Why no nonstops from IAD hub to South Florida (FLL/MIA)?
Jul 26, 2015, 12:26 pm
#16
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,825
Intentionally or not, you have answered the question more accurately than anyone else in this thread.
The only qualifier I would add: Sometimes, a route is deemed 'strategic', in which case UA will sacrifice yield to maintain their dominant position.
Clearly, IAD-FLL/MIA are not strategic.
The only qualifier I would add: Sometimes, a route is deemed 'strategic', in which case UA will sacrifice yield to maintain their dominant position.
Clearly, IAD-FLL/MIA are not strategic.
Jul 26, 2015, 1:23 pm
#17
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,111
Intentionally or not, you have answered the question more accurately than anyone else in this thread.
The only qualifier I would add: Sometimes, a route is deemed 'strategic', in which case UA will sacrifice yield to maintain their dominant position.
Clearly, IAD-FLL/MIA are not strategic.
The only qualifier I would add: Sometimes, a route is deemed 'strategic', in which case UA will sacrifice yield to maintain their dominant position.
Clearly, IAD-FLL/MIA are not strategic.
Jul 26, 2015, 1:47 pm
#18
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,791
Jul 26, 2015, 3:55 pm
#19
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Programs: IAMAW Local 368/HAL 2 Star Mariner
Posts: 740
UA flew IAD-FLL up until or just past May 2014.
On May 3rd, 2014, I flew UA on IAD-FLL: United First Class with the Pre-Merger 757-200s of United Airlines FLL-ORD-IAD-FLL
PMUA 757-200
-LPDAL
On May 3rd, 2014, I flew UA on IAD-FLL: United First Class with the Pre-Merger 757-200s of United Airlines FLL-ORD-IAD-FLL
PMUA 757-200
-LPDAL
Jul 26, 2015, 4:28 pm
#20
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NYC, FLL
Programs: UA PP 1MM, Marriott Bonvoy LTTE, BA Gold
Posts: 6,351
Why no nonstops from IAD hub to South Florida (FLL/MIA)?
I fly BUF-EWR-FLL regularly and would welcome the IAD-FLL option. I remember the Ted flights and rejoiced at the merger when EWR-FLL opened up. The EWR-FLL flights I take Thursday nights are usually delayed, tho, and as a 1K my uogrades clear about 50% of the time.
Jul 26, 2015, 8:07 pm
#22
Join Date: May 2001
Location: IAD
Posts: 6,150
UA runs from competition. AA has hubs at both ends (DCA & MIA), WN has major ops at both ends (BWI & FLL), and the other carriers have significantly lower costs. Global traffic in/out of South Florida can flow through EWR, ORD and IAH. UA won't fight hard for the local DC market.
Jul 26, 2015, 8:16 pm
#23
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SJC
Programs: Southwest, Alaska, United, American Airlines
Posts: 995
UA runs from competition. AA has hubs at both ends (DCA & MIA), WN has major ops at both ends (BWI & FLL), and the other carriers have significantly lower costs. Global traffic in/out of South Florida can flow through EWR, ORD and IAH. UA won't fight hard for the local DC market.
The niche United could have hoped to plausibly serve -- intl traffic coming from Europe/Mideast heading to FL -- increasingly heads straight to Florida from abroad.
Look at the proliferation of longhaul flights to Miami (and FLL, in the leisure market) in recent years. That international growth, as much as anything occurring with domestic carriers, kills off marginal routes like IAD-MIA/FLL.
Jul 26, 2015, 8:29 pm
#24
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 5,896
It's not just Florida.
It's a little sad for folks based at IAD, ya.
Jul 26, 2015, 9:10 pm
#26
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,120
I wonder if UA will cut IAD-ATL or IAD-DFW next? How well does it do on those routes?
It seems Delta has the advantage into/out of ATL, AA into/out DFW similar like AA into/out of MIA, there is plenty of ULCC/LCC competition at DCA and BWI where UA isn't participating with nonstops, and UA can route global traffic from those competitor hub markets though EWR, ORD and IAH similarly.
And do Boston pax fly routes like BOS-IAD-Europe? What's the benefit for that route? I'd think most would not like that backtrack, but at the same time I can't see UA giving up IAD-BOS to JetBlue exclusively. It likely won't even give up on CLE-BOS.
It seems Delta has the advantage into/out of ATL, AA into/out DFW similar like AA into/out of MIA, there is plenty of ULCC/LCC competition at DCA and BWI where UA isn't participating with nonstops, and UA can route global traffic from those competitor hub markets though EWR, ORD and IAH similarly.
And do Boston pax fly routes like BOS-IAD-Europe? What's the benefit for that route? I'd think most would not like that backtrack, but at the same time I can't see UA giving up IAD-BOS to JetBlue exclusively. It likely won't even give up on CLE-BOS.
Last edited by rtalk25; Jul 26, 2015 at 9:16 pm
Jul 27, 2015, 5:01 am
#28
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Chicago: ORD, MDW
Programs: United Million Mile Flyer, Hilton Silver, Marriott Gold, DL, AA WN
Posts: 514
I know that United runs from competition. I now that EWR and IAH (and maybe, ORD and to some extent SFO) are favored because they are fortress hubs. I know that UA has reduced service at SEA and LAX to the point that these airports are little more than the ends of spokes from the hubs.
But, at IAD they are even pulling out of airports at the end of a hub spoke- even for flights to/from international connections. Not having service from a hub to a major market (even on an Express partner) is unbelievable.
I guess those who believe that United will retrench to only IAH and EWR may be correct.
Jul 27, 2015, 5:11 am
#29
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,791
I agree.
I know that United runs from competition. I now that EWR and IAH (and maybe, ORD and to some extent SFO) are favored because they are fortress hubs. I know that UA has reduced service at SEA and LAX to the point that these airports are little more than the ends of spokes from the hubs.
But, at IAD they are even pulling out of airports at the end of a hub spoke- even for flights to/from international connections. Not having service from a hub to a major market (even on an Express partner) is unbelievable.
I guess those who believe that United will retrench to only IAH and EWR may be correct.
I know that United runs from competition. I now that EWR and IAH (and maybe, ORD and to some extent SFO) are favored because they are fortress hubs. I know that UA has reduced service at SEA and LAX to the point that these airports are little more than the ends of spokes from the hubs.
But, at IAD they are even pulling out of airports at the end of a hub spoke- even for flights to/from international connections. Not having service from a hub to a major market (even on an Express partner) is unbelievable.
I guess those who believe that United will retrench to only IAH and EWR may be correct.
Jul 27, 2015, 6:16 am
#30
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
I think it's telling that no airline, including LCCs, operates IAD-FLL today (several tried and failed). A whopping 2 daily flights from AA to MIA confirms the market to South Florida is not out of IAD, but DCA and BWI.