Southwest in Alaska (Frontier Bid)
Jul 31, 2009, 10:01 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: ADQ
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Posts: 456
Southwest in Alaska (Frontier Bid)
If Southwest successfully buys Frontier out of bankruptcy, Southwest might finally have an Alaska presence. It would be nice to see some downward pressure on the AS fares.
http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/t...0&u=SL9A22DE21
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix....451&highlight=
http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/t...0&u=SL9A22DE21
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix....451&highlight=
Jul 31, 2009, 10:56 am
#2
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Posts: 2,417
Won't happen. Frontier's ANC service is seasonal. WN doesn't "do" seasonal. Additionally one of Frontier's ANC-DEN flights is a red-eye. WN doesn't "do" red-eyes. IIRC AS had a DEN-ANC non-stop which didn't last long. If WN were to serve ANC from which airport would it be? Most likely not SEA or PDX. LAS perhaps? AS also has seasonal ANC-LAS non-stops which didn't work out either. MDW-ANC perhaps? Nah...it's just not gonna happen.
Jul 31, 2009, 12:11 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 332
Won't happen. Frontier's ANC service is seasonal. WN doesn't "do" seasonal. Additionally one of Frontier's ANC-DEN flights is a red-eye. WN doesn't "do" red-eyes. IIRC AS had a DEN-ANC non-stop which didn't last long. If WN were to serve ANC from which airport would it be? Most likely not SEA or PDX. LAS perhaps? AS also has seasonal ANC-LAS non-stops which didn't work out either. MDW-ANC perhaps? Nah...it's just not gonna happen.
AS 148 ANC-DEN 1205a - 710a
AS 147 DEN-ANC 930p - 102a
Jul 31, 2009, 12:46 pm
#4
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Add to that recall when WN took over MorrisAir, Morris was serving several destinations that WN dropped, including ANC, COS, DEN, EUG, FAT and IFP. They won't necessarily maintain service to anyplace F9 currently flies, particuarly ANC, and other seasonal operations (CUN and the rest of Mexico)
Jul 31, 2009, 12:54 pm
#5
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Sorry, I stand corrected. But again ANC-DEN is a red-eye, which works well for the cruise traffic but WN just doesn't do red-eyes. And again, even on AS it's seasonal service. Just how many seats on those DEN-ANC/ANC-DEN are sold by the cruise lines? I'm guessing a lot. And many more are cruise passengers who book independently from the cruise line. It's just not a market WN is after.
Jul 31, 2009, 12:57 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 332
Sorry, I stand corrected. But again ANC-DEN is a red-eye, which works well for the cruise traffic but WN just doesn't do red-eyes. And again, even on AS it's seasonal service. Just how many seats on those DEN-ANC/ANC-DEN are sold by the cruise lines? I'm guessing a lot. And many more are cruise passengers who book independently from the cruise line. It's just not a market WN is after.
Though with UA pulling out this year, if WN took over F9 and pulled out of ANC, that would leave AS all alone on this route. So any hopes of downward pressure on fares would cease to exist.
Jul 31, 2009, 1:14 pm
#7
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AS still has a seasonal ANC-DEN and 2x in summer ANC-ORD,
but dropped ANC-LAS & ANC-PHX that they had for a while-
Heard @ the WN bid for F9.. Interesting and pretty cheap
(Not sure what F9 is worth-
Now would AS have any interest- probably not... Especially since they are using airbus only-
AS still has a seasonal ANC-DEN and 2x in summer ANC-ORD,
but dropped ANC-LAS & ANC-PHX that they had for a while-
Heard @ the WN bid for F9.. Interesting and pretty cheap
(Not sure what F9 is worth-
Now would AS have any interest- probably not... Especially since they are using airbus only-
Jul 31, 2009, 1:16 pm
#8
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Well it looks like I was interuppted mid-post and when I got back it was already posted 
Originally Posted by beckoa
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)
AS still has a seasonal ANC-DEN and 2x in summer ANC-ORD,
but dropped ANC-LAS & ANC-PHX that they had for a while-
Heard @ the WN bid for F9.. Interesting and pretty cheap
(Not sure what F9 is worth-
Now would AS have any interest- probably not... Especially since they are using airbus only-
AS still has a seasonal ANC-DEN and 2x in summer ANC-ORD,
but dropped ANC-LAS & ANC-PHX that they had for a while-
Heard @ the WN bid for F9.. Interesting and pretty cheap
(Not sure what F9 is worth-
Now would AS have any interest- probably not... Especially since they are using airbus only-
Jul 31, 2009, 1:20 pm
#9
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Take it from someone who lives near OAK where pretty much all the other carriers left. I miss having options out of OAK.
