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UA files for SFO-DCA, AA's response?

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UA files for SFO-DCA, AA's response?

 
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Old Feb 27, 2012, 11:02 pm
  #16  
 
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My question here is where does this leave Alaska? AA has been pretty determined not to 'directly' compete with Alaska's services. If they were to start flying LAX-DCA, would AA and AS compete or would AS withdraw from the route?
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Old Feb 27, 2012, 11:16 pm
  #17  
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Originally Posted by All American Flyer
My question here is where does this leave Alaska? AA has been pretty determined not to 'directly' compete with Alaska's services. If they were to start flying LAX-DCA, would AA and AS compete or would AS withdraw from the route?
Daily O&D traffic between the Los Angeles area and BWI/IAD/DCA is about 5,000 passengers. Right now, only AS can fly the route, and just once a day at that. Nominally, yes, AA would compete against AS, but there are plenty of passengers to go around if AA is awarded DCA-LAX, so it's not as though each will be fighting tooth and nail to fill their seats and keep their flight profitable. The route could easily support multiple daily nonstops.
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Old Feb 27, 2012, 11:31 pm
  #18  
 
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Wasn't there some discussion about either AS or AA starting SAN-DCA? I presume with Government and Military, that would be another consideration.
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Old Feb 27, 2012, 11:48 pm
  #19  
 
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Originally Posted by Robt760
Wasn't there some discussion about either AS or AA starting SAN-DCA? I presume with Government and Military, that would be another consideration.
AS and AA aren't competing in the same pool of slots. Four slot pairs are reserved for AA/DL/UA/US to compete for. AS competes with B6/WN/etc for another four pairs.
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 1:09 am
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by MAH4546
The logic extends past that. SMF is not an elite-heavy spoke with an Admiral's Club. AUS is. Also, AUSDCA is of considerably shorter stage length.
Naturally. But you'd only mentioned "a guaranteed monopoly between Reagan and the capital of the second most populated State."

Originally Posted by FWAAA
Daily O&D between BWI/DCA/IAD and SMF totals about 500 passengers - hardly enough to justify any nonstops. AUS, on the other hand, has 75% more daily O&D with 875 daily passengers from BWI/DCA/IAD.
Of course. Hence the smiley. There seems to be a lot of humor impairment around here lately.
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 1:39 am
  #21  
 
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There is some irony here. The existing AS nonstop originally was awarded to and operated by TWA. They received the route as a disadvantaged carrier or some such verbiage. Surrendering that route was a condition for approval of American acquiring TWA's assets. I would expect AA's status as a now disadvantaged carrier will help them get this route.
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 1:43 am
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by All American Flyer
My question here is where does this leave Alaska? AA has been pretty determined not to 'directly' compete with Alaska's services. If they were to start flying LAX-DCA, would AA and AS compete or would AS withdraw from the route?
They already compete (or at least semi-compete) on ORD-SEA and DFW-SEA, as well as SEA-NYC and LAX-WAS. It's only on the intra-west coast routes (LAX-SEA, PDX, and YVR) where AA conspicuously chooses not to compete with AS. AS probably wouldn't be pleased if AA started a flight from a non-AA hub to SEA or PDX (hah!), but it would hardly be fair for AS to object to AA starting an artificially-restricted-capacity route to one of AA's 5 cornerstones.

What I think will be interesting (assuming AA wins the route) is if AA times their flight to complement AS's flight or to go directly head-to-head. They obviously can't talk to each other privately about what they'll do.
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 4:28 am
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by All American Flyer
My question here is where does this leave Alaska? AA has been pretty determined not to 'directly' compete with Alaska's services. If they were to start flying LAX-DCA, would AA and AS compete or would AS withdraw from the route?
There is only one thing AA CAN AND MUST DO to avoid such a predicament. They simply must start flying SFO-DCA direct with 3x frequencies -- starting tomorrow. You LAX'ers will need to make the connection North through SFO. Trust us on this. It's worth it for the bread and chocolates being sold in every single store in Terminal 2.

Ahhhh, I love a good dream. SFO to DCA direct! Ahhhh.....
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 6:32 am
  #24  
 
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As one who flies to Washington on many of my trips to the states, DCA is a much more convenient and nicer airport than crappy IAD. The more AA flights that shift from IAD to DCA, the better!
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 6:59 am
  #25  
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Originally Posted by barelyelite
I'd love to see AA flying DCA/IAD-LAS, though I know that's a pipe dream. I guess DCA-LAX will have to do
Indeed they wouldn't waste the exemption on a lower margin route.

Against that, if you fly DC-LAX-LAS, you'll pick up about 1,400 extra miles per round trip (versus the improbable nonstop), more if you have status!
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 7:00 am
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by MAH4546
LAXIAD will not be short-live whatsoever. It's safe, it's staying and it's where a lot of the defense/aerospace traffic between the two areas travels.
With the AA capacity cuts at IAD, the loads are higher. IAD also has a couple of BA flights a day & other OW carriers. Likewise LAX is the connecting point for Qantas & a fair amount of the IAD traffic is connecting.

Defense/Aerospace is part of it, but some of that traffic would move to DCA. I can't see a single DCA flight replacing 3x 738 IAD flights. But there's no question that DCA will command a higher fare.

Originally Posted by All American Flyer
My question here is where does this leave Alaska? AA has been pretty determined not to 'directly' compete with Alaska's services. If they were to start flying LAX-DCA, would AA and AS compete or would AS withdraw from the route?
I don't see AS as a real factor. I'd bet that DL would take a slot and run it to LAX in a heartbeat against AS.
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 7:01 am
  #27  
 
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This would be great news. Any new ex-DCA additions is a plus.
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 7:07 am
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by brp
In other news:

UA have added one more olive to the salads. What will AA's response be?

Cheers.
That does it, I am going to switch back to UA as my primary carrier!
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 7:27 am
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by NYBanker
Indeed they wouldn't waste the exemption on a lower margin route.

Against that, if you fly DC-LAX-LAS, you'll pick up about 1,400 extra miles per round trip (versus the improbable nonstop), more if you have status!
True, but when you're flying with others, they don't understand this. When flying alone, I wouldn't dare take the nonstop


Originally Posted by Abidjan
This would be great news. Any new ex-DCA additions is a plus.
^
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Old Feb 28, 2012, 9:41 am
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by KtownTraveler
Using that logic you'd have to endorse DCA-SMF.
UA does SMF-IAD.


Originally Posted by All American Flyer
My question here is where does this leave Alaska? AA has been pretty determined not to 'directly' compete with Alaska's services. If they were to start flying LAX-DCA, would AA and AS compete or would AS withdraw from the route?
Maybe AS can get it shifted to SJC.
Xero is offline  



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