Will B6 fly to MSP?
 

Now that DL/NW are one, will B6 fly to MSP?

I believe MSP was on B6's radar for some time, but we will only see another new city or 2 at most this year.

Why would them being one (at the earliest several months from now) even matter? Its not like they were sharing MSP a hub.

No new US cities this year unless something dramatic changes.

With Oil at another record I think we will start to see some cuts in flights now. It is getting real expensive to fly to the marginal cities now. Parking the planes for 5-6 hours instead of doing a turn is actually going to be cheaper. This is starting to get really ugly, but the climate right now is to hang on and hopefully weather the storm.

$100/barrel oil is here to stay, companies are going to start looking for ways to survive in this new environment. Whether it's merging or charging for seats, companies are going to do whatever it takes. Even after the reported merger between Delta and Northwest I don't think you will see a pull down of MSP or DTW. We can't afford to throw planes and money at cities that are fortresses like DTW or MSP, it could/would hurt our bottom line. We are prolly going to go after new routes with little competition or routes that are well under utilized. I think the rest of this year is going to be a quiet restful year for JetBlue.

I hope so, but it is going to be pretty darn quiet and restful at MSP in a year or two when the NW/DL thing executes and the combined airline draws down unneeded hubs. That will create opportunity for B6 and VX that I hope they are able to take advantage of.

I'd look to MEM and CVG before MSP as potential hubs that DL/NW would trash. MSP is not a sure thing to last, but more likely than the other two.

I would say nothing at the new DL is a sure thing to last except ATL. They are pitching a load of hooey over there about preserving all seven domestic hubs, but that would defy the rationale for absorbing NW in the first place, which is to create one more efficient network with fewer choices and higher prices. As the combined airline retracts to resemble the pre-merger DL plus some juicy Asia routes and a bunch of RJs serving captive midwest markets, I would be willing to bet you'll be able to hold Sunday afternoon drag races on MSP's main runway without disturbing ops.

If B6/F9/VX can just stay healthy while this retraction occurs there will be plenty of expansion opportunity.

Here is what I see going on with the New Delta and hubs

ATL - enough said
JFK - TransAtlantic Gateway
DTW - Brand Spankn' new Gateway and supported by Michigan
SLC - West Coast Gateway
LAX - West Coast North/South Flying as well as Japan Gateway
NRT - To keep the Northwest Intra-Japan flying

Gone
CVG
MSP

strangely, you don't mention MEM.

Closting MSP will cost them hundreds of millions of dollars. Probably not going to happen too soon.

They can continue to call them all hubs and just reduce the number flights in some of them to right-size things.

Opps, forgot about MEM. MEM would be on my list of downsizing and possible closure.

MSP is considered a "fortress hub."

Regardless of what other hubs the merged carrier may keep or drop, I expect them to keep MSP. Northwest dominates MSP with a 67% market share. That's a big asset that Northwest brings to the merger. I can't see them giving that up.

With a Google search, I found this interesting article from earlier this year: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/...20News/984251/

The article begins:
A paragraph later in the article comments about Northwest's 67% market share at MSP:
Also, keep in mind that Northwest kept MSP and DTW, before, during, and after Northwest's Chapter 11 reorganization.

Northwest has an estimated 60% market share and a spectacular new terminal at DTW.

Northwest brings these two airports, where their dominant market share allows them to charge more, to the merger. They're not just hubs; they're also big origin and destination markets.

I can see the merged carrier reducing service at CVG and MEM, due to redundancy with DTW and ATL. Even at CVG and MEM, the merged carrier is likely to try to keep a dominant market position.

I have flown through DTW twice in the last 3 years on trips to Japan (EWR-DTW-NGO-DTW-EWR and LGA-DTW-NRT-NGO-DTW-EWR). It is a very nice, bright, and open terminal. Its a great asset to have and operate in. However, it does come down to one simple, underlying principle... does it pay the bills and, perhaps, leave a little change in their pockets at the end of the day?