American starts U.S. east coast shuttle flights
Jul 23, 2002, 10:09 pm
#1
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 46,817
American starts U.S. east coast shuttle flights
American starts U.S. east coast shuttle flights
American Airlines said it began selling tickets this week for new shuttle flights linking Boston, New York and Washington this fall, joining two rivals serving the popular routes through its American Eagle partner.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/020723/airli...shuttle_1.html
American Airlines said it began selling tickets this week for new shuttle flights linking Boston, New York and Washington this fall, joining two rivals serving the popular routes through its American Eagle partner.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/020723/airli...shuttle_1.html
Jul 31, 2002, 2:52 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 19
I read that they will also be offering double miles to promote the new service through December 31st. You will need to register for this promotion:
Call 800-882-8880
Online http://www.aa.com/offers
Either way you need to mention promotion code BEX2X
Call 800-882-8880
Online http://www.aa.com/offers
Either way you need to mention promotion code BEX2X
Sep 18, 2002, 3:40 pm
#3
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Syracuse, Boston, Athens
Posts: 994
As the start of this service approaches, it's again in the news:
Here is an example:
Reuters (as reported on Yahoo!)
American aims big, thinks small in new air shuttle
Wednesday September 18, 5:17 pm ET
By Jon Herskovitz
DALLAS, Sept 18 (Reuters) - American Airlines has cut staff, cut flights and even looked to cut in-flight meals as it tries to cut into an avalanche of losses.
Beginning on Tuesday, the world's largest carrier will look to add a new shuttle flight service to the East Coast cities of Boston, New York and Washington as a way of boosting profits. American has lost more than $2 billion in the four quarters since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
On the surface, the timing looks awful to start the new service with the industry still reeling from the aftereffects of the attacks. The two carriers currently operating shuttle service between the cities -- Delta and US Airways -- have seen about a 20 percent drop off in traffic in the first half of this year.
But American is banking on a strategy of using smaller and cheaper regional jets and tapping into a base of loyal American customers as a way of making the new service work.
"We see this as the right-size aircraft for the right-sized market," said Lisa Bailey, a spokeswoman for regional jet carrier American Eagle, part of American's parent AMR Corp. (NYSE:AMR - News).
American Eagle will start service between Boston's Logan Airport and New York's LaGuardia Airport next Tuesday with 10 daily flights, using Embraer jets that seat either 37 or 44 passengers. The service will add a similar link between LaGuardia and Washington's Reagan National Airport a week later.
"We needed to build American's presence on the East Coast," Bailey said. "We know that there are American passengers and American Advantage frequent flier members who are out there in those markets who are selecting another product."
US Airways Group (Other OTC:UAWGQ.PK - News), which recently filed for federal bankruptcy protection, flies Airbus A320s that seat 150 passengers on its shuttle that runs 16 daily New York-Boston flights, 15 from New York to Washington and 14 between Boston and Washington.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE
AL - News) uses Boeing 737-800 with a similar seating capacity and currently offers 17 daily flights between New York and Boston and another 15 New York-Washington flights.
LOWER COST SHUTTLE
Although Bailey would not disclose the cost of operation for a regional jet compared to a larger jet, she said RJs offer lower fuel and crew costs as well as cheaper landing fees because of their lighter weight.
"This is a niche market where American thinks it can make money. In a sense, they are emulating the Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - News) model by providing point to point service with high frequencies and lower operating costs," said Bernard Weinstein, a professor of applied economics at the University of North Texas and an airline analyst.
Weinstein said that American might also be looking to take traffic away from US Airways as it struggles through bankruptcy procedures and capture passengers from Amtrak's high-speed Acela train service, which has been plagued with operating problems.
Increased security at airports after the Sept. 11 attacks has helped Amtrak attract customers on the East Coast with travelers willing to jump on the train than go through the "hassle factor" of passing through the checks at airports, analysts said.
Delta and US Airways have special gates for shuttle passengers as well as offering discounts and frequent flier miles to passengers who spend more than 20 minutes at the gate.
American will be using its regular American Eagle gates for its shuttle passengers, who will find their quarters on the RJs a bit more cramped than the offerings on Delta and US Airways.
American said its prices on the shuttle will be competitive with its rivals. Round-trip tickets on next week's initial flights between Boston and New York - with travel on the same day - were $344 to $453 on American Air's Internet ticket site.
American will try to sweeten the pot by offering triple frequent flier miles through Dec. 31. David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, said that American has a strong core of customers in its American Advantage frequent flier program, which was one of the first in the business.
"All things being equal in terms of price and schedule, frequent flier programs tend to be the tiebreaker in selecting a carrier," Stempler said.
Here is an example:
Reuters (as reported on Yahoo!)
