Service Troubles Ahead?
#31
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: B6 Mosaic, Bonvoy LT Titanium (x SPG LT), IHG Spire, UA Silver
Posts: 5,834
More attractive to whom? Certainly not any airlines. Any airline would prefer to dominate an airport and have a smattering of minor competitors. OAK used to be dominated by UA before WN came in. UA even had flights from SFO to OAK. Shuttle by United was not profitable and UA folded and handed over the place to WN. It used to be the "low cost" alternative airport in the Bay Area. B6 started flights to the Bay Area through OAK as have others. Then airlines figured out that SFO was the place to be to stay competitive. Barring the collapse of WN, AS is just not going to have anything other than a token presence at OAK. It is just not all that important. People that are brand loyal will make the trek to another Bay Area airport. Those that aren't are probably not profitable for them anyway, so no great loss. Each airline has limited resources. No sense in throwing money down the drain by trying to outdo the dominant carrier at an airport when you have a substantial operation at two other airports which are not that far away.
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 734
"People that are brand loyal will make the trek to another Bay Area airport."
So you're saying there is no point in an airline keeping flights at OAK because brand loyal East Bay customers will fly them anyway and are willing to deal with the traffic at the Bay Bridge toll plaza, I-80 through downtown San Francisco and then 101 South to SFO. Or drive down the 880 corridor to San Jose. Uh, I don't think many people living in the East Bay would agree with that. Personally, with dependable service I think AS could add flights profitably in Oakland since they have already invested in the base infrastructure to support their multiple daily Oakland to Hawaii flights (plus Seattle and - if they're in the mood that day - Portland). If WN flying to Hawaii from Oakland changes AS's perception I would prefer to see them leave OAK completely vs. offering hit or miss dependability. I wouldn't make the drive to SFO or SJC from the East Bay even though I've been Gold 75K or Gold for many years in a row. But perhaps AS's departure would create a window for another airline to expand in OAK - one that has the confidence to compete by offering a superior, dependable product (are you listening Delta?).
So you're saying there is no point in an airline keeping flights at OAK because brand loyal East Bay customers will fly them anyway and are willing to deal with the traffic at the Bay Bridge toll plaza, I-80 through downtown San Francisco and then 101 South to SFO. Or drive down the 880 corridor to San Jose. Uh, I don't think many people living in the East Bay would agree with that. Personally, with dependable service I think AS could add flights profitably in Oakland since they have already invested in the base infrastructure to support their multiple daily Oakland to Hawaii flights (plus Seattle and - if they're in the mood that day - Portland). If WN flying to Hawaii from Oakland changes AS's perception I would prefer to see them leave OAK completely vs. offering hit or miss dependability. I wouldn't make the drive to SFO or SJC from the East Bay even though I've been Gold 75K or Gold for many years in a row. But perhaps AS's departure would create a window for another airline to expand in OAK - one that has the confidence to compete by offering a superior, dependable product (are you listening Delta?).
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,337
Oh, and there's this airport DL is fighting for about 650 miles north you might have heard of that DOESN'T have WN and UA... I strongly suspect they are still heavily trying to make SEA work.
Funny, though, innit, that DL doesn't serve SEA-OAK? With all the rah-rah OAK fans in this forum telling us about AS neglects you unfairly, you'd think they would be making a mint running that route. But instead they serve SJC/SFO/SMF from SEA but not OAK. RDM but not OAK. JNU but not OAK. SNA but not OAK. BZN but not OAK.
Huh, go figure.
#36
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,635
FWIW United says they are "absolutely planning" to return to OAK https://www.sfgate.com/travel/articl...y-13729013.php