fdex727

This is the first time I can ever remember DL removing all mainline, it has always had at least on MD-88 of 737 in the mix. I believe the check in staff will stay due to the volume of flights and the possible return at some point of mainline, but who knows in the environment.

As of right now it looks as if there will be no upgauge in a/c during the fall furniture market, it has always been published around this time of year. I would not be surprised to lose MEM as well as CVG by early January either. It is a shame that G4 is the last mainline a/c, I was going to add that at least the service has stayed the same, but we are losing mainline as well as destinations. I do wish FL would return though I do not see it happening.

fdex727

Very true, I always reminded folks who stated they would rather fly DL because it was the same price with more flights that is was because of the competition provided by FL. There have been times since the pullout that it is cheaper to fly to europe r/t than to ATL.

Also as an add on Ted Johnson and the airport authority announced a week or two ago they were increasing landing fees, I believe it is somewhere over $2 dollars per 1,000 lbs now, I'm sure this played somewhat of a role as well in DL' decision.

SkyTeam777

The funny thing is that DL said they would be providing more choices to customers with all of these new hubs....at GSO, they've removed all choice except for ATL, CVG, DTW, and MEM. And as you said, who knows how long CVG and MEM will last!

Im just wondering how much of this is based on station managers pushing their cities more than other folks...GSO seems to have been on the decline with DL for the past several years.

SkyTeam777

Wow, that makes sense. I bet that factored into DL's decision for sure. Not only is the MD-88 gone, but any CR9s we were seeing. With FedEx here, they should let that help to subsidize what little commercial service is left without penalizing the airlines.

I just dont understand why FL hasnt even shown interest in returning to GSO based on the high fares.

SkyTeam777

According to the ground staff at GSO, this is a temporary change for the next three months. They were told this also happened last year (although none of them could remember it...nor could I), but they hope and expect mainline to return by the end of the year. They also said mainline staff would remain no matter what (at this point, but you never know these days).

mowogo

This is really a sad day for GSO, but after flying to ATL on monday, I am not surprised. The airport has been in decline, and it would not surprise me if the airport is trying to raise rents on the North Concourse because of the complaints by UA, AA, and US. For me, this probably means I will be flying out of RDU when feasible (I will not take anything out of RDU earlier than 8am), or take a more serious look at United, since they do have a few aircraft throughout the day with E+(I'm 6'5, its pretty nice even on the CRJ's)

aeolos

This may be overreacting. September is the slowest month of the year for air travel and we are in the midst of the worst recession in recent memory.

AA and UA have also pulled their mainline jets from GSO.

DLfan

This is happening at lots of airports. With all mainline pulled from VPS, I now make the trek to PNS more often than not. NW still has two daily CR9s to MEM (which I sometimes take); but, that usually means a CRJ out of MEM.

zsmith2

It looks like you will pick up a MD-88 Aug 18-Aug 31 but will lose it in Sept. In Sept MEM will lose the 2x CR9 but ATL will pick up the 2x CR9. 9E will opperate those instead of XJ.

mowogo

I do not dispute the position we are in, and I'm not surprised this is happening. Yes, Delta was the last legacy carrier to have mainline, but another key part of their schedule realignment is the shift in connecting options. Looking at the schedule, they have killed most of the connecting opportunities for me out of GSO, since there is NO morning service to either DTW or MEM, and only one option out of CVG. The returns on Friday evening are just as bad.

Now, I am not a lover of United, but they do have a few flights out of GSO that are more comfortable now for when I fly. That is also why I consider RDU a viable option for the flights, since it is an hr away, and oftentimes the flights are cheaper. I have a feeling this will become even more noticeable with the reduction in capacity for the times I have to travel.

DLfan

Thanks for the info! Those CR9s to ATL could pull me back to the much more convenient VPS for as long as they last; however, that would mean coming to terms with the mostly under-trained and/or inept Mesaba folks now running what has become a generally disfunctional station.

tracyutah

I have flown in and out of GSO a lot over the last 10 years. Over the last ~ year or so I have noticed a marked reduction in airport traffic. The place has been deserted every time I've been there (as recently as the beginning of June) and seems on its way out, which is sad for a little airport that is easy and accessible. While the airstrip itself will probably always be open thanks to FedEx, it seems as though the appeal of CLT and RDU, both in easy proximity, with lower fares, combined w/the economy, will cause continued capacity reductions at places such as GSO.

mersk862

Shame too since I loved flying out of GSO when I was at Wake (and still love using it the 2x a year I go back to visit).

With OLCI, I could arrive at the airport 35 minutes before departure and still not rush to the gate - my record is getting to the airport at 5:43 am for a 6 am MD-80 to ATL about 4 years ago and still making it on.

Gone are the good ol' days indeed. I remember when I first started school, the GSO schedule was something like this:
DL - mentioned above (around 8x mainline to ATL, plus some CRJs; MD-88 and 4-5x CRJ to CVG, 3x CRJ to LGA, 2x CRJ to MCO, 2x CRJ to DFW)
NW - 3x DC-9-30 to DTW (with some Avros on weekends), 1x MSP CRJ, 1x MEM CRJ
CO - 1x 737 to EWR (and 3 ERJs), 4x ERJ to IAH
US - 4x 737 to PHL (plus some RJs), 6x 737 to CLT (plus RJs/Dashes), 4x RJ/J41 to PIT, 2x ERJ to BOS, around 6-8x ERJ to LGA, 4x J41 to BWI
AA - 3x CRJ-700 to DFW
UA - 2x 737/2x CRJ to ORD, 4x ERJ to IAD
FL - 2-3x 717 to ATL
DH - when they started, it was 8x CRJ to IAD (and a MCO CRJ came shortly after)

Heck, there was even the days of the large DL operation at GSO in early 2005:
ATL - 6-7x mainline (plus 2-3x CRJ); CVG - 1x 737-200 (plus 4-5x CRJ); LGA - 3x CRJ; JFK - 3x CRJ; BOS - 2x CRJ; MCO - 4x CRJ; TPA - 1x CRJ; FLL - 2x ER3
I remember seeing some passengers connecting in GSO from a BOS flight I was on to FLL and MCO flights that were leaving within the hour. Those were also the days when there were rumors going around of DL looking at trying to get a CRC at GSO.

SkyTeam777

Exact opposite of my experience (and I live here and fly from here every week)...flights have been 90-100% full on a variety of airlines (filling to capacity with nonrevs often, which isnt good revenue-wise I guess). True, full planes never mean good yields, but with the prices people pay out of GSO...someone has to be getting good yields...and it isnt RDU and CLT at some of the prices they charge in comparison!

fdex727

Going down memory lane, when I first began working at the airport in the late 90's and early 2000's here's an added look at the schedules:
CO:mix of 737/MD's/DC9's to IAH and EWR with ATR's and Beech 1900s to CLE
AA:4 F100's to DFW, ERJ's to ORD and LGA
Eastwind: 737's to MCO, PHL and Tampa
At UA: we had 5 dailies to ORD consisting of 727/737's and a mix of J-32/41's to IAD with one to two 757's at furniture market
US: mix of 737's/DO328 to PIT, 737 to PHL/CLT, F100's to DCA/LGA
NW: 4 DC9's to DTW, one or two DC9's to MEM

I realize the way the industry is headed, but it is still amazing to see the number of seats the airport once had.