Originally Posted by halls120

Except that PanAm sought domestic routes for years, and CAB wouldn't give them any, because of pressure brought by other airlines. When they finally relented and let them merge with a domestic airline, they stupidly bought National Airlines, which didn't provide the domestic feed they needed. Add to that was the fact that Pan Am was caught with a glut of inefficient aircraft when oil prices rose, and it was a recipe for disaster.

But in a sense, you are correct - Pan Am is an excellent example, one that United is in a sense following. Instead of having no domestic network, UA started with arguably the best domestic network in the country, and is systematically ruining it through a combination of actions, including a slow retreat into fortress hubs, flying dark RJs (and mainline birds) on major domestic routes while the competition offers mainline flights on heavy routes and when they offer RJs, they have F, WiFi, and real food up front. Add to that the idea that 80% on time is good enough for UA and the competition isn't at war with its own frequent flyers, you have a recipe for ultimate failure unless something changes.