Originally Posted by
RobS
The dehubbing was an act of desperation when UA found itself unable to operate with acceptable reliability because of merger blues and a pilot shortage. Something had to go - fast. CLE fit the bill. The economic rationale was manufactured. Hence, the weird timing of the Hemispheres article.
Exactly. This is the most plausible explanation both for the quick ending of mostly RJ45 routes and why United seems OK paying for most of Concourse C and all of Concourse D (for millions of dollars a year) without even utilizing most of it.
My personal opinion is that Concourse D would make an excellent ULCC terminal, and Concourse A should be razed and potentially rebuilt as a modern international capable concourse.