Originally Posted by
HkCaGu
It only makes sense to serve ONT when traffic to/from LAX is bad. Currently most go east before evening rush toward ONT, and head west during the evening rush from ONT. Both are nicer drives compared to LAX.
It's not just about avoiding traffic, the timing is also important. People work these earn enough in a day and if they can avoid taking a day off, they would. An evening departure allows them to head home, get the luggage and snack a bit or even have dinner before heading to airport. There is a reason why CAL use to operate CI 9 along with CI 5 cause CI 5 just don't fill enough passengers. Plus EVA is operate 2 late night flight.
A drive to LAX probably hits 1 hr max off peak time for inland empire residents, a bit more if we go further into Fontana or Riverside. It's still quite far for them to drive all the way, so ONT does have it's options. However, if you are pairing up with afternoon flight (taking a day off not just for the passengers but also the driver, not possible to get connecting passengers to SEA), priced about the same as the LAX flight (and it departs evening)... you aren't going to fill the plane daily (even CI 6/5 was not daily during off peak) plus operating with 77W.
If they want the flight to survive, they need transit passengers << and that means this needs to be a late departure flight cause you don't get any feeds from beyond ONT.
Originally Posted by
tris06
Any news about the London Gatwick route going from the FA? My parents just booked their business class flights from BNE to LGW for about 4600 AUD for later in the year. Be a shame if they pulled out of that market too.
Nothing about LGW and I think that flight will survive. It's not daily (slowly adding frequency) and using 359 with some feeds from Australia.