Originally Posted by
SOBE ER DOC
I think the issue is slot availability for AA. JFK is still slot controlled and AA is maxed out on what they can use based on their allocation, so the only way they could grow flights is to acquire slots from someone else. That will be an uphill slog since B6 and DL are in a back alley fight to get every slot they can to support their hubs. Meanwhile, UA wants back not JFK after selling their 26 slots to DL.
AA is not going to get any bigger at JFK anytime soon. Their only hope is the expansion announced last week will result in a bolus of slots becoming available sometime in the next several years. In the meantime, they will continue focusing on O&D and connecting traffic to other OW partners at JFK.
Are the Eagle slots only allowed to be used by RJs? If not, that's a bunch of slots they can use for a better sized flight than an RJ to a mid-size town that would do better flowing through PHL.