nova08

AF/DL/KLM are really the only airline that have swapped routes on a broad scale. Sure AA/BA have done it at major stations like BOS, but it's not like DL.

You don't see UA flying PHL-FRA because LH doesn't have the right size widebody, or AA flying a one-off route like ATL-LHR. Sure it can happen but the only ATI airlines that have demonstrated the desire to swap is DL/AF

MAH4546

Daily JFK service to Tucson begins October 6th.

MAH4546

Qatar's PHL flight is by far the worst performing U.S. route by the ME3 based off loads. I'd be shocked if EK follows.

AANYC1981

Awesome....love the TUS area!

dls25

True. However, I would argue that is more of a function of the flight's poor timing than the weakness of the PHL market. The main market for ME3 from the US is still the Indian subcontinent and the PHL-DOH timing creates 12+ hour layovers to almost all subcontinental markets. Make PHL-DOH a 7PM departure instead of a 10AM and I believe the results would be much better. EK would most likely be an evening departure....

Tanaka07

Wow TUS? Really? AA doesn't even have PDX-JFK. Any chance of PDX - JFK in the future? Or PDX-MIA?

TheBOSman

pmAA was always very strong out of TUS for whatever reason (some might know, I don't), even before adding the TUS-PHX flights (PHX is #2 for passengers out of TUS in terms of nonstop flights).

Considering even AS doesn't serve PDX-NYC or PDX-South Florida nonstop, I don't see AA starting either for a while.

WRCSolberg

It's not surprising at all, really. Tuscon has over a million people in the MSA and JFK is still an AA hub.

PDX has always been AS country, and to a lesser extent DL's. AA has never been able to gain a strong foothold there - they couldn't even make PDX-ORD work on a consistent basis.

C17PSGR

My recollection is that TWA had the biggest share of the TUS market for many years and I vaguely recall they may have had an Ambassadors Club there.

MAH4546

The reason is Raytheon, which travels largely on AA. Also there are a lot of AA res agents based in Tucson. Used to work at a call center; now work from home.

The latter is certainly no reason to support a daily JFK flight. Although the plethora of AA employees in Tulsa is absolutely why Tulsa has supported a weekly MIA flight for the past six years.

DA201

The problem isn't PHL or TLV, but rather AA. AA's decision came at a time when DL added 3 weekly JFK-TLV flights and UA started 3 weekly SFO-TLV flights, which showed that there was an increase in USA-TLV traffic. AA also had strong load factors, charged a big premium for O&D PHL-TLV traffic, and was not the usually the cheapest option for connecting flights (was and still is UA). The main reasons for dropping the flight was aircraft utilization, as they couldn't find a second city to successfully operate a W pattern, and AA strengthening their partnership with IAG and ME3. AA has a history of ending TLV service...

Anyway, enough of that. QR operates PHL-DOH on a huge loss and is always an empty flight, so I don't see EK starting DXB-PHL at the moment. It doesn't help that QR has terrible timing for most connections. It also doesn't help that UA operates EWR-BOM/DEL. I could see EK making MIA/FLL their next destination, with their choice of airport reflecting their decision to either connect passengers to AA or B6.

I do find AA"s decision to start JFK-TUS interesting, as no other airline currently operates TUS-NYC. If I had $1 for every time AA was the first carrier to start a XXX-NYC route... I may have $1. Just looking at the prices of the flight, it is heavily discounted. So maybe it will do well, who knows.

WRCSolberg

This is true.

I've run into a bunch of Raytheon engineers in the ACs at PHX.

jfinsocal

Tucson also has some NE snowbirds who prefer AZ to FL.

Plus legacy HP ==> US ==> AA frequent flyer base.

Some of U of A traffic in the fall/winter/spring.

It all adds up.

Fanjet

Wow!! That one came out of nowhere.

TheBOSman

See I used to know quite a few people who worked for Raytheon, but none of them traveled! Surprised I didn't put that together just from observation flying out of BOS (where Raytheon's HQ and multiple ops are near...)