ;)

Seriously, though, I agree with you about CLT. It's a great hub airport in a rather small metro area, and history hasn't been kind to great hubs in relatively small metro areas over the past decade or two. PIT, DAY, SJC, BNA, RDU and CVG come to mind. I'm certain there are others.

True, CLT is just a hub, with less O&D traffic than other cities, but don't discount its geography. People living in Texas flying to Florida (South America, etc.) won't fly up to PHL to connect south. Likewise, people flying between Boston and Chicago would rather connect in PHL than CLT. Focusing your entire operation out of one hub can isolate entire regions of the country. While Continental genrally hubbed in IAH and EWR - both great O&D cities, as a resident of Florida, I rarely could fly them - as I wouldn't connect in EWR to go to MEM, for example. O&D traffic is a huge benefit to airlines' bottoms lines (especially since the fares tend to be higher on direct versus connecting flights) but connecting passengers do generate a lot of revenue. I hope the bean counters at US understand this and maintain and grow their presence in CLT.

I am. I have been there in Italy years ago and this time where we stop by says hello to Italy right next to Switzerland border lines. All you want go there any EU countries but, there is no stamp necessary. It is free country where you want go there in EU.

The upgraded 332 HGW, due for 1st delivery this or next month, should be able to make PHL/NRT and PHL/PEK at full take off weight with little problem. PHX, however because of the local Lift environment could still not be possible. Unfortunately, I do not know if US has revised their order with Airbus to accept the HGW for 2011+ deliveries. Existing 332s (probably after a certain serial number) can be field upgraded in the future. This still presents the question, can US fly either PHL-NRT and/or PHL-PEK competitively and still make an acceptable profit using the limited capacity of a fully loaded 332 ? - only Tempe knows.

It is my understanding, that the CLT-FCO flight was created to provide connecting relief for the high O&D PHL-FCO flight, which was consistently full during shoulder and peak seasons. I'd speculate the CLT-FCO flight will average near 80% connecting traffic, which while accompllshing the task of relieving the PHL flight, will likely struggle - even at limited frequency, and possibly be canceled during the off seasons.

Can A332 will fly TPAC without payload restrictions? Because it was problem the weight restrictions cannot have enough range to be reachable into NRT. I think you mentioned where US is already considering PHX-NRT to startup service in between 2011 or 2012 timelines. It will workout very well on operated A332 aircraft out of PHX-NRT nonstop without penalty to loaded more cargo hold.

The prospect of a PHL-PEK flight in Envoy (shudder) is not that appealing of a thought compared to so many of the other carriers offerings that fly to China in Biz. But, it will be interesting to see what routes US Airways does offer with these longer-range-capable aircraft.

Compared to the Asian-based carriers this is true. But having flown trans-Pacific on UA several times in C from the US East Coast, I'd be OK with Envoy Suites any day.

That said, we won't see non-stops to China or NRT out of CLT any time soon. The O&D just is not there.

This is where I scratch my head. I would think U.S. would offer a second daily or 5x weekly PHL-FCO flight in order to become a "better" TA carrier. Provide customers with more options. The only route I know of that is double daily is FRA during the summer.

Are you waiting for A350-800XWB or A330-200HGW will expected to be deliveries?

+1
especially with the NJ and mid atlantic traffic, either DEL or BOM will be possible.
Even for the midwest and the west coast, this will add connecting traffic as well.