FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - ILG-DTW replacement?
View Single Post
Old Jun 12, 2014 | 10:48 pm
  #1  
rtalk25
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,120
ILG-DTW replacement?

Would there likely be an ILG-DTW replacement for the September to December schedule?

For August and early September, the ILG based plane is operating SUN TUE THURS:

ILG-ATL
07:10 AM - 09:10 AM
ATL-ILG
09:55 AM - 11:50 AM

ILG-MDW
12:35 PM- 01:30 PM
MDW-ILG
02:15 PM - 05:05 PM

ILG-DTW
5:50PM-7:30 PM
DTW-ILG
8:15PM-9:50PM

After September 21, ILG-DTW is discontinued. The schedule still has ILG-ATL and ILG-MDW operated and an evening run after the MDW run to another destination, I would presume could still be possible, likely if it's DTW distance or less.

From ILG, F9 existing stations at DTW's distance or less but greater than 5 hours of drive include:
CLT
RDU
GSO
CVG
CLE
PHF (maybe too close?)

If it goes the new station route, there is:
PIT
MYR

MYR leans destinational while PIT leans practical but I could see both having an appeal but just to different group of pax.

There is a TTN-DTW flight on on SUN, TUE, THUR, so in a way deleting ILG-DTW helps by not diluting the loads from TTN-DTW.

CVG has SUN, TUE, THUR from TTN, and it might be worse than DTW if attempted. The TTN-CLT schedule overlaps also with the evening available schedule out of ILG that CLT might not be a good choice.

CLE has no Sunday service to TTN, and it's limited TTN service is otherwise early morning in the Fall. F9 has a big following on the CLE side as well.

TTN-RDU has been popular, and maybe ILG-RDU with some frequency could be attempted. There seems to be less conflict and the TTN-RDU is very early morning, so an evening service out of ILG would in a way appeal to some different customers. Also the Tuesday TTN service is gone.

GSO has no low fare service to the Northeast. If Frontier considers ILG-GSO, it might be targeted more for GSO pax. Does Frontier have large enough of a GSO customer base that supports it to DEN and the west coast that would be interested in service up Northeast/Mid-Atlantic states via ILG?

PIT: I'd think some low fare service between Philly and Pittsburgh could do well. I would have though TTN would get PIT first, but F9 has not considered it at all. Would F9 ever consider PIT to ILG? The drive to Pittsburgh simply is uncomfortable although many endure it. MegaBus is stopping in two cities and not offering direct bus service either. It would be the shortest route in the F9 network if launched. But I'd guess that demand to Pittsburgh is still greater than Cleveland from the Philly region even if flight service was available, even though Cleveland is 2-2.5 hours farther in distance.

Would it likely replace ILG-DTW with something and with what route?

Of the remaining ones, I'd think RDU, GSO, MYR, PIT or CLE would be good choices and not overlapping with the TTN flights the same times. Probably it'd be RDU or CLE.

Last edited by rtalk25; Jun 12, 2014 at 11:09 pm
rtalk25 is offline