Originally Posted by
traveller001
Everything you say is pretty much true but MSP has connections most everywhere FL flies out of MKE not just LGA and DCA.
But the contrarian in me says MSP grows and MSP-MKE connex change as DL will downsize their former NWA MSP hub in a few years and the new WN would be well positioned to replace it.
Both FL and WN seem to love competing with DL. It has been profitable for them.
The MSP flights do connect to the entire AirTran network out of MKE. However, that route in particular carries a tremendous amount of connecting to traffic to BOS, LGA and DCA. It's not uncommon for some flights to have 50 + passengers connecting to these three destinations.
Honestly, I don't think MKE-MSP makes one cent in profit for AirTran. But it provides a critical link to the hub from a network perspective by feeding BOS, LGA, and DCA and allowing AirTran to justify higher frequency than what normally could be supported.
As for Southwest's future in MKE, we're all waiting to see what happens. IMO, we're likely to see new routes (STL) and increased frequency in existing markets (LAS, PHX, DEN) while the East-West hub and SkyWest flying are dismantled. If fuel prices continue to rise, I think it's likely some of the West Coast service will be eliminated or greatly reduced this fall as well. Southwest will still be a large player in MKE post merger, but the scope of the operation will change.
One other point to consider-Southwest has stated multiple times that they plan to ramp-up ATL quickly and make it into one of their largest stations. Since AirTan has been cutting back in ATL in recent years, the planes needed to fund this expansion will need to come from somewhere and network rationalization will play a big part.