American aims big, thinks small in new air shuttle
Wednesday September 18, 5:17 pm ET
By Jon Herskovitz
DALLAS, Sept 18 (Reuters) - American Airlines has cut staff, cut flights and even looked to cut in-flight meals as it tries to cut into an avalanche of losses.
Beginning on Tuesday, the world's largest carrier will look to add a new shuttle flight service to the East Coast cities of Boston, New York and Washington as a way of boosting profits. American has lost more than $2 billion in the four quarters since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
On the surface, the timing looks awful to start the new service with the industry still reeling from the aftereffects of the attacks. The two carriers currently operating shuttle service between the cities -- Delta and US Airways -- have seen about a 20 percent drop off in traffic in the first half of this year.
But American is banking on a strategy of using smaller and cheaper regional jets and tapping into a base of loyal American customers as a way of making the new service work.
"We see this as the right-size aircraft for the right-sized market," said Lisa Bailey, a spokeswoman for regional jet carrier American Eagle, part of American's parent AMR Corp. (NYSE:AMR - News).
American Eagle will start service between Boston's Logan Airport and New York's LaGuardia Airport next Tuesday with 10 daily flights, using Embraer jets that seat either 37 or 44 passengers. The service will add a similar link between LaGuardia and Washington's Reagan National Airport a week later.
"We needed to build American's presence on the East Coast," Bailey said. "We know that there are American passengers and American Advantage frequent flier members who are out there in those markets who are selecting another product."
US Airways Group (Other OTC:UAWGQ.PK - News), which recently filed for federal bankruptcy protection, flies Airbus A320s that seat 150 passengers on its shuttle that runs 16 daily New York-Boston flights, 15 from New York to Washington and 14 between Boston and Washington.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE
AL - News) uses Boeing 737-800 with a similar seating capacity and currently offers 17 daily flights between New York and Boston and another 15 New York-Washington flights.LOWER COST SHUTTLE
Although Bailey would not disclose the cost of operation for a regional jet compared to a larger jet, she said RJs offer lower fuel and crew costs as well as cheaper landing fees because of their lighter weight.
"This is a niche market where American thinks it can make money. In a sense, they are emulating the Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - News) model by providing point to point service with high frequencies and lower operating costs," said Bernard Weinstein, a professor of applied economics at the University of North Texas and an airline analyst.
Weinstein said that American might also be looking to take traffic away from US Airways as it struggles through bankruptcy procedures and capture passengers from Amtrak's high-speed Acela train service, which has been plagued with operating problems.
Increased security at airports after the Sept. 11 attacks has helped Amtrak attract customers on the East Coast with travelers willing to jump on the train than go through the "hassle factor" of passing through the checks at airports, analysts said.
Delta and US Airways have special gates for shuttle passengers as well as offering discounts and frequent flier miles to passengers who spend more than 20 minutes at the gate.
American will be using its regular American Eagle gates for its shuttle passengers, who will find their quarters on the RJs a bit more cramped than the offerings on Delta and US Airways.
American said its prices on the shuttle will be competitive with its rivals. Round-trip tickets on next week's initial flights between Boston and New York - with travel on the same day - were $344 to $453 on American Air's Internet ticket site.
American will try to sweeten the pot by offering triple frequent flier miles through Dec. 31. David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, said that American has a strong core of customers in its American Advantage frequent flier program, which was one of the first in the business.
"All things being equal in terms of price and schedule, frequent flier programs tend to be the tiebreaker in selecting a carrier," Stempler said.
Sep 18, 2002, 6:30 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: YVR, ORD, LAS
Programs: AA CK, DL Diamond, AC SE100K, Marriott Ambassador, Hyatt Globalist, Accor Platinum
Posts: 44
Delta and US Airways are both giving triple STATUS miles on their Shuttles through December 31. The fine print on the AA website doesn't say anything about their bonus miles counting as elite status miles, unless I missed something.
Sep 18, 2002, 6:45 pm
#5
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Austin TX
Programs: AA PLT, ICH Plat
Posts: 1,965
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">"We know that there are American passengers and American Advantage frequent flier members who are out there in those markets who are selecting another product.</font>
Now AA can't have it both ways. They either need to generate revenue regardless of whether we elites like it or not, because LOYALTY does not matter, $$$$ do, or they can reach out to their Advantage members.
It will be interesting to see how much support AA gets for the Shuttle.
Sep 18, 2002, 6:58 pm
#6
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: San Jose, CA, USA
Posts: 237
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by alhcfp:
So after telling their FFers to go to HELL and we are all screaming on these baords, AA decides to tap into the good will of ADVANTAGE members.</font>
So after telling their FFers to go to HELL and we are all screaming on these baords, AA decides to tap into the good will of ADVANTAGE members.</font>
I don't live on the East Coast but if I did I would certainly choose the new AE flights in order to earn AA miles.
