Originally Posted by
spin88
There is a lot of value in having a network that is not just a single point, but ties together interconnected cities. The west coast cities are tied together for a lot of industries, and being able to service SAN, SNA, LAX, SFO, PDX, SEA (plus to a lesser extent PHX) can drive a lot of traffic for companies or individuals who operate in all/some of these cities, not just one. It is comparable to the East Coast where historically DL and US had a "shuttle" and PMCO which had EWR. At this point on the west coast Delta and SWA have the shuttle, VX/AS is building one. United, not so much.
I think lacking the same degree of interconnectedness due to c2012 decisions has hurt UA at cities other than SFO, and I also think it has hurt UA at SFO in driving away some traffic that wants an airline that will serve multiple west coast cities.
At this point United has a very bad brand reputation and throwing extra capacity at it will simply drive down United's PRASM and load factor, which is what we are seeing the last few quarters. I think the ship has to some extent sailed, despite Kirby's efforts to regain some of what was lost.
p.s. and this is not unique to UA, AA has tossed away multiple opportunities to build out its west coast network and has instead retreated to LAX....
Interconnectedenss is a false construct to support an on-going negative narrative.
Serving LAX-SEA/PDX does not increase relevancy to customers in SFO. Nor does flying LAX-SJC mean anything to customers in Seattle. It can be legitimately argued that United is less relevant to customers in the Pacific Northwest than it was 10 years ago (a change initiated pre-merger). United also changed its relevancy in LAX, carrying about the same number of passengers to fewer destinations. What’s ignored is that the utility for SFO-based customers is significantly improved with more destinations, flights, and capacity.
Airlines cannot be be everything to everyone. United has chosen to focus on SFO, at the expense of some local traffic in cities were it historically played a larger role, like Seattle or Portland. Conversely, Delta is trying to be more relevant to customers in Seattle and LAX, at the expense of MEM, CVG, and a host of smaller cities (or look at Delta in Portland 20 years ago). Networks and competition changes. If United (or another airline) is no longer relevant to you, trying to hold on to the past will only result in frustration.