sxf24

Outside of the brief periods when there were 4 banks, I'm not aware of NW flying a non-hub route out of MEM more than 3x daily in recent history.

The very distinctive banks of flights is what makes MEM work.

twohundredfifty

Yeah, I got stuck there once between banks due to a cancellation and it was amazing how the airport turned into a ghost town for a few hours before filling up again.

Vuelos

Tough position for an airline to put themselves in!

motytrah

What do you think feeds the mainline flights? It's the beginning of a downward spiral for DL @ MEM. DL is picking winners and loosers as far as hubs/focus cities go. A change like this make makes declining traffic a self fulfilling prophecy more or less.

lsugolfer

Post-K BTR's operations increased while MSY was recovering.

aeolos

No, the April schedule is final. The bulk of the MEM cuts will come in May and beyond and many have been loaded already.

.....

For those curious, many cuts have already been loaded into the schedules. Here is a look at this July vs last July on a weekly frequency basis.

Dst Jul11 Jul10 Pct Chg
AEX 0 14 -100%
AMA 0 21 -100%
AMS 7 7 0%
ATL 76 70 9%
ATW 7 0 0%
AUS 20 21 -5%
BHM 21 21 0%
BNA 21 21 0%
BOS 20 21 -5%
BTR 20 21 -5%
BWI 20 21 -5%
CHA 0 20 -100%
CID 7 0 0%
CLE 18 20 -10%
CLT 20 21 -5%
CMH 20 21 -5%
COU 20 20 0%
CUN 1 1 0%
CVG 21 21 0%
DAL 20 21 -5%
DCA 21 21 0%
DEN 14 14 0%
DFW 21 21 0%
DSM 20 20 0%
DTW 28 28 0%
ECP 21 21 0%
EVV 7 14 -50%
EWR 14 20 -30%
FLL 7 7 0%
FSM 19 21 -10%
GLH 14 14 0%
GPT 14 21 -33%
GRR 20 20 0%
GSO 0 7 -100%
GTR 7 14 -50%
HSV 20 21 -5%
IAH 20 20 0%
ICT 21 21 0%
IND 21 21 0%
JAN 20 21 -5%
JAX 21 21 0%
JFK 0 7 -100%
LAS 18 21 -14%
LAX 21 21 0%
LBB 20 20 0%
LEX 21 19 11%
LFT 13 20 -35%
LGA 21 21 0%
LIT 21 21 0%
LNK 7 0 0%
MBJ 0 1 -100%
MCI 20 21 -5%
MCO 21 21 0%
MFE 0 20 -100%
MGM 0 20 -100%
MIA 7 14 -50%
MKE 20 21 -5%
MLI 14 13 8%
MLU 0 14 -100%
MOB 13 21 -38%
MSN 21 13 62%
MSP 28 36 -22%
MSY 21 21 0%
OKC 20 21 -5%
OMA 21 21 0%
ORD 20 20 0%
PHL 20 21 -5%
PHX 14 14 0%
PIB 14 14 0%
PIT 20 21 -5%
PNS 21 21 0%
RDU 20 21 -5%
SAN 0 7 -100%
SAT 20 21 -5%
SDF 20 21 -5%
SEA 7 14 -50%
SFO 0 7 -100%
SGF 20 21 -5%
SHV 20 20 0%
SLC 21 21 0%
STL 20 21 -5%
TLH 0 20 -100%
TPA 14 14 0%
TUL 21 21 0%
TUP 15 13 15%
TYS 21 21 0%
VPS 0 21 -100%
XNA 20 21 -5%
YVR 0 1 -100%
YYZ 0 14 -100%
Total 1,347 1,521 -11.4%

hazelrah

What can you say about these monopolistic hubs like MEM and MSP?

If you sup with the Devil better have a long spoon?

Arkbulldog

Thanks for the info. Very concerned for direct flights from MEM. SFO cut out extremely painful.

Arkbulldog

SFO out hurts

vxmike

I don't fault them; it's the best financial move IMO. I never understood why an industry with high fixed costs was so obsessed with growth when demand is elastic based on factors outside of their control.

Sucks for us as consumers though.

personaltravelaid

Any word on which cities will be cut?

Arkbulldog

look above

respectable_man

Interesting: "The company is retiring 120 of its least-efficient planes over the next 18 months, including DC9-50s and Saab turbo-props and 60 of its 50-seat regional jets, according to the filing."

I understand how the small CRJs are inefficients but the turboprops are usually sippers and typically much more economical over short or even medium distances. As to the 9s, argument has always been they're paid for so operating costs come out lower than a mortgaged, more efficient plane.

Yes DL is abandoning small markets to focus on higher-end customers who can afford higher fares and E+ tickets; they are disproportionately located in larger cities.

eimsand

If the MEM airport authority agreed to this, they're crazy. DL clearly has no intentions of ramping up capacity at MEM. Allowing them to squat on vacant gates that they have no intention of using is completely and totally against the best interest of the community. If they made this agreement they need to be taken out back and beaten with a wet noodle.

FWIW, a quote in the Commercial Appeal says that airport "boosters" are optimistic that WN will use this as an opportunity to increase activity in MEM (on top of the one gate that AirTran currently has).

LarryJ

Growth reduces per-unit costs.