Sep 18, 2002, 9:27 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,340
I am actually not too optimistic about AE's operation. True, that it is a good way to earn some extra miles, but the present boarding system of AE at BOS is not good. You have to wait in the bus after walking down the jetway, till everyone has boarded, including those in the secondary check areas. Sometimes, your aircraft is just next to the jetway. It is ridiculous.
then both US and DL offered a pretty top notch products on these shuttle routes. Regional jets are not that pleasant, compared with the extra legroom on DL's 738 and US's A320.
Then the situations at LGA really worry me. That airport was operating at its full capacity and I don't think having more RJs appealed to them.
Do you all think that it will be a long last concept?
Carfield
then both US and DL offered a pretty top notch products on these shuttle routes. Regional jets are not that pleasant, compared with the extra legroom on DL's 738 and US's A320.
Then the situations at LGA really worry me. That airport was operating at its full capacity and I don't think having more RJs appealed to them.
Do you all think that it will be a long last concept?
Carfield
Sep 18, 2002, 9:37 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: BOS
Programs: riding the lifetime status. DL MM / AA MM
Posts: 2,968
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Carfield:
...but the present boarding system of AE at BOS is not good. You have to wait in the bus after walking down the jetway, till everyone has boarded, including those in the secondary check areas.</font>
...but the present boarding system of AE at BOS is not good. You have to wait in the bus after walking down the jetway, till everyone has boarded, including those in the secondary check areas.</font>
the wait for gate-checked bags will be annoying. using regular eagle checkin and security will be annoying. the legroom will be the worst of the three shuttles. but there are no middle seats, and it looks like they're matching snacks and free wine/beer.
also, the cheap AA fares have the new standby rules. the cheap DL fares allow off-peak to off-peak standby for free. flexibility is key on the shuttle routes...
all in all, i'll stick with DL for shuttle flights even next year, when i drop DL Silver from my profile, and add AA GLD.
Sep 18, 2002, 10:23 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: San Jose, CA USA
Posts: 1,791
Seems like a schizophrenic move to me. You're charging more than it costs to go coast to coast, and expecting FF's to go for it--for the miles? There just ain't enough miles to make you want to go for it, and certainly not in a RJ with all the hassles of negotiating AA's gates.
I give it 3 weeks until failure is declared.
------------------
AAExecPlat; Lifetime AAirpass; 3MillMiles; UApremier-PassPlus
I give it 3 weeks until failure is declared.
------------------
AAExecPlat; Lifetime AAirpass; 3MillMiles; UApremier-PassPlus
Sep 18, 2002, 10:28 pm
#10
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 41,990
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
I don't live on the East Coast but if I did I would certainly choose the new AE flights in order to earn AA miles.[/B]</font>
I don't live on the East Coast but if I did I would certainly choose the new AE flights in order to earn AA miles.[/B]</font>
Sep 19, 2002, 7:17 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 1999
Posts: 12,097
I believe that the BOS-LGA market is dominated by people who fly it on a regular basis, if not as a quasi or full-fledge commute.
How many of them do you think will still choose AE after flying through a storm on an RJ, when they know that they could be in a comfortable and more stable full-size jet with extra legroom, able to roll-on their second piece of luggage, watch videos, and plug in their laptop, and pay the same price?
How many of them do you think will still choose AE after flying through a storm on an RJ, when they know that they could be in a comfortable and more stable full-size jet with extra legroom, able to roll-on their second piece of luggage, watch videos, and plug in their laptop, and pay the same price?
Sep 19, 2002, 9:00 am
#12
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 2,055
Not only that but only a fool would brave the D concourse at LGA when able to take either Delta or US Airways. AA must know that they can't match the other two on the 20 minute check-in to gate guarantee. I'm not sure what AA is thinking.
Sep 19, 2002, 9:39 am
#13
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: new york, ny, usa
Posts: 13,536
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by FullFare:
I give it 3 weeks until failure is declared.
</font>
I give it 3 weeks until failure is declared.
</font>
Sep 19, 2002, 9:49 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Washington, DC`
Posts: 64
I just cant imagine it. the worst part for me would be the lines at LGA for the AA concourses--- they're always horrible, while I've never had more than a minute wait at the Delta Shuttle concourses in LGA and DCA, even at peak times! I dont mind ERJs, but the amenities and the terminals for Delta beat the pants off of AA's offerings, imho
Sep 19, 2002, 10:09 am
#15
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Dallas, TX, AA 3MM EXP, WN
Posts: 1,808
Plus no booze on the Eagle
