Most everyone around here knows that TWA has been in trouble for a long time.

I'm just wondering, witht the dropping of service to PBI, cutting back on NY-Fla routes, closing of the club in Columbus.

Are we finally seeing the end in sight?

I personally find the ny-fla cutbacks odd,
I'd think those would be high load factor flights.

Boomer, a few points.

1) Jet Blue is starting service to PBI at $79 from JFK, could be not worth while for TW to match or beat.

2)PBI in the winter used to be serviced by wide-bodies to accomadate Ichans friends

3)The Columbus club was good when TW was trying to use it as a 2nd hub,now it flies only to STL from there.

As many people know I'm no great fan of the airline,but if they are to survive then they must start to look at the bottom line of all their routes and extras and do away with those that not only aren't making money but where they don't see a turn around either.

[This message has been edited by craz (edited 09-11-2000).]

craz: I agree, and nobody would call me pro-TWA either.

I was just wondering.

Sadly, they will likely be eventually absorbed, IMHO! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

And with AA starting service between NY and STL on November 1, that is just another nail in the coffin...I'd better use my miles quickly.

IMO,

TWA is continuing to shed unprofitable routes for those which can be year-round money makers. There are rumors of some more European pullbacks, coupled with a significant increase in flying out of SJU. The airline is now also back in the transcon market to some degree- soon to be 5x LAX, 3x SFO and 1x SNA out of JFK, with more to come.

LAX-DCA won't hurt, either. If you look at fares to Europe, especially with the effect of Karabu, it is difficult for TWA to survive in that market. As much as I hate to see more European closings, if a comprehensive code-share can be worked out, I think that it's a good thing. Just for example, a R/T STL-CDG is around $460, about the same price as STL-LAX for a trip that is almost 3x the length.

It's always sad when people who have very little knowledge of what's really going on at TWA are able to pick up a piece of news and somehow turn it into the end of the airline. AGAIN!

How many times have we heard that TWA is on its way out of business. Well, here we are, a decade + later and, if anything, TWA is finally starting to show improvement. Both financially and from an operations standpoint.

TWA isn't getting ready to shut down because it's shedding unprofitable routes, if anything, it's making a bad situation better. As was mentioned earlier, they have added more nonstops, including DCA-LAX, which is sure to make money. They have almost phased out the gas guzzling 727's and continue to increase the use of the new 717's. Hardly things indicative of an airline about to go belly-up.

In regard to AA starting LGA-STL service ... This is an obvious message to TWA from AA that they are not happy with how well TWA is doing in the Caribbean. TWA is soundly the number 2 airline there, and they are doing so well that they have plans to keep on growing there. Again, hardly the actions of an airline about to croak.

Sorry to disappoint most of you, but TWA is nowhere near folding.

Right, CA Platinum, TWA is the roach of the airline industry, you can't kill it, it won't die. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/eek.gif

I second CA PLAT. TWA has been around and while everyone else claims they will be down THEY WILL SURVIVE. Being number 7 of the top US airlines may be low on the chart put at least they are on the chart and WILL climb to a higher number in the near future.

Number seven? who's 8 and 9?

no 1 : UA
no 2 : AA
no 3 : DL
no 4,5,6 : NW,CO,US (not sure in what order)
no 8 and 9 : pick Alaska or America West....

I think that people who said that TWA is doomed have not seen the load factor for the last 3 or 4 months (80% in july and august) and that result is coupled with 10% more ASM.

What TWA cannot do is compete on high concurrence and low yielding route that are not O&D St-Louis (Karabu). When you have someone that make NYC-Florida for $79 and you factor the discount of Karabu ticket...
Probably TWA got no more than 50 bucks for that ticket They are redeploying their fleet where there are more money to be made (don't forget that the ASM year over year is up 10% so they fly more than in 1999) and the number of pax emplaned for the last 3 months is up by about 5%.

If they can get past Karabu (october 2003) they will do it.

CAPlat,

And other TWA flyers- if you don't already do so, please join us over on the Yahoo board, where I think you'll find a lot of avid TWA fans and flyers, as well as a bunch of employees and stockholders. And now that the "ignore" feature is in place and working, it's a lively and interesting board.

It can be found at messages.yahoo.com under TWA.

To get to the

When I landed in LA on 9/14 had some time to kill b4 I got the car rental.Ended speaking to a couple of supervisors who were hanging outside for a smoke.
The imfo they told me was that Lisbon and Milan are on the way out.The flght from LA to SJU has been reduced to 4 days a week and they don't think it'll be long b4 its stopped altogether.
It seems that as of 10/1 TW will have puddle jumpers once again out of LA, the airline AMERICAN EAGLE.I can't believe it AA & TW are starting to fight since TW started to expand its flights to SJU and then they team up with AA.

Don't usually read TWA, but this one caught my eye. Two points.

1) Reminds me of where CO was several years ago. Cutting back is good; helps you focus, and get a jump-start.

2) I anticipate an HP/TW merger in the future. Neither are really strong right now, and could probably benefit from the other.

Just my $0.02.


------------------
Bob

Bob, I agree, HP-TW merger would make sense for both. But there have been recent rumors that even a codeshare is not coming soon, as had been the talk. I hope it's not true, for TWA's sake. Could be the ops problem at HP have put the heat on there and put other things on hold, or maybe Karabu is a big sticking point, or maybe they're both not smart enough to mkae a deal work.