Planned Diversions From SFO to OAK/SJC
May 25, 2018, 3:35 pm
#91
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
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And pity the poor fool on UA who bought a UA ticket for a plane that has UA lipstick on it, but was canceled (not even diverted) because it was low priority on the UA totem pole. And further pity that poor fool because there's a lot of connecting UA traffic to/from that expressplane. So nice that UA has the luxury to eff over people who just happened to buy the non-mainline ticket.
Cancelling express flights is entirely inconsistent with your prior claim. No airline is immune to flow control: they can just respond in different ways. United inconveniences people by canceling flights. Alaska inconveniences people (probably fewer) by diverting some flights to alternate airports on roughly the same schedule.
May 25, 2018, 4:17 pm
#92
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Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
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"Oh sir, yes, we're sorry you aren't going to get into SFO in time for your connection in that lovely row 2 seat to SYD in time. But we can get you to LAX in time, and it's your lucky day! We have one middle seat left in row 92!"
May 25, 2018, 4:33 pm
#93
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
Tom in Noosa, Queensland, Australia
May 25, 2018, 4:58 pm
#94
Join Date: Apr 2003
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And often with maximum or substantial impact. But what do I know. I've only lived in the Bay Area for 33 years, and have only flown 2+ million miles since then, with SFO and OAK as my O/D airport for most every trip.
"Oh sir, yes, we're sorry you aren't going to get into SFO in time for your connection in that lovely row 2 seat to SYD in time. But we can get you to LAX in time, and it's your lucky day! We have one middle seat left in row 92!"
"Oh sir, yes, we're sorry you aren't going to get into SFO in time for your connection in that lovely row 2 seat to SYD in time. But we can get you to LAX in time, and it's your lucky day! We have one middle seat left in row 92!"
May 25, 2018, 5:34 pm
#95
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Portland, Oregon
Programs: Hilton Platinum, Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 2,363
Spares in hubs is common. Delta does it a lot. AS does it to some extent. They've whipped out a new aircraft in SEA for us before.
If AS's scheduling is so tight that they can't handle a couple hour weather delay in weather delay-prone city, they're not managing their assets correctly.
If AS's scheduling is so tight that they can't handle a couple hour weather delay in weather delay-prone city, they're not managing their assets correctly.
Managing your assets correctly does not mean letting them sit. A plane not in use is not being used correctly.
May 25, 2018, 6:13 pm
#96
Join Date: May 2003
Location: SFO, mostly
Posts: 2,203
UA does it a lot. They cancel Express ops to keep the mainline on time or closer to on time and minimize impact.
The difference with AS is they're canceling (and diverting) mainline planes to try to achieve the same result. That has a bigger per flight impact.
There's a reason UA outperforms SFO by 5%+ every month and VX typically underperforms the airport.
March:
SFO All: 69.1%
SFO UA: 76.9%
SFO VX: 63.9%
Feb:
SFO All: 80.2%
SFO UA: 85.9%
SFO VX: 77.5%
Jan:
SFO All: 75.8%
SFO UA: 81.4%
SFO VX: 78.4%
The difference with AS is they're canceling (and diverting) mainline planes to try to achieve the same result. That has a bigger per flight impact.
There's a reason UA outperforms SFO by 5%+ every month and VX typically underperforms the airport.
March:
SFO All: 69.1%
SFO UA: 76.9%
SFO VX: 63.9%
Feb:
SFO All: 80.2%
SFO UA: 85.9%
SFO VX: 77.5%
Jan:
SFO All: 75.8%
SFO UA: 81.4%
SFO VX: 78.4%
May 25, 2018, 7:27 pm
#97
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
There are no good choices and no real winners.
May 28, 2018, 8:34 pm
#98
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: SFO/SJC/OAK/STS
Programs: Alaska MVPG, Delta PM, AA EXP, Wannabe SkyWest 1K
Posts: 644
Flying short-haul to SFO is always risky. AS's problem is how thin the scheduled OAK choices are. 3 million people in the East Bay, and if I need to go to SoCal, hard to turn down close to 20 flights a day to BUR from OAK and CCR on WN and JetSuiteX.
May 29, 2018, 5:06 pm
#101
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Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
May 29, 2018, 5:14 pm
#102
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
on that route $289 o/w is a high fare.... It is a typical close in business fare. It is 42c/mi, which is nearly three times UA's average PRASM. It can go higher (I think I've paid $359 o/w or so) but this is a route where the base fare is usually $89 o/w, and at times the fare has gone as low as $59 o/w.
And BTB SFO-SEA (like SFO-LAX) is sold with o/w being 1/2 of the RT Y fare.
And BTB SFO-SEA (like SFO-LAX) is sold with o/w being 1/2 of the RT Y fare.
May 29, 2018, 11:01 pm
#103
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 29
First time they offered a shuttle bus. I opted for a friend to pick me up instead. Second and third they offered a shuttle bus but also told us we could take a Lyft or Uber if we wanted to leave sooner and get a refund for the fare from the agent at baggage claim at SFO
May 30, 2018, 11:40 am
#104
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
First time they offered a shuttle bus. I opted for a friend to pick me up instead. Second and third they offered a shuttle bus but also told us we could take a Lyft or Uber if we wanted to leave sooner and get a refund for the fare from the agent at baggage claim at SFO
May 30, 2018, 11:58 am
#105
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: B6 Mosaic, Bonvoy LT Titanium (x SPG LT), IHG Spire, UA Silver
Posts: 5,844
The part "but also told us we could take a Lyft or Uber if we wanted to leave sooner and get a refund for the fare from the agent at baggage claim at SFO" sticks out to me. Who hell wants to get to SFO, go to baggage claim, wait for an agent (good luck finding one) then do the paperwork for a refund? If they said "hey, take Uber/Lyft to SFO or we will pay up to that amount if you are going elsewhere" and I would see it as a ^. But this does not really address the issue. For most SFO bound passengers taking Uber/Lyft from either SJC or OAK is far more expensive than just going from SFO. As ought to proactively offer to pay transport when they divert, which it sounds like they are NOT doing.
