Originally Posted by
drsan
You are correct, but this is DL. AA did the same thing to STL; there were certainly plenty of planes and people to go around when they acquired TW. AA, however, did indeed kill a hub, mostly to make consolidation at ORD and DFW happen.
That's an overly simplistic characterization of the STL situation, IMO.
AA bought TWA's assets in early 2001 and maintained nearly all of TWA's network until November, 2003, when AA downsized the hub in the face of staggering losses. That was just months after AA avoided filing for bankruptcy. Nevertheless, AA remains a very large presence at STL compared to any other legacy airline.
Originally Posted by
drsan
MSPers, be prepared to be STL-ized over the next few years. Good luck, you will need it. Maybe you will get lucky and WN will expand greatly at MSP just as they have at STL over the years to fill the domestic void.
Southwest's presence at STL is about exactly what it was in 2003 when AA pruned the STL hub. WN's expansion at STL occurred prior to 2001 when AA bought TWA.
I don't see MSP being "STLd" given the much larger metropolitan area of MSP. The hubs that have been de-hubbed have tended to be much smaller metros, like PIT, IND, BNA, RDU and DAY (as well as STL). SJC (de-hubbed by AA twice) is much larger but is essentially the Bay area's ONT - it will never rival SFO (like ONT will never rival LAX). MSP is the only big airport in the entire region - and it will remain an important hub and international gateway, IMO.