Yep....that's what I'm saying but I hope I'm wrong. I didn't realize you were talking about your own decision....barring illness, if I had a ticket on an inaugural flight, my chances of flying it would be 100% (barring illness of course).

Sorry :)

Unless you know something I don't, I would bet on it starting.

Airlines seem to be betting pretty big that there will be significant demand for domestic travel this summer as most international travel is looking to continue to have heavy restrictions this summer. I would have discounted this route from actually starting several weeks ago, but now I wouldn't be quite so sure. AS schedule looks to be mostly set through April 3rd at this point as there are flights (as well as frequency bumps) showing for April 4th that I suspect will not actually start then (like PDX-MSP). So one shouldn't be too confident about flights showing in May schedule at this point. DL has CVG-SEA restarting on April 12th, but their schedule update last weekend only went through April 11th. So I'm not very confident DL will actually restart the route on that date and suspect it will be pushed back to May (if they restart it at all).

Huh, May 20th. There goes using AS to get to the derby relatively easy from SEA (assuming derby goes off this year). Currently have SEA to ORD then connection via AA to SDF. Either way have to connect to get to derby, but was hoping to support a viable CVG route

We know that airlines have only be solidifying their schedules a month or two in advance ever since Covid hit. The published schedules beyond this window have consistently seen significant reductions once it gets to be within that one to two month schedule window. At present, the AS window looks to extend through April 3rd as you can see capacity jumps on many routes on April 4th which would look to be somewhat questionable. The May schedule is almost certainly going to see reductions as we get closer to the start of the month. I think the chances are higher than 10% for this route (maybe 50-50), but until May schedule comes out, it's reasonable to question whether or not it will start then.

Well, it looks like the schedule has now been pushed out to May 19th overnight after I posted this. PDX-MSP still has April 4th start date, so I think I guessed wrong about that (thought it would get pushed back). However, I wouldn't assume May 20th start for SEA-CVG is safe yet until the rest of May gets updated.

If you really want to avoid a connection, it's a bit of a drive at just under 3 hours but you can fly into BNA and drive up to the Derby. I did that a few years ago, have used BNA as a starting points for several roadtrips into Bourbon country & the region. If you like road trips that is, it's a nice drive.

Highly doubtful there will be a crowded Kentucky Derby this year given the pace of vaccinations nationally and no national strategy yet for proving vaccination credentials. Sadly, I think the summer of 2021 will look quite a bit like the summer of 2020 when it comes to big events. I do think it will be more logical and acceptable to start doing some traveling again and visiting family and friends in small groups...but if you're expecting shoulder to shoulder MLB stadiums, horse tracks, and concert venues you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

Better yet, fly into/out of IND. It's only about a half-hour longer drive than CVG.

It felt weird to make a reservation, but I'm now on the inaugural SEA-CVG flight! Will be fully vaxxed + 2 weeks, and I get to see family and friends for the first time in a long time. Hoping this route sticks around; nobody wants a Delta red-eye.

The DL red-eye flight actually converts to a 3:51PM daytime flight on June 5th. Although it is currently scheduled to again revert to a red-eye on July 2nd.

Congratulations. AS Appears to be pricing SEA-CVG it at $99 each way in saver economy except for peak summer, which is roughly in line with SEA-BNA. Interestingly enough, there is a $108 regular economy fare on the AS SEA-ORD redeye (12:20 am departure) connecting to AA ORD-CVG and landing in the late morning, but very limited availability in the opposite direction. I was planning on trying out the route in May, but it looks like I'll be going in August instead.

T-72 roll call
 

based on posts over the past couple months --

TheStrangerIn29K
zebes
jrl767 (2A)

1010 departure, so I'll probably get to the N lounge ~0845

Yep! Sent you a PM. I'll likely have finished breakfast (and a Bloody Mary or Hefeweizen or whatever) by the time you arrive.

Question for anyone who knows: Short of showing up at the gate, is there any way to know whether they've prepared a festive sendoff for the inaugural (e.g. Chili, Goetta, Bourbon), like they did for SEA/MRY?

Judging by the seat assignments, I guess Seat2A isn't on the flight :) Wish I could be there!