Originally Posted by
reidlewis
Non-peak flights have been at $29 for JFK to both of these cities and vice versa for at least 6 weeks now. Are they even breaking even on these flights? What are the load factors like? As a native of Pittsburgh should I view these offerings as a great deal or should I be worry that it is an act of desperation on JetBlue's part? Not sure about Richmond but I know that when service was launched to/from PIT 8 months ago, fares were in the $64-$69 range for PIT-JFK routes. I know summer travel is a busier time for these two northern cities, but I was always under the impression that airfares were lowest at launch to draw attention and new customers. But with all that said, who's to complain about flying round trip for less than a benjamin, even with taxes+fees!
Without having looked, I would believe that the (few) fares that are available at this price are on Tues and Wed. Both of these routes are very lean midweek, so they are probably trying to entice anyone to travel on these days. $30 of revenue is better than 0. Also, there is a very limited amount of seats that are sold at this price. Another example of this is Spirit, as you will sometimes see fares at $8 or less. However, it looks both of these flights are getting better loads. RIC finished out the year (2006) with a 68% load factor, for 8 months of service. Obviously, yields are more important than LF's, but I would think that this is some type of indicator. PIT, without any inside info, seems to be getting better. Their fares are much higher than they used to be, which is a good sign (for the airline).
P.S. It looks the HOU flights will be much more successful this year than last year. They are converting all three flights from 320's to 190's this week, which is perfect for the market. Someone said a while back that they were flying at 50% on the Airbus, which is 85% on the 190. I am also seeing sold out flights on Thurs, Fri, and Sun, which I have never seen before on this route. The fares were always at base fare ($129), but, other than Tues and Wed, the fares are averaging around $249. This is the perfect use of the Embraer, and is one of many routes that justifies it's purchase.