FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - USAirways start service - CLT - ROME - Today - pls .comment
Old May 13, 2010, 9:48 pm
  #9  
perseus11
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: PIT
Posts: 759
Originally Posted by ITRADE
China? With what airplane????? Certainly not the 330-200 which would be maxed out on that range with NO reserves.
The upgraded 332 HGW, due for 1st delivery this or next month, should be able to make PHL/NRT and PHL/PEK at full take off weight with little problem. PHX, however because of the local Lift environment could still not be possible. Unfortunately, I do not know if US has revised their order with Airbus to accept the HGW for 2011+ deliveries. Existing 332s (probably after a certain serial number) can be field upgraded in the future. This still presents the question, can US fly either PHL-NRT and/or PHL-PEK competitively and still make an acceptable profit using the limited capacity of a fully loaded 332 ? - only Tempe knows.

Originally Posted by PHL
..................................I love articles that try to position CLT as this great alternative, but at least this one was sober enough to admit that the connecting traffic is key. Without it, CLT is a ghost town like PIT became. PHL will always have the O&D, regardless which airline is flying a route like FCO, LHR, CDG or FRA.
It is my understanding, that the CLT-FCO flight was created to provide connecting relief for the high O&D PHL-FCO flight, which was consistently full during shoulder and peak seasons. I'd speculate the CLT-FCO flight will average near 80% connecting traffic, which while accompllshing the task of relieving the PHL flight, will likely struggle - even at limited frequency, and possibly be canceled during the off seasons.
perseus11 is offline