Microwave

FWAAA was replying to a specific comment upthread about re-strategising JFK-LAX; I am always hesitant to speak for others, but I'm relatively certain () that FWAAA is quite clear on AA's plans for JFK<>LAX/SFO.

radarskiy

PHX is at 33°26′03″N, DFW is at 32°53′49″N. A difference of 32'13", or 37 miles.

chicaloca453

IMO AA has to keep Charlotte as a hub or else concede the intra southeast traavel to Delta. Believe it or not, there's a lot of business done in the Southeast, and US and DL own the market. UA has pretty much conceded because passengers feel like IAD is an inconvenient connection point. People going from BNA to JAX would prefer to go via CLT or ATL than IAD. AA doesn't even bother pricing such routes right now.

AA tried at one point to beef up Miami adding nonstops from smaller airports. That didn't last long. US has a solid market share of the business right now, and I don't think AA will be willing to give it up.

As for other hubs, I wish AA woould retreat from PHL and return PIT to the northeastern hub. With PHL being in NYC air space (or at least adjacent to it), there are numerous delays in and out. I'd rather eat glass than connect in PHL. I haven't done it in 2+ years in fact and before that there was a 4 year lapse. In contrast, I always chose to connect in PIT before the move. I know it won't happen, but a girl can dream.

trvlr70

I agree here. That's why I was so surprised that so many posters are willing to just abandon such a strategic hub. If I had to pick a hub that best works for domestic, Europe and Asia, I'd choose ORD. If you are talking domestic, Europe and Latin America, I'd choose ATL unsurprisingly.

nall

CLT and ORD, I think, are both reasonably safe. Chicago may be competitive but it can easily serve a lot of Midwest markets with regional flights.

There are supposedly a number of new AA destinations planned out of MIA and DFW which Parker is on board with.

Routes I've heard rumored out of MIA include NRT, JNB, and TLV.

FriendlySkies

Here's a big +1 to that. One of the reasons I don't want to drop UA is their service to PWM. Even though its an RJ (900 miles from ORD...), its better than having to take four flights if trying to stay with AA/partners. MCI-ORD-DCA-JFK-PWM (the latter being flown on B6)..

Is ORD the farthest western destination from PWM? I'd be curious if AA could sustain an MD80 or A319 DFW-PWM. Maybe a 738 to MIA? B6 had their MCO service for a little while, and from friends at the airport, it did pretty well during the winter months. Lots of people connecting to cruises, etc.

PWMTrav

PWM-ORD is the farthest western destination and also the longest scheduled flight from PWM, currently. It's 900mi vs 800 to CLT, but the latter is at least flown on a mainline US jet.

WN supposedly offers PWM-MCO non-stop (or at least did last year), but it's not anywhere on their current schedule loaded out to the end of June. It could be seasonal, but PWM-ORD is the longest daily, year-round in any case.

I really do think PWM will pick up ORD and another pmAA hub, especially if the merged AA begins to try and shift some west-bound connecting traffic out of the mid-atlantic hubs. That or they add ORD and a 2nd daily to CLT, which I still wouldn't mind. It will probably mean cutting back from 4x DCA and 5x PHL, but it might be natural to cut one of the CRJ dailies from each anyway. I have no stats on where people go from PWM, but I'm guessing most are connecting and not staying in DCA/PHL/CLT.

Now I'm really getting wishful, but restarting PWM-YYZ would be nice as well. AC canned it when they started to cut back on the Dash flights, but I wonder if the area could support it to feed WS at YYZ.

Then again, I'm more optimistic than right usually.

dtremit

Even if AA doesn't add a ORD-PWM flight, you can do a single connect MCI-PWM today via CLT, PHL, or DCA.

chasgoose

Right, but LAX can't really grow much more from its current position in the AA network. AA can't even accommodate the 20 or so flights a day US Airways currently has, even if they shrink those down, they aren't going to be able to add many more flights. LAX's status as an international hub won't change, but it can't absorb PHX's operations.

FriendlySkies

Of course, though it wouldn't earn any AA miles (until reciprocity starts), so not worth it to me. Doing the n/s on UX is a better deal and can offer upgrades.

fastflyer

Funny that we are talking about MCI-PWM. This is a routing I had to construct a few times last summer, and potentially a few times this coming summer (because of my summer place near PWM and a recurring customer in MCI). In the past I've also had to piece together STL-PWM itineraries involving terminal changes at LGA or DCA, etc.

As an AA EXP, the MCI-PWM involved a flight to ORD and a lengthy connection wait at the Admirals Club before hoofing it to United. Sometimes in the not-too-distant Delta terminal, sometimes way at the far end of terminal 1. The fare was also remarkably expensive, although ticketable on AA.com.

UA's operation at PWM also had several meltdowns last summer, described elsewhere on these boards. US' existing PWM service (even better if they add PWM from ORD) is one of the delightful aspects of the merger for me.

BoeingBoy

True - "south" was probably not the best choice of words for buckeyefanflyer. PHX is better located for intra-western service and the northern half of the west for connections to the east than LAX if medium and smaller cities are considered. The one big problem with midwest hubs like DFW and ORD is the distance the feed traffic from medium western cities has to be transported before consolidating traffic to major eastern cities on larger equipment - a problem that places like PHX help alleviate. It's also the reverse - CLT/PHL work much better as collection points for traffic headed to major west coast cities than DFW/ORD.

Jim

FriendlySkies

It's unfortunate that they went with the ground handler that COEx used (GAT), rather than Air Wisc., which ran an excellent PWM operation. Have heard nothing but complaints from employees and pax since GAT took over for UAX.

6P&E

I'm one people who would just as soon go that route on one of WN's multiple daily non stops.

But then AA hasn't been a possibility on that route since 1995, which is about to change.

BoeingBoy

Every legacy has city pairs where the connecting point is in the wrong direction. It's pretty much unavoidable.

Jim