Originally Posted by TWA Fan 1
Regarding a/c flying EWR-SFO, here is the timetable for today 03/08/2006 from Continental.com (I haven't seen a 757 on this route in close to a year).
Currently CO is flying only 737-800's on this route (14 f/c seats. By comparison, AA flies exclusively 767s on this route with a minimum of 30 premium class seats)
I've been on a CO 757-200 between EWR and SFO twice in the last month or so. You can view the details in the Continental
timetable. It shows that CO1049, CO749, and CO348 as being operated most of the time by 757 aircraft. In reality, though, there is not much to differentiate the two. Aside from the number of rows, the cabin of a 737 is virtually indistinguishable from that of a 757. Continental does not fly two-aisle aircraft on these routes because they do not have enough of them. International service makes them more money. In addition, they know that passengers would rather have more frequency on a route than a bigger aircraft. I'm rather happy being able to choose between five or more EWR-SFO flights per day. Right-sizing your routes with the proper aircraft is a good way to fill seats and make money. Continental, unlike its competitors, is on the verge of making money.
I think the issue for CO is that they have made a big deal of the space-available free upgrades for their elite OP members.
The problem is that they have made these upgrades largely unattainable by changing the rules of the program but also by using small planes with very limited f/c cabins.
What program rules have changed in the last year or so? None that affect the number of upgrades. With regard to aircraft, they're using what they have (see above). The problem is that they are actually selling a lot of F seats these days. That didn't happen until DL lowered F fares to the point where people actually purchased them.
I think CO should consider creating an UA-style economy plus for its most loyal customers (OP elite) who now essentially no longer have any access to upgrades.
I agree that an E+ would be nice. Continental, however, has told us that they can't justify the economics of that and that it will not happen. Look at other examples of this. AA's MRTC has quietly gone away and UA is in bankruptcy. That doesn't sound like a resounding vote of confidence in the idea.
Otherwise, I think CO will quickly see an erosion in the ranks of its loyal customer base.
There are a lot of other factors that come into play. What you're complaining about with regard to aircraft choice and E- doesn't seem to be making the planes any emptier.
Finally, regarding your comment about JetBlue being based at JFK vs. EWR, this is actually much more convenient for me. So for me, JetBlue has been a terrific discovery.
It all depends on where you live and work. I'd have to pass EWR to get to JFK so JFK is a non-starter unless you just can't get there from EWR, ex: Icelandair. I once took the train to BWI rather than drive to JFK to take Icelandair
I'm still flying CO internationally and on routes JetBlue doesn't fly, but I've found that there is very little advantage to going beyong OP Elite Silver with the new rules structure.
Obviously your experience and mine differ. While most of my domestic travel is transcontinental, upgrades on other routes are still pretty good. I treat upgrades as unexpected perquisite of travel. If you really want to fly in F then you should buy an F seat.