US Airways hubs before merger?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2003
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 2,262
US Airways hubs before merger?
Hi, I apologize for opening a new thread to ask a simple dumb question. I think US Airways used to have three hubs in the east, however now I see only two on their route map. What was the one besides Philly and Charlotte?
#2
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Charleston, SC
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it was pittsburgh but it is now a focus city
#3
Join Date: Jan 2003
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PIT; was downgraded to a "focus city" or whatever maybe before the merger; not sure.
#6
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: St. Louis
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Hello, everyone!
As a CP who's flown out of PIT a lot since 2003, I can lay a large part of the blame (or credit, I guess, if you hate PIT) at the feet of Allegheny County. True, the post-9/11 downturn in revenue at the AirMall shops made it hard to keep paying for the "new" airport, but the people on the Airport Authority Board did very little to try and keep US Airways in Pittsburgh. I guess the job losses have been hashed through again and again on this and other forums, but the pre-merger corporate people were certainly not alone in their responsibility for trashing what (I thought was) a good hub. The county itself bears a huge burden of guilt on this one, IMHO, for their rather pricey terms on the lease renewals. (Correct me, please, if I'm wrong.)
As a CP who's flown out of PIT a lot since 2003, I can lay a large part of the blame (or credit, I guess, if you hate PIT) at the feet of Allegheny County. True, the post-9/11 downturn in revenue at the AirMall shops made it hard to keep paying for the "new" airport, but the people on the Airport Authority Board did very little to try and keep US Airways in Pittsburgh. I guess the job losses have been hashed through again and again on this and other forums, but the pre-merger corporate people were certainly not alone in their responsibility for trashing what (I thought was) a good hub. The county itself bears a huge burden of guilt on this one, IMHO, for their rather pricey terms on the lease renewals. (Correct me, please, if I'm wrong.)
#7
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: PHL
Posts: 157
Shortly after their merger with Piedmont, USAir advertised that they had hubs or focus cities (which I think they called connection centers) at PHL, SYR, BWI, DAY, IND, PIT, and CLT. They also inherited some in California from PSA.
#8
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: ORD
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BWI was hub US abandoned shortly after 9/11
#9
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: ATL, BHM, DUB, County Wexford
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That was way too many hubs for anyone.
#10
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
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Posts: 9,171
Just shows what happens when you merge carriers. If you pick 1990 (the US/PI integration was 8/89), the true hubs were CLT, BWI, PIT, DAY. PHL was in the early stages of becoming a major hub - probably about what PIT is today (by # of flights). IND was trying to be a mini-hub, but smaller than PIT today. SYR still had the last vestiges of being Empire's hub.
If you looked at what the US/DL merger would have created, it'd be worse - hubs or focus cities at ATL, CLT, DCA, PHL, PIT, LGA, JFK, BOS, PHX, LAS, SLC, and LAX.
Jim
If you looked at what the US/DL merger would have created, it'd be worse - hubs or focus cities at ATL, CLT, DCA, PHL, PIT, LGA, JFK, BOS, PHX, LAS, SLC, and LAX.
Jim
#11
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Just shows what happens when you merge carriers. If you pick 1990 (the US/PI integration was 8/89), the true hubs were CLT, BWI, PIT, DAY. PHL was in the early stages of becoming a major hub - probably about what PIT is today (by # of flights). IND was trying to be a mini-hub, but smaller than PIT today. SYR still had the last vestiges of being Empire's hub.
If you looked at what the US/DL merger would have created, it'd be worse - hubs or focus cities at ATL, CLT, DCA, PHL, PIT, LGA, JFK, BOS, PHX, LAS, SLC, and LAX.
Jim
If you looked at what the US/DL merger would have created, it'd be worse - hubs or focus cities at ATL, CLT, DCA, PHL, PIT, LGA, JFK, BOS, PHX, LAS, SLC, and LAX.
Jim
Pax coming from PHL on a plane bound for SFO but heading to SAN would swap out with pax coming from CLT on the SAN-bound plane but wanting to go to SFO. Add at least four more planes to the mix.
Same thing on the eastbound flights returning to the hubs from west coast cities. It was chaos!
#12
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Actually, the BWI hub was reduced greatly following the arrival of WN in 1993. At some point (correct me if I'm wrong) probably around 1995 or 96, US began their MetroJet mess and based it out of BWI as a direct response to WN. Tht lasted a few years until MetroJet ceased operations and US all but left BWI. I guess things got a little better after the merger with the addition of the HP routes...
#13
Join Date: Feb 2006
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Actually, the BWI hub was reduced greatly following the arrival of WN in 1993. At some point (correct me if I'm wrong) probably around 1995 or 96, US began their MetroJet mess and based it out of BWI as a direct response to WN. Tht lasted a few years until MetroJet ceased operations and US all but left BWI. I guess things got a little better after the merger with the addition of the HP routes...
#14
Join Date: Apr 2006
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Jim
#15
Join Date: Feb 2006
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I guess it's all relative. Those that have been around the airline as long as I have remember when both arms of D-Con (less a couple of gates) plus all the express gates would be full of our planes. Now we use only 4 - 5 mainline gates on one arm of D-Con plus a few of Express gates.
Jim
Jim
At places I am at most of the time on US they dont even use but like 4 gates out of the 7 to 10 they have (exc. hubs and DCA).
Here at home RIC they use 3 gates out of the, I believe 7 they have.