Originally Posted by
gooselee
For the rest of us, we need regional airports that are often served by smaller planes and airlines other than WN.
No one NEEDS regional airports.
Originally Posted by
kettle1
Let me put a few places that I flew or my staff flew over the past few months that WN does not serve: PSP, BIL, BZN, COD, FAR, GJT, SUN, JAC, LWS, GCC, MSN, ANC, CVG, HLN, MED, IAD. That is just a fraction of the cities. How about Tyler, Texas and Wichita Falls, TX.
WN serves PSP with quite literally 5 airports in Burbank, LAX, Ontario, Orange County, and San Diego. It looks like Ontario is the best one. You are correct in that WN doesn't serve BIL or the next few. It has mainline service from DL, as does BZN, although the prices appear to be insanity from a quick Orbitz search. COD is probably the definition of BFE, although it is served by mainline DL out of BIL. FAR has mainline DL. GJT is equidistant from the DL hub at SLC and the WN hub at DEN. I've looked at going to the D&S, and it's near nothing. It's a good drive from either DEN or Albuquerque, depending on what else I want to see with it. Amtrak serves GJT, but it's slower than driving. SUN has WN service at Boise. JAC is BFE, but is served by the DL hub at SLC and WN at SLC. LWS has WN at Spokane. GCC is served by DL mainline out of Billings. MSN is served out of MKE on WN. MSN was actually part of the genius (or map-reading skills) of WN. They realized that instead of operating out of MSN and GRB, they could efficiently consolidate operations at MKE, and they just sucked the wind right out of the other carriers in that whole market. I never claimed WN went to Alaska, AS and AA both offer mainline service to ANC, and no one flies regional to there from the lower 48 anyway. WN serves CVG via Dayton and Louisville, and other airlines must have mainline service there. HLN is Billings again. MED is in Saudi Arabia, ... does that have to do with US regional airlines? WN goes to IAD. Tyler, TX is served out of the mega-cluster**** mega hub at DFW, as well as WN at Love Field. Witchita Falls is served equally by Oklahoma City and Love Field.
Finally tally:
Have WN service: 9
Aren't even in the CONUS: 2
Have DL Mainline service and are in BFE: 6
You skewed that heavily by picking a bunch of places in BFE that are in the one part of the country that I have already acknowledged is NOT served by WN, because there's nothing there to serve.
WN is a fine carrier, but they mainly serve kettles and that is great. Like I said, time is money and WN overall does not work for me or my staff. For you, WN sounds great. WN works for me from LAS as it is the #2 hub for WN.
Kettles?
OP: Do you use the US Postal system? It works, thanks to airlines - including WN. UPS and Fed EX do not deliver to certain areas of the USA - the US post office does. They deliver to every address in the USA even in small towns that the OP says does not deserve air service. I can send a letter to Key West, FL from LAS and it usually arrives within 2 days. That is for less than 50 cents - thanks to airlines flying small planes and serving small places.
I do use the USPS on the occasion that I am forced to feet kicking and dragging. Based on the delivery speeds I've seen, I think they use horses and buggies. Maybe stagecoaches. Or maybe a tractor with a wagon behind it for the express service.
How would regional service affect mail that flies LAS-MIA or some similar major route?