Originally Posted by
jpezaris
Not only that --- Because of the irregular nature of the traffic around both AUS and IAH, it isn't a set 4 hours, either, but can vary considerably. (The same is true between Baltimore and JFK.) Uncertainty isn't good for travel planning.
I will admit that I was frustratingly late — to the point that the plane started boarding while I was in the security line — the last time I drove from Austin to IAH, but it definitely didn’t take four hours.
Originally Posted by
Kmxu
What is the definition of a focus city? I guess that it serves O/D traffic from this city to nearby cities. With this said, AUS can be a focus city if it offers nonstop flights to nearby TX cities and a few cities around TX, even though IAH can offer a lot of more connecting flights to these same cities. AUS may become a focus city if UA can make money. With this definition, DCA is just a focus city for AA, as discussed previously.
Just my two cents.
Well, in order to build a focus city at AUS, they’d either need new capacity or they’d need to shift capacity from elsewhere. And, because AUS already has excellent connectivity, they’d likely be competing with somebody head-to-head on the new routes, meaning their ability to extract a nonstop premium is fairly small. (People who want the nonstop badly enough will already drive to Houston).
I mean — what routes would you want them to fly? MAF-AUS is probably the largest intra-Texas market where they wouldn’t have head-to-head competition. OKC-AUS is available now that ViaAir stopped all flights.
I’d be thrilled with more nonstop options from AUS, but I just don’t see how it helps UA any to offer them.