ARCHIVE: Routes (Flights) and Hubs (Speculation, News and Discussion)
Sep 8, 2015, 8:23 am
#3046
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 167
Now I would have agreed with you, but YtravelF was in the know and right about PHL-TLV, so I am going to believe him.
As for gauging equipment, I wouldn't be surprised if the 767s go to PHL, only because the PHL 76' base is still open, in a sense; however I think I recall the ratio of business to main cabin seat on the 76' and the RASM (I think that is what it was, but I may be wrong) didn't make it favorable for CLT, but I don't know. The A330s, especially the -300, are perfect for MIA-South America; and the old routes operated by the A300.
As for gauging equipment, I wouldn't be surprised if the 767s go to PHL, only because the PHL 76' base is still open, in a sense; however I think I recall the ratio of business to main cabin seat on the 76' and the RASM (I think that is what it was, but I may be wrong) didn't make it favorable for CLT, but I don't know. The A330s, especially the -300, are perfect for MIA-South America; and the old routes operated by the A300.
Sep 8, 2015, 9:32 am
#3047
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: NYC, ORD
Programs: AA EXP, AS 75K, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 280
I'm sure it won't -- but for some of us, that flight is our only option for eastbound to LHR in daytime on AA. When AA killed their own daytime eastbound out of JFK, they broke the permissible connections (the BA flights depart JFK too early). Nor can I get to ORD early enough to catch the daytime eastbound from there.
Sep 8, 2015, 10:39 am
#3048
Join Date: May 2013
Location: YYZ/YTZ/YUL
Programs: BA Gold, TK Elite
Posts: 1,558
Sep 8, 2015, 11:48 am
#3049
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: AA 1.6MM EXP; UA GS; SPG LTG,Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,477
IMO the question is whether this market is one that AA finds profitable. Or whether any of the other players find profitable. My completely uneducated guess is that there is an opportunity cost in providing these connecting options, which may have been smaller in the past (with lower pmUS costs), but given the now merged airline and operating costs, does not make sense any more.
Yeah it sucks for those affected, but I rather believe there are cold hard numbers backing up these decisions. Maybe a shortsighted view in terms of losing existing customers to UA/DL though.
Being on the left coast, these luxuries don't exist for me anyway
Sep 8, 2015, 2:44 pm
#3050
Join Date: May 2009
Location: PHL
Posts: 2,842
AA
PHL-LHR: Dep 9:45am
LHR-PHL: Dep 8:20am
DL
PHL-LHR: Dep 6:23pm
LHR-PHL: Dep 10:35am
Sep 8, 2015, 2:53 pm
#3051
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
Programs: AA, B6, DL, EK, EY, QR, SQ, UA, Amex Plat, Marriott Tit, HHonors Gold
Posts: 12,809
Sep 8, 2015, 3:03 pm
#3052
Join Date: May 2009
Location: PHL
Posts: 2,842
Yes, I believe so, since it is the only LUS 752 (maybe even the only AA 752) operating to LHR. Arrives LHR around 10pm and departs 8:20am. As mentioned in a previous reply, we should expect changes to PHL-LHR and the likely cancellation of daylight service is one of them.
Sep 8, 2015, 5:00 pm
#3053
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: PIT
Posts: 759
Because it could draw capacity away from DL business flyers who may prefer a daylight flight and send a "No Trespass" message. What other reason do you think AA would sacrifice a LHR slot pair and announce the flight 1 week ahead of the start of DL's PHL-LHR flight??
Last edited by perseus11; Sep 8, 2015 at 5:06 pm
Sep 8, 2015, 6:14 pm
#3054
Join Date: May 2009
Location: PHL
Posts: 2,842
So I agree it was definitely an AA response. I would think a normal LHR slot time would do that just fine. If the suggestion that the daylight flight won't last much longer then it appears that it did not attract many paxs period, let alone DL paxs that prefer a daylight option. Regardless, I am curious how it shakes out.
Sep 8, 2015, 7:10 pm
#3055
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: LAX; AA EXP, MM; HH Gold
Posts: 31,789
I have no inside knowledge about the AA 757 daytime PHL-LHR flight, but it clearly appeared to be a response to DL's startup with the divested PHL slot.
DL failed miserably on MIA-LHR (a huge local market compared to PHL-LHR) and I predict that DL won't stick around at PHL. During the MIA-LHR experiment in 2011, DL sold business class fares for $1,500 return all summer long (and from BOS, too).
This daytime flight was cheap capacity for the peak summer season, and if it ends this fall, that's consistent with my expectations. AA didn't need to add more evening capacity, as the two BA flights and the one US A333 is more than enough evening capacity to blunt DL's evening flight. The daytime flight gave local passengers even more options to avoid Delta.
DL failed miserably on MIA-LHR (a huge local market compared to PHL-LHR) and I predict that DL won't stick around at PHL. During the MIA-LHR experiment in 2011, DL sold business class fares for $1,500 return all summer long (and from BOS, too).
This daytime flight was cheap capacity for the peak summer season, and if it ends this fall, that's consistent with my expectations. AA didn't need to add more evening capacity, as the two BA flights and the one US A333 is more than enough evening capacity to blunt DL's evening flight. The daytime flight gave local passengers even more options to avoid Delta.
Sep 9, 2015, 8:37 am
#3056
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: PIT, EWR
Posts: 138
I'd expect that things will get lighter when leaf season ends, say, end of October.
Sep 21, 2015, 3:40 am
#3057
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: CLT
Programs: AA Platinum Pro, DL UA
Posts: 457
AA DCA to ATL
Just read on another cite that AA will begin flying 5 non-stops from DCA-ATL-DCA effective 1/5/2016. Anyone know which cities will be losing service to make this happen? The new service will be flown on E-175.
Sep 21, 2015, 6:07 am
#3058
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Lifetime Plat, SPG Plat, AMEX Plat, Hertz PC, Travels too Much Platinum
Posts: 3,290
Some analysis in a thread over on airliners.net indicated reductions in the frequencies to some smaller cities (ROC, PWM spring to mind but don't hold me to it) to free up slots for this, but I don't believe anyone is losing service completely. Some of these reductions may also feed seasonal service increases to Florida for winter demand.
Sep 21, 2015, 10:28 am
#3059
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
~Moderator
Sep 21, 2015, 1:10 pm
#3060
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Posts: 1,145
DFW-PEK
I'm looking at the loads as I have an EVIP coming up for DFW-PEK...it seems this route is very light. I'd almost like to keep my last EVIP and use it for my DFW-HKG flight if it's possible to get a middle seat open next to me. Has anybody been flying this route and how open are the flights? In looking at flights this week, seems planes are only half full.