mke9499

http://www.azcentral.com/community/m...#ixzz22nBbd5cs

They were in negotiations for about one year!

fenx

Sadly Mesa is rather poor location for an "overflow" airport. PHX Sky Harbor is already on the SE end of Phoenix proper. AZA is on the SE corner of all PHX-metro area developed land. If you've got an airport that already skews South East city planning wise, it makes little sense to have your overflow further SE. The western/northern surrounding areas are left with the much more significant commute to any airports.

Had runways at Luke AFB been instead of Williams, that would have made much more sense geographically.

My hypothesis is this is another grab at the Canadian travel market as Mesa tends to have plenty of Canadian snowbirds. F9 is trying to get a piece of what has been G4 and AS's game out west.

FWIW, I have flown G4 from AZA to a market that was abusively priced by the two of the big 5 that flew into that destination. Pleasant flight, but the 1.5hr drive home afterwards is the part hasn't been forgotten. Also to those thinking about flying there in the summer, be aware that you will have to traverse some passage ways that are outdoors between check-in and departure.

MikeFromMKE

I like this add, and really happy it isn't a full move out of PHX. They probably got a good deal from the airport and hopefully some Pheonix residents will find it convenient enough for them to keep it or even send another frequency.

Indelaware

Mesa Gateway has been wooing airlines (any airline will do) to provide service. By being the first to serve AZA-DEN, F9 nearly ensures that no LCC will come into the market; neither F9, UA, US, nor WN would want NK, G4 or some other upstart flying AZA-DEN and taking pax away from PHX-DEN. By doing AZA-DEN itself, F9 will also pick up some PHX-DEN business which may be going to competitors anyway. Not sure how much cheaper it is to land at and operate from AZA but it must be significantly less than PHX so even if they don't get quite the load they do at PHX it could still be profitable.

N830MH

Right, they will have enough more profitable route. I'm pretty sure they will be successful. It will get some more tougher competition against US, WN, UA. I don't see UA going to AZA anytime soon. UA will stays in PHX and I don't see WN going to AZA in a distant the future. I think they will adds more frequency from 1 daily to 3rd daily RT. I am pretty sure if those route will done extremely very well.

Indelaware

Frequency will be key. In that they already decided to invest in AZA for the reasons I cited above, I was a bit surprised that they didn't start with 2 daily, a morning and late afternoon. In time perhaps.

Agree that UA, US, & WN will stay at PHX. If UA was smart, however, they might respond quickly with 2-3 day with RJs, killing F9 on the frequency from the go. But, they aren't smart -- I am not sure that any airline is smart.

AZA is inconvient for many in the valley, but certainly fine for Mesa and east with some draw from Tempe and points west and north. Expansion of LightRail there would be a potential boom, but I really don't expect taxpayers to invest enough to make LightRail really work in the Phoenix area; mayoral candidates in Phoenix are running on their opposition of it. How short sighted! But being able to take it from PHX to AZA would be a plus for travellers and irrops. Significantly reduced parking is also a bonus for AZA.

formeraa

I don't agree with this analysis. The fares between PHX and DEN have been extremely low over the past few years (since WN entered the PHX-DEN market). In addition, Allegiant's fares are bargain-basement as well. So, F9 better get a lot of connecting traffic through DEN to destinations that are not currently served out of AZA.

Indelaware

I am not sure what part you don't agree with.

davywavy

United's multiple flights a day on DEN-MSN/GRR/DSM, etc, surely didn't kill Frontier's 1 x daily on those routes.

Nor do I think that United actually wants to kill Frontier. United decided long ago that their costs make the lower yielding traffic at DEN unattractive.

And then again, there was Ted....

Indelaware

MSN/GRR/DSM three small cities. Phoenix is much better, although I prefer the other three much more. And I think there is something different when talking about a route new to all airlines.

I was refering only to killing F9 on the AZA route, not all of F9. Moreover, UAs costs have gone down. But, it doesn't matter -- UA isn't going to do this; they have their hands full elsewhere.

davywavy

If you want big cities, United has never driven Frontier from SFO and LAX and LGA, either. Any overtly adversarial relationship United had with Frontier went away with the end of Ted - and when United corrected it's disastrous overreaction to the arrival of Southwest at DEN. Within a year, DEN dropped from being one of United's most profitable hubs to its least profitable. The Rocky Mountain News flat out said that United was losing money at DEN:

http://m.rockymountainnews.com/news/...on-denver-hub/

"United loses money on Denver hub - Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News"

United decided the money is in higher yield. So I agree, United isn't going to do this.

Indelaware

I think you are ready too much into my suggestion. I was not suggesting that UA enter into an "overtly adversarial relationship", only that should UA enter into this very small market with two or three flights as opposed to F9s single frequency that it would have the effect of wooing a great number of AZA-DEN customers away from F9 on this particular route only. But there won't be any compition from UA on it; we are agreed.

lebowski2222

Greensboro to MCO, North Carolina is the new state in the contest

I picked Alabama as my other state, was thinking Hunstville or some other city of that size to MCO

knope2001

Yup, looks like MCO-GSO three times per week.

I guessed NC and CT, guessing that Hartford will be added in the same light as places like Cleveland and Pittsburgh are on their map, with seasonal service to international beach markets. North Carolina was a fairly easy guess, but I wouldn't bet money on who #2 is going to be. Huntsville is a good guess for Orlando service, given that Southwest is cutting it free. Right now it seems that Frontier is looking to the largest markets that Southwest isn't interested in, and HSV is a good choice.

So we have Mesa AZ and Greensboro NC. Four more to come. I'm guessing they will either be from Orlando or from international beach markets.

Indelaware

GSO is IMHO underserved. But rather than simply MCO-GSO wouldn't MCO-GSO-DEN make more sense?