US Airways and Grand Rapids
Dec 23, 2012, 10:09 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,120
US Airways and Grand Rapids
Any reasons for the lack of the service here?
It seems that Is GRR (Grand Rapids) might be one the largest domestic market unserved by US currently and it's a give away to Southwest who will likely launch GRR-BWI flown currently by AirTran. US could fly to DCA, PHL and CLT, where the first two would offer DC and Philly better, and along with CLT offer more connections. It's just over 500 miles to all hubs which isn't too bad.
It seems that Is GRR (Grand Rapids) might be one the largest domestic market unserved by US currently and it's a give away to Southwest who will likely launch GRR-BWI flown currently by AirTran. US could fly to DCA, PHL and CLT, where the first two would offer DC and Philly better, and along with CLT offer more connections. It's just over 500 miles to all hubs which isn't too bad.
Dec 24, 2012, 6:34 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2006
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I think it was dropped when US got got quite a bit smaller in 1991 (1/3 the pilots were furloughed). If memory serves, GRR was a PI city served from the DAY hub prior to the US/PI merger and carried over after the merger for a short while until the shrinkage in 1991. I suspect that closing the DAY hub had something to do with eliminating many of the cities it served. That was also when the west coast PSA system was largely dismantled.
Jim
Jim
Dec 24, 2012, 8:36 am
#3
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 755
Delta, AA, and United seem to have that market saturated judging by the number of flights listed on GRR website, not to mention AirTran and G4.
Dec 24, 2012, 9:57 am
#4
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Join Date: May 2001
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Tulsa and Oklahoma City are slightly larger markets without any US presence, but there's no shortage of service to either one.
Dec 24, 2012, 4:20 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: DCA
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I think it was dropped when US got got quite a bit smaller in 1991 (1/3 the pilots were furloughed). If memory serves, GRR was a PI city served from the DAY hub prior to the US/PI merger and carried over after the merger for a short while until the shrinkage in 1991. I suspect that closing the DAY hub had something to do with eliminating many of the cities it served. That was also when the west coast PSA system was largely dismantled.
Jim
Jim
Jim - I have a US route map from 1999 and it still shows GRR service. I'm guessing it was either dropped post-9/11 or following the closure of the PIT hub.
Dec 24, 2012, 7:14 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,120
Grand Rapids would be closer to CLT, DCA and PHL than Tulsa or Oklahoma City to the US hubs concentrated more in the east with exception of PHX. Before the slot swap, Delta was flying GRR-DCA. Maybe it would take a US and AA merger for GRR to be linked to the US hubs, and markets like PVD to AA hubs like MIA.
Dec 24, 2012, 7:28 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Colorado
Programs: Skymiles, Mileage Plus
Posts: 89
US Airways express flew to GRR-PIT 4x daily according to this press release which announced 1x daily service GRR-PHL.
http://www.grr.org/PDFs/nrUSAirPHL.pdf
According to airliners.net, through a google search, US Airways express ended it's last flight from GRR-PHL on October 12 2005.
In the original slot swapped that was planned in summer of 2009 US Airways was going to return to GRR but after it took 3 years for the slot swap to happen it those original plans never materialized. You can search the web for original slot swap plans and see the plan for returning to GRR.
Maybe they will consider it in the near future.
Charlie.
http://www.grr.org/PDFs/nrUSAirPHL.pdf
According to airliners.net, through a google search, US Airways express ended it's last flight from GRR-PHL on October 12 2005.
In the original slot swapped that was planned in summer of 2009 US Airways was going to return to GRR but after it took 3 years for the slot swap to happen it those original plans never materialized. You can search the web for original slot swap plans and see the plan for returning to GRR.
Maybe they will consider it in the near future.
Charlie.
Dec 24, 2012, 10:22 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2003
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With UA in Star and serving GRR from its EWR, IAH, DEN, CLE and ORD hubs, US service there probably isn't high on the priority list.
In the event of a merger, AA serves GRR with nonstops from DFW and ORD.
In the event of a merger, AA serves GRR with nonstops from DFW and ORD.
Dec 24, 2012, 11:04 pm
#10
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Aug 4, 2014, 10:07 pm
#11
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Any idea if there would be anything "special" for the inaugural flights?
Also, any buffs know when the last time there were direct flights from GRR-CLT? Has there ever been?
Aug 11, 2014, 10:20 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 15
I flew it rather regularly and the flights were always pretty full. When they discontinued it I can remember asking an agent at the ticket counter how come? He said he didn't know as they were running at 80-90% capacity. I suspect their yield might not have been very good though. Back then they were running promotions for heavily discounted tickets for people that shopped at Meijer. A lot of cheap people flying to Florida via Charlotte I imagine.