VX Fleet Expansion Use?
Dec 6, 2014, 11:51 pm
#1
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VX Fleet Expansion Use?
Per Wikipedia (not always the best source, I know) there are 10 Airbus 320-200s still outstanding from the last order, in addition to the 320-200neo order that's up for delivery in 6-8 years. I've read that VX has plans to expand to Hawaii, but are there any other actual/rumored plans for expansions anywhere else? Part of the reason I'm wondering is the chatter about them fighting for gate space at ORD and then not utilizing it fully...which seems to be a symptom of a rather stretched-thin fleet.
Dec 7, 2014, 1:00 am
#2
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Not sure how much it helps, but I spoke with an ORD gate agent in October and they told me that service was going to be reduced to 1x daily for most of 2015, and that the DAL-ORD service wouldn't be launching I'm April 2015 as announced during the Love Field campaign. He did say that service would likely restore to current levels at the end of 2015 once new planes were delivered, and at that point they'd reconsider DAL-ORD service too.
From this convo, along with other piece of info acquired throughout the past few months, it seems like the fleet additions in 2015 will be mainly used for restoring cuts to frequencies (like ORD). Ultra-optimistically one would think that cuts (erm, "suspension") like PHL would be restored, but that is less likely. And of course service to Hawaii. I can't imagine it being more than 1d daily each from SFO and LAX, but I am unaware of exact plans.
From this convo, along with other piece of info acquired throughout the past few months, it seems like the fleet additions in 2015 will be mainly used for restoring cuts to frequencies (like ORD). Ultra-optimistically one would think that cuts (erm, "suspension") like PHL would be restored, but that is less likely. And of course service to Hawaii. I can't imagine it being more than 1d daily each from SFO and LAX, but I am unaware of exact plans.
Dec 7, 2014, 3:37 am
#3
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I was figuring about that level of service to Hawaii given equipment availability, but I was also thinking that would only take up around two planes (if I'm not mistaken...assuming 5:30 each way plus 2:00 on the ground in HNL gives 13:00 round-trip, which would only require one plane per city).
I do tend to agree that restoring cuts is more likely than not, though I rather suspect that PHL isn't too high on the list (frankly, PHL seems to be "one city too many" in some respects, especially given that they serve EWR, which is something like an hour away on Amtrak, and given that with the exception of the seasonal service to FLL, VX has nothing "internal" going on east of the Mississippi).
I do tend to agree that restoring cuts is more likely than not, though I rather suspect that PHL isn't too high on the list (frankly, PHL seems to be "one city too many" in some respects, especially given that they serve EWR, which is something like an hour away on Amtrak, and given that with the exception of the seasonal service to FLL, VX has nothing "internal" going on east of the Mississippi).