Agree, this would be the simplest. AA and CO have similar spaces, so just have them swap. That way the Admiral's Club can be combined with the current RCC into a larger club about the size of the current US club. CO would have to pick up the tab for AA moving, though...

You don't fly US, do you... Tons of connecting traffic through DCA.

Same here. I'd think the most likely option is to swap in a few more E170s like the 6:30 and 12:20 flights, unless they just want to go all/mostly 757s on DCA-ORD every couple hours instead of almost every hour.

Functional does not always come into play. "having" AA move is a lot easier said than done. They would need to want to move (or be forced by the airport auth).....AND in most cased like this the requesting company (UA/CO) in this case would have to offer to pay for all of AA's expenses to relocate. That gets weighed against the preceived advantage to new space. Lots of moving parts.

Your post made me think - does MWAA sit down with the respective airlines to discuss these things (invite them to board meetings, conference calls, etc.), or do they just hand down decisions and say "deal with it"?

Won't it really depend on how UACO aligns its hubs? The flights to ORD are partly to serve connections. Unless UACO moves those connections to other airports, why would they reduce ORD flights in favor of EWR/IAH?

They don't care
 

Depends on the airport auth. Some around the country are great. LAS comes to mind for a large airport, and many of the smaller airports, where they are hungry to gain traffic, will work with the carriers. At hub airports, generally the hub airlines hold sway...but not in all cases.

Some airport authorities are just downright difficult. I'd place MWAA, BOS and LAX in the top 5. Remember MWAA are the good folks that brought you the "temporary" concourse C at IAD.

To directly answer your question - With the smaller respective size of UA and AA operations at DCA......MWAA could not care less........unless is was convenient for them.

Absolutely. With a merger, though, might MWAA want to step in and re-allocate some gates since the combined UA ops can probably get by with what, 4-5, and they can hand out the extras to WN, Sun Country, etc.?

As long as those gate are leased. they don't give a rats patooty.

WN? They don't fly there, and it probably does not fit into their plans. If you mean an open gate as an enticement, MWAA doen't care as long as the gates are all leased. Sounding harsh, but refer to the three airports above. MWAA would be a close 2nd behind MASSPORT.

Even NY/NJ Port Authority is easier to deal with than MWAA. :eek:

ORD is the 3rd largest city in the country - there may be lots of connections, but there is also a lot of O/D traffic as well. i dont see shifting to EWR unless UA is going to make a run at a shuttle - but since US and DL already have hourly shuttle service to LGA, i dont see UA entering into that game. i think all the ORD flights stay - it gets people in and out of DCA - with maybe one or two equip downgrade to an E170 on some mid-day flights. when congress is in session every flight to DCA is oversold.

But FL does. Along with LGA & ATL, the slots and gates at DCA are a huge part of why WN bought FL. :-:
CO used to operate on a schedule that roughly approximated a schedule. It didn't last for many reasons. These days the slots at both EWR and DCA are worth more for other service. Keep in mind that it wasn't long ago that CO traded away DCA slots for EWR slots (with FL, I believe).

I have been using the CO gates a lot recently at DCA, and I wonder if UA (or DCA) plans on building a bathroom down in the wing. Right now, you have to use the PC bathroom or walk back to the Delta gate area.

:eek:

Have you ever been in dca... it is the only usairways hub the isn't called a hub. DCA has tons of connecting traffic on US...

I reccomend spending some time at dca at getting familar with the airport...

There is one in the wing, it's between the newsstand and the restaurant. It's being renovated.

FWIW - Last Sat. I asked the PC agents about this very issue. Their response: anything you've heard is pure speculation. I know that employees at that level have rarely have access to that type of information; just throwing that in.

I sure hope they keep the PC agents: I can go months between seeing one of them, and the next time I'm there, they greet me by name like I'm one of their cousins.

a couple things...yes, AS does DCA-LAX/SEA, but i'd rather have UA.

second, there are some connections for US at DCA, but for the most part, it's primarily an O&D airport.

WN will be at DCA, and they badly want to get in on that.

Headslap....Yes yes, I keep forgetting about the "FL factor" However, the original point I was making was that "operational sense" does not always come into play in gate assignments, and a less than helpful airport authority, that may not be willing (could not care less) to engage in brokering a swap, makes it much more difficult.