UA to End LAX-PIT Non-Stop Service in August 2014
 

Come August, the route is ending. In turn, it seems UA upgauged the 2x DEN flights to mainline. However, I am not holding my breath and the upgauge does not come close to "replacing" the capacity we will lose on the LAX route. UA is notorious for downgauging the PIT-DEN/IAH flights to express except for the 551pm PIT-IAH. PIT continues to lose mainline service, sooner or later it will only be SFO.

Case in point [just looked after making the above comment], I just looked my July PIT-IAH, I was booked in F on 73G, now the flight is an E145. Great, got to make a phone call.

I know some flyers here use the PIT-LAX flight often. Guess they can't compete with the new AA who has significant loyal base on both ends of the route.

This was a route I used often, such a shame to see it go.

I thought pmUA added this route when US dropped it. Is the new AA adding it back? Otherwise people have to connect either way.

I wonder if VX will take out the dartboard and add PIT-LAX.

ETA I see that AA now flies this route. I guess I haven't been paying attention to the other side of the state. Need a strikethrough function...

ETA2 Thanks, golfingboy!

Thanks for the heads up. A lot of folks in my company, including myself, take this route regularly so the disappearance will affect us quite a bit. But this actually works better for me because I've been trying to switch to AA but forced to book UA which is my company's preferred airline. Now that AA is the only option to fly nonstop, I can book AA without fighting with the travel department.

My only fear is that AA might jack up the price...

I don't think PIT will survive as a "hub" for the new AA, but they'd be silly not to keep it as a focus city. I'm not sure if US even calls it a hub anymore.

I see DL and AA aggressively pursuing the focus city approach and winning in doing so (eg: RDU, SEA, STL, etc). Surprising that UA would not look at the map and try to do something similar in places where the opportunity exists. Arguably, AUS is the only one that borders on a focus city -- well CLE, I guess, now that it's no longer an RJ hublet.

PIT is not a US hub (dropped a while ago), and the new AA agreed to keep PHL as a hub for three years. Doubtful that it's going to do much out of PIT.

Pit isn't a hub for US. STL is not a focus city for AA. From AUS UA only flies to its hubs. CLE will have 70!daily flights. You could call that a focus city if you'd like. UA just calls it Cleveland.

PIT-ORD-LAX?

The PIT-SFO timings are not good, so we are going through ORD both ways.

DEN when I looked was an E145 (PIT-DEN). No thanks!

While PIT hasn't been a US hub for several years, it is one of many non-hub cities where one could do US-US (e.g. PHX-PIT-BOS) and UA-US (e.g. LAX-PIT-PHL) connections. US' withdrawal from *A certainly wasn't a major influence in UA's discontinuation of LAX-PIT, but it didn't help either.

I was surprised that US Airways ended PIT-LAX. Note other ex hubs airlines kept LAX service.

AA STL-LAX
AA BNA-LAX
DL CVG-LAX
DL MEM-LAX

AA RDU-LAX was added after the hub closed

[strike] [/ strike] ;)

I doubt they will jack it up that much. Probably will hover around $400s.

Tell me about it, PIT-ORD now has the CRJ operating some flights argh! The main thing about the LAX flight was the fantastic timing ex-PIT, get a full day of work in then head out to catch the 7pm flight and be in bed by 11pm in LA.

The problem with going via ORD ex-PIT is that it is now the only workable "late" PIT-West coast option and the pit-ORD sector is all ERJ most dates for the 7pm flight so the fares are almost always $200-300 more due to capacity constraints. I have also flown PIT-LAX to travel to places such as SAN/PHX. Some of those connections won't work via ORD and flyers will need to take the IAH flight that departs 1.5 hours earlier. The DEN option departs too early so it doesn't work for most of us.

Except LAX is not an US hub whereas it is for AA/DL. However, AA has added PIT-LAX after the merger was announced for obvious reasons. The combined airline will have around 50-60 daily flights out of PIT, so it will be a respectable out station for AA. I also expect the MIA flight will be upgauged to mainline down the road (most likely at the expense of a CLT flight or two).

I wouldn't be so sure about that. US has a very strong legacy and presence in PIT. When US dropped PIT-LAX, and UA added it, it was very easy for USers to choose the UA flight as they were partners.

UA doesn't stand a chance against AA on this -- between a hub and a legacy hub got AA/US.

An excellent synopsis.

Both of our ORD/PIT legs are on CRJ's. I believe a 700, as both do have F at least.

There is also a lot of outright hatred of US in PIT...

This was about as big a 'screwing' as any airline gave to any former hub.

Plus, their ops center (600 employees) is leaving now too.

Southwest will be the winner here.

About two years ago this route was roughly 2/3 mainline [A320/738/739] and 1/3 mix between the CR7 and E170. Now we still have the same number of flights however it is now 1/4 mainline with the largest usually being the A319/320 and the rest is mostly CR2/E145/CR7. E170 is rare on this route now as they are doing more IAH/DEN/EWR/IAD mid-com missions and PIT-IAH is one example (went from 4-5x mainline with the smallest equip being the 735 to 2-3x RJs and 1 mainline, some days it is all regionals).

This sucks but for some reason connecting via LAX was always more expensive than every other option. I probably go to PIT more than anywhere else and have only taken that flight a few times because it is always more. DEN is coming up as an alternative to IAH more than I've ever seen it before, though. I decided to take it for my next few trips because I have never gotten an upgrade where IAH was involved.

AA added this route some time ago https://www.aa.com/i18n/urls/la.jsp?...ctURL&title=la.