UnitedSkies

Not sure the jetBlue is looking to send 190s to IAD, because their current IAD strategy seems to be Florida and a few west coast cities (specifically FLL/LAS/LGB/OAK/SAN/SMF) and all are high volume and/or transcon markets.

whlinder

I think their current IAD strategy has been driven by the potential & presence of DH for the past 2 years. Ever since DH announced they were leaving UA and going to run everything through IAD B6 has been fairly cautious with IAD, adding a few flights and cities but not ramping up like they are doing elsewhere. Why would they go head to head against an irrational competitor like DH? UA had to defend their markets, plus maintain connecting traffic, but no sane airline would also jump into those markets.

Once DH is out of the picture, I expect to see decent expansion from jetBlue at IAD. I think they'll fill in the rest of Florida out of Dulles and perhaps run the 190s to BOS, JFK and maybe even their other Northeast cities.

MFLetou

I agree. A DH pull out would be a great opportunity for JetBlue. You already have an exisiting customer base there, and I bet there are a fair number of people who use both airlines. The E170 would be perfect for the short/medium routes that DH flies.

Unfortunately, I agree...I think I nobody will be FlyingI very soon.

mid

Man, I hope this doesn't happen. I'm loving the $80 RT fares into BOS.

MKE-MR

Just how low on unrestricted cash are they?
Safe for a month yet? a quarter? (yes, I know this is all speculation)

I assume the poster who slammed AWAC meant ACA, the last regional carrier iteration of FlyI before they struck out away from shore without a life jacket.

gleff

So is there any chance that they can file for bankruptcy, bring in a little cash, return the A319s and. . . prolong the losses?

I really want this airline to stay around, even if I don't really want to fly them.

choster

Similar sentiments at http://www.thedeal.com/NASApp/cs/Con...761&p=M4YD5AR1 .

whlinder

Flyi's Rating Lowered to 'Negative'



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Bond-rating agency Standard & Poor's yesterday lowered its rating of Flyi, parent of Dulles-based Independence Air, from "developing" to "negative." The move followed Flyi's disclosure Tuesday that it is making contingency plans for a potential Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing.

Cohiba

OK, I'll try and tackle this one. If you look at the prices, West Coast flights earn less revenue per mile than flights within the East. Also, taking fuel burn into consideration, a sold out A319 flying one roundtrip to the West can be less profitable than one flying multiple daily roundtrips in the East, even with less full loads. Hence, additional A319s to BOS & JAX.


Cheers.

Cohiba

I understand what is meant about returning to being a regional carrier, but just a note that the A319s are NOT the problem. In terms of unit costs, including fuel efficiency, the CRJs are twice as expensive as the A319s. Secondly, if you are going to be paying to send a plane up, its better for the airline to be able to put 132 pax on that departure, instead of 50. Again, this explains the move to all Airbus BOS flights, as well as the JAX, CLT & PWM flights.


Cheers.

StSebastian

Also, using the same aircraft type for all flights on a route can potentially reduce some of the costs depending on what you need at each end.

I hope they can hold it together, but they've got to figure out what they can do to get costs and revenue more in line. I've been trying to drive some of my corporate business to DH and there's been at least a few people that I've gotten to fly DH instead of one of the other possible airlines.

Still, a C11 filing is not the end of the world -- UA has been in C11 and losing money since 2002, and they're still flying. All C11 means is that the existing investors are pretty much wiped out; C7 is when the passengers get in trouble as well.

Just thinking about it a little bit, what might be the likelyhood that jetBlue would sweep in during a bankruptcy filing and pick up the RJs and routes for feeding IAD and JFK if they could make sense out of it? I've been surprised that they haven't worked their way out to smaller markets thus far, though the announcement of the 190s is definately a sign they're extending in that direction.

L Dude 7

I can't see B6 ever going after RJs. Their current load factor is around the 90s, leaving very little spare capacity. RJs have a very high unit cost, and as DH has made clear, they can not form a profitable basis for a discount airline.

mid

I can think of another reason to give your business to DH: their pilots, FA's, and mechanics aren't likely to strike. With all the crap that's going on with BA and Gate Gourmet, I'm more than a little nervous that a major carrier will run into labor issues.

DENPremEx

How is it considered "price gouging"? UA is barely making money and FlyI is hemorrhaging cash. Did you ever think FlyI isn't charging nearly enough? Take advantage of the cheap flights while you can because you'll be paying fair market value again very soon.

As far as business decisions are concerned, converting to FlyI from a UX carrier ranks up there ranks up there with Montana Power selling all of their power plants, burying fiber and renaming the company Touch America.

vatraveler

I think $700 or more roundtrip IAD-GSO (37-minute flight) unequivocally qualifies as price gouging. I'm not looking forward to the return of those days.