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United narrows Q3 PRASM Guidance - analyst expects them to lead Q4 PRASM growth

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United narrows Q3 PRASM Guidance - analyst expects them to lead Q4 PRASM growth

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Old Oct 20, 2014, 11:50 am
  #181  
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Originally Posted by cerealmarketer
We don't know that. No one is disclosing yield in that market. It feels like an attempt to be additive but LA has a history of bloodbaths as UA learned in the early 2000s.

Or put another way - how much higher would yield have been if there was no expansion there? It's a bet they don't yet know will play out.
LAX is such a bloody 4-plus-2-way war (true hubs of AA UA DL WN plus major focus of VX and AS) that it is absolutely foolish to do aggressive expansion even if the others are pruning capacity a bit.

AA can expand on LAX-BOS all they want but they won't command ANY fare premiums since VX and B6 will both pull them down to earth.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 11:58 am
  #182  
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Originally Posted by 787fan
LAX is such a bloody 4-plus-2-way war (true hubs of AA UA DL WN plus major focus of VX and AS) that it is absolutely foolish to do aggressive expansion even if the others are pruning capacity a bit.
That's ridiculous. It's the second largest metropolitan area in the country, and a major business center. It can sustain several carriers with significant presence.

Just like New York and Chicago can.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 12:13 pm
  #183  
 
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The key distinction is its geographic position isn't suited to being a connecting hub of the scale that Chicago and New York are, so it relies heavily on O&D which is inherently a tougher game to win a high margin presence.

Not enough volume to Asia from ex US flyers the way there is to Europe via New York.

And Chicago is a natural midcon connection point.

Originally Posted by channa
Quote:





Originally Posted by 787fan


LAX is such a bloody 4-plus-2-way war (true hubs of AA UA DL WN plus major focus of VX and AS) that it is absolutely foolish to do aggressive expansion even if the others are pruning capacity a bit.




That's ridiculous. It's the second largest metropolitan area in the country, and a major business center. It can sustain several carriers with significant presence.

Just like New York and Chicago can.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 1:10 pm
  #184  
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Originally Posted by cerealmarketer
The key distinction is its geographic position isn't suited to being a connecting hub of the scale that Chicago and New York are, so it relies heavily on O&D which is inherently a tougher game to win a high margin presence.

Not enough volume to Asia from ex US flyers the way there is to Europe via New York.

And Chicago is a natural midcon connection point.

There's more to the world than just Europe.

LAX could make an excellent Latin gateway, and UA is already a major player in Latin America.

DL has begun to leverage Latin America via LAX with some of their recent Latin growth.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 1:41 pm
  #185  
 
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Originally Posted by channa
There's more to the world than just Europe.

LAX could make an excellent Latin gateway, and UA is already a major player in Latin America.

DL has begun to leverage Latin America via LAX with some of their recent Latin growth.
Could and would are two different things. The problem with a LatAm gateway at LAX is you will have to find a way to convince Latin Americans there are other ways to the USA besides Miami.

Most of them have it so stuck in their head that Miami is the gateway to the USA that trying to get them to use LAX might be near impossible. This is coming from someone who is in transportation and has been trying to do this for 5+ years.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 1:55 pm
  #186  
 
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Originally Posted by cerealmarketer
He's not doing much thinking - the question is fed by his clients who own / trade the stock. Pension funds, hedge funds, etc.

Context is not just LA but also SEA and the updated overall capacity guidance that implies 4% domestic growth.

They are also seeing LA get ramped by AA and thinking "we've seen this movie before in the 90s" and it didn't end well.

.
Except that Delta has reported profit margin expansion at both LAX and SEA since they added capacity in those markets. SEA also saw a 6% domestic PRASM increase in Q3 2014 despite a 25% capacity increase.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 2:24 pm
  #187  
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Originally Posted by ClipperDelta
Except that Delta has reported profit margin expansion at both LAX and SEA since they added capacity in those markets. SEA also saw a 6% domestic PRASM increase in Q3 2014 despite a 25% capacity increase.
The bigger issue is whether SEA *TPAC* is profitable. It's very easy to have domestic PRASM increase in SEA because their expansion was mostly short-haul around west coast, and thus a major reduction in average stage length.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 7:06 pm
  #188  
 
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Originally Posted by 787fan
The bigger issue is whether SEA *TPAC* is profitable. It's very easy to have domestic PRASM increase in SEA because their expansion was mostly short-haul around west coast, and thus a major reduction in average stage length.
It's also easy to have a PRASM increase if you're starting from a low point.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 7:10 pm
  #189  
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Originally Posted by 787fan
The bigger issue is whether SEA *TPAC* is profitable. It's very easy to have domestic PRASM increase in SEA because their expansion was mostly short-haul around west coast, and thus a major reduction in average stage length.
Adding 50 flights from SEA, in the context of DL's thousands of domestic flights, does virtually nothing to average stage length. This is 6th grade math.
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Old Oct 20, 2014, 7:32 pm
  #190  
 
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Originally Posted by 3Cforme
Adding 50 flights from SEA, in the context of DL's thousands of domestic flights, does virtually nothing to average stage length. This is 6th grade math.
He's responding to the 6% increase in *SEATTLE* PRASM stat.

This is 2nd grade reading.

Mod Edit: please continue the discussion on http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...l#post23721436

Last edited by J.Edward; Oct 23, 2014 at 7:17 am
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