Gentlemen,

As an Elite1 member of TWA, I can tell you whole-heartedly Socalterp and CA Platinum know what they are talking about. You have to realize that the routes that TWA shedded is routes that although may be heavily trafficed, the competition is so cut-throat that the profit margin for TWA is probably nill in these markets. Filling a plane with passengers is one thing, filling a plane with paying passengers where they can show a profit is another.

A good example of this would be Las Vegas, how many of you all travel there? Las Vegas is very cut-throat when it comes to making a profit in that market. If you recall earlier in the year TWA dropped their direct flight from JFK to LAS. Between travel agents and airline vacation agencies within the airlines themselves touting lower fares, this market isn't as profitable such as a highly coveted business route such as JFK-LAX. So then why do airlines continue to fly there.... because there is a market for it! If they were to drop that market, their frequent flyers would look for another airline!

TWA hasn't dropped those routes for the diehard people who want to fly to Florida or use their Aviators miles to go to those destinations; they can still fly through St. Louis to go there. Which for TWA, the St. Louis market to those Florida cities isn't as heavily competed with, so that allows them to make a profit. Same for the dropping of JFK-LAS, TWA continues to profit from STL because is isn't as heavily competed route to LAS, and TWA can continue to pump people in via their hub to get to LAS.

TWA is doing fine, they are reorganizing, and abiding their time (waiting for 2003 for those of you who know what I'm talking about), and rebuilding their fleet. Give them time http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif