Originally Posted by
Feather Man
I am not sure if the O&D numbers could support a larger hub in CVG, but it is really difficult to make this judgement based on the past 5 years of history. During that period, CVG consistently had the highest average airfares in the USA. I know that these significantly higher costs changed my flying habits by choosing alternative airports to depart from, or choosing another airline all together. Other than Indufan, I am not sure how many other companies/individuals were willing to pay a lot more for the convenience of non-stop flights.
I know that myself and a lot of collegues were willing to pay a lot more for nonstop flights. The ability to get directly home was always worth the extra money for us. Delta was compensated handsomely for this "privilege" and I routinely had >$800 flights. I'm fairly certain that everyone else that I work with spent > $30,000 with D* last year b/c they mugged us for wanting to fly out of Cincy.
If they take away my ability to get upgraded on planes and not fly direct, I'll probably have to look at transferring my loyalty to another airline that will best meet my needs. I know that my co-workers feel the same way.
I hope that D* knows what they are doing, because the Big 4, P&G, Toyota and Kroger business travelers out of CVG were probably generating a lot of revenue for them. Will they remain loyal to D* when they'll always have to hit ATL or SLC? Why not go for a better fare and go ORD or elsewhere?