Jul 31, 2009, 1:22 pm
#10
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On the flip side, it gives WN another chance to really hurt Alaska Airlines by giving customers what they really want: affordable airfare. You know something's wrong when a good portion of your flyers are on award travel. Alaska's customers are pissed and may vote with their wallets.
If its cost effective (which it may be, the route is only 1400 miles), i wouldn't put it past them. Especially since nobody is left on the route. Its also an Alaska bread and butter route
If its cost effective (which it may be, the route is only 1400 miles), i wouldn't put it past them. Especially since nobody is left on the route. Its also an Alaska bread and butter route
Jul 31, 2009, 1:28 pm
#11
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)
AS still has a seasonal ANC-DEN and 2x in summer ANC-ORD,
but dropped ANC-LAS & ANC-PHX that they had for a while-
Heard @ the WN bid for F9.. Interesting and pretty cheap
(Not sure what F9 is worth-
Now would AS have any interest- probably not... Especially since they are using airbus only-
AS still has a seasonal ANC-DEN and 2x in summer ANC-ORD,
but dropped ANC-LAS & ANC-PHX that they had for a while-
Heard @ the WN bid for F9.. Interesting and pretty cheap
(Not sure what F9 is worth-
Now would AS have any interest- probably not... Especially since they are using airbus only-
Jul 31, 2009, 1:57 pm
#12
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On the flip side, it gives WN another chance to really hurt Alaska Airlines by giving customers what they really want: affordable airfare. You know something's wrong when a good portion of your flyers are on award travel. Alaska's customers are pissed and may vote with their wallets.
Jul 31, 2009, 3:38 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2005
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AS also started ANC-YVR (since discontinued) and ANC-DEN very shortly after AC and F9 entered those respective markets. Cutting YVR was a no-brainer with the tourist and cruise industry in Alaska taking a huge hit this year, but DEN has always seemed to do quite well, and I can only imagine having UA gone has helped that route. I'm a little bit surprised either AS or F9 haven't tried to make ANC-DEN year-round in the absence of UA.
Jul 31, 2009, 6:52 pm
#14
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Summer of 2005, ANC-PHX was nonstop. It was started to compete with what was then a new PHX-ANC-PHX service on US. It was axed after a month or two to help improve efficiency and on-time statistics (anyone who has been with AS for more than a couple years remembers that summer).
AS also started ANC-YVR (since discontinued) and ANC-DEN very shortly after AC and F9 entered those respective markets. Cutting YVR was a no-brainer with the tourist and cruise industry in Alaska taking a huge hit this year, but DEN has always seemed to do quite well, and I can only imagine having UA gone has helped that route. I'm a little bit surprised either AS or F9 haven't tried to make ANC-DEN year-round in the absence of UA.
I know...
With no UA presence on this route... ANC-DEN on a 73G - one would think it could work year round)
Of course the only places to connect to on AS with such a route are SEA & PDX...
Wouldn't be surprised then if CO added this route to fill in the * hole
Originally Posted by Chugach
AS also started ANC-YVR (since discontinued) and ANC-DEN very shortly after AC and F9 entered those respective markets. Cutting YVR was a no-brainer with the tourist and cruise industry in Alaska taking a huge hit this year, but DEN has always seemed to do quite well, and I can only imagine having UA gone has helped that route. I'm a little bit surprised either AS or F9 haven't tried to make ANC-DEN year-round in the absence of UA.
With no UA presence on this route... ANC-DEN on a 73G - one would think it could work year round)
Of course the only places to connect to on AS with such a route are SEA & PDX...
Wouldn't be surprised then if CO added this route to fill in the * hole
Jul 31, 2009, 7:08 pm
#15
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I know...
With no UA presence on this route... ANC-DEN on a 73G - one would think it could work year round)
Of course the only places to connect to on AS with such a route are SEA & PDX...
Wouldn't be surprised then if CO added this route to fill in the * hole
I know...
With no UA presence on this route... ANC-DEN on a 73G - one would think it could work year round)
Of course the only places to connect to on AS with such a route are SEA & PDX...
Wouldn't be surprised then if CO added this route to fill in the * hole
The thing I don't like about the DEN-ANC service on AS is the northbound flight is at a terrible time. Gets into ANC around 1:00 AM, far too late for any connections to other AK destinations, and it dumps you off at Uncle Ted International bleary-eyed and exhausted, not a nice welcome for our visitors from down south.