JenniferNAz

That will be nice in a way, but I think all the planes are barbie jets between GEG and anywhere else. Upgrades are the most important thing for me. I will have to see what benefits there are to me flying AS.

DFW would be nice to be able to get to direct as an alternate to PHX.

ElmhurstNick

I think BOS could end up as a smaller version of DCA - a focus/origin city with flights to about 20 locations: for example, 8 hubs, DCA, LHR, 5 ERJ routes (YUL, SYR, BTV, PIT, BUF), 5 CR7 routes (STL, RDU, BNA, IND, YYZ) ).

CMK10

I'd certainly be happy to see BOS-RDU come back but with B6 flying it that might make it kind of redundant.

Oh and to JenniferNAz, DFW-GEG wouldn't surprise me, especially on an A-319.

N830MH

Yes, they did. They pulling out of ATL completely. Too much competitive against DL & FL. This route is no longer served. It just only 6 months. That's why they couldn't complete against DL.

chasgoose

Does anyone think that JFK-PHX flights will get bumped up to the 738 service with the upgraded soft product like on JFK-SAN/SEA or BOS-LAX? On the one hand its now a hub-to-hub service (for the next 2-3 years at least) and DL still singles out JFK-PHX as one of the routes where premium passengers are entitled to SkyClub access. On the other hand, AA doesn't do it for JFK-LAS, which presumably gets more premium passengers and is a longer flight.

N830MH

Actually, that was very short time PHX-JFK back in 2003 or 2004, but I don't remember. They couldn't complete against DL & HP. That's why Jetblue has already went to PHX back in October 2004.

chasgoose

Right, my question is more about what's going to happen to the existing US JFK-PHX flights once US has merged into AA.

dtremit

I think you're right about the 763, though it is interesting to note that US is rotating a daily A330 onto BOS-CLT for the first time in my memory -- starting in March and running through June.

BOS is almost halfway there already -- we have BUF, MDT, PIT, RIC, and ROC, as well as semi-infrequent flights to CUN, MBJ, PLS, and PUJ.

It might be interesting to see if any NE flying ex-DCA migrates to BOS as the slot restrictions hit -- given the connectivity via the Shuttle, it'd be a very easy connection for anyone coming from DCA or LGA. A route like BTV might make a lot of sense in that context.

Didn't AA serve BOS-YUL before cutting Eagle back in BOS? Given the loss of AC as a partner, it might well make sense to pick it up again.

eponymous_coward

But any kind of cross fleeting won't happen until there is a SOC, no? And aren't there some incoming A332s this year to the PMUS fleet?

dtremit

Cross-fleeting, no, but presumably once codeshares are in place they could change the operating carrier for a flight. Or potentially even transfer the plane.

The last few (4? Can't find the number quickly) 332s are being delivered this year, yes.

eponymous_coward

Except for AA 762s replacing US 762s, that means operating AA crews and planes out of US hubs, not AA ones. Probably not ideal right off the bat in summer '14- you now have to stock replacement parts in a US hub, there is a potential problem with staffing when you need replacement crew, and so on.

I still think the AA762s will end up as beer cans pretty quickly, as opposed to flown to Europe/South America as US 762 replacements with AA crews. I don't think you will see much cross fleeting until there is a SOC. My guess is that once that happens the fleets will start getting shuffled around. I could see a PMUS 332 doing some routes out of LAX, for instance- instead of flying PMAA 772s during low season to PVG/NRT, fly a PMUS A332. NewAA will have better ability to match capacity with route network and seasonality going forward...

BoeingBoy

Not necessarily. As long as the same planes (i.e.: 762s) are on both current ops certs pilots from either group could fly them. Crews couldn't be mixed - or it would be troublesome - without joint contracts but cross-crewing would be entirely legal from an FAA standpoint.

Contractually, there is a limitation on block hours to keep management from transferring time wholesale one way or the other though.

Jim

dtremit

I don't think either carrier's 762s are long for this world -- either way they're gone within the next 18 months, I'd figure. But it might be worthwhile for them to retire the decrepit US ones on the AA schedule and the AA ones on the US schedule.

I'm guessing the proximity of PHL and JFK -- and the fact that they've got plenty of spare planes -- would solve a lot of the issues you mention above, in the short term. You might see them disappear faster from CLT if that happened.

Upgraded!

What the quoted poster is describing is essentially a scaled up version of what B6 is starting to offer. No way AA would be able to compete with those economics. Now, outfit a bunch of 738s with all 45in pitch seats, no free food/booze/headphones and sell those for $900 each r/t and you may have something. Start with HPN-LAX/SFO and you may have an interesting experiment going. It would be almost like a lite version of BA's CWLCY. Too much chance to cannibalize revenue, though, if you ask me, and something I'm sure has been considered and shot down for a very good reason.

VX doesn't underprice anyone in F. They had some specials when they first rolled out, but they're never the low cost offering in the premium class market. For that, look to the new B6 product; now that looks compelling!

Ambraciot

VX doesn't really have F, they have J. But on BOS-SFO they generally sell J for a little less than UA prices their 38" "F" seats. It's a really uncompetitive route where UA has >90% of the premium seats and can set ridiculous prices (which they then undercut by selling last minute space available cash upgrades).