Palmdale service ending
Sep 17, 2008, 4:15 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 4,771
Palmdale service ending
Early December.
Sep 17, 2008, 4:33 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA Plat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 16,845
So doubling the frequency didn't work, I guess.
Looks like .bomb lets you still book flights around Xmas.
Looks like .bomb lets you still book flights around Xmas.
Sep 17, 2008, 4:56 pm
#3
Used to be 'g_leyser'
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Brandon Johnson International Airport (expect delays)
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Posts: 10,037
That was fast. 
Didn't even last as long as MDW or RFD.
Didn't even last as long as MDW or RFD.
Sep 17, 2008, 5:35 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 2,438
Hmm they are still selling tickets from PMD, and they are cheaper, If I book will they probably rebook me from BUR?
OP do you have a source for this?
OP do you have a source for this?
Sep 17, 2008, 5:35 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: MEX
Programs: Fallen UA Premier Silver and one-time 1K, AA EXP, DL steerage
Posts: 355
No surprise there.
Bleh.
Bleh.
Sep 17, 2008, 5:49 pm
#6
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 2,153
Guess the subsidies are being pulled as this is the only item keeping this running. The thought was doubling the flights with smaller aircraft would work, but I guess that wasn't the case.
Sep 19, 2008, 1:49 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA Plat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
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The old PMD thread (now closed) has this link to an LA Times story:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-m...,5587770.story
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-m...,5587770.story
Sep 19, 2008, 3:50 am
#8
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP MM, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Ti, UA Silver
Posts: 5,036
One real shame is that the GSA never got their act together in allowing Government travelers to use this route and build a business base with some potential for volume. PMD was not a part of the City Pair program for FY2008 so for all the trips I took there in the past 11 months I flew to LA and drove. Of course now that they finally get a Government contract to PMD for FY2009 it is extremely overpriced 
Sep 19, 2008, 7:55 am
#9
Join Date: May 2008
Location: BOS, PVD
Programs: United Mileage Plus (Premier Exec)
Posts: 219
Sep 19, 2008, 9:22 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Grantham, NH
Posts: 530
Otherwise, I've flown from PMD several times, but mostly since they seemed desperate for passengers (weekend trips to SFO while at Edwards, $99 RT was a pretty good way to cover that distance)
Sep 19, 2008, 12:11 pm
#11
Join Date: May 2006
Location: PMD
Programs: UA*G, NW, AA-G. WR-P, HH-G, IHG-S, ALL. TT-GE.
Posts: 2,910
One real shame is that the GSA never got their act together in allowing Government travelers to use this route and build a business base with some potential for volume. PMD was not a part of the City Pair program for FY2008 so for all the trips I took there in the past 11 months I flew to LA and drove. Of course now that they finally get a Government contract to PMD for FY2009 it is extremely overpriced
Sep 19, 2008, 2:19 pm
#12
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP MM, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Ti, UA Silver
Posts: 5,036
Did UA ever offer government fares during FY2008? Continental, even before they totally withdrew from the GSA city pair program, offered government fares on routes not awarded by GSA. UA could have done that on PMD-SFO between June 7, 2007 and September 30, 2008. Apparently they didn't, and the FY2009 "bids" are so ridiculous.
) about routing, contract carriers, etc. so if it doesn't appear in their system (like PMD) I'm probably not going to be flying on it.
Sep 19, 2008, 3:24 pm
#13
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: What I write is my opinion alone..don't read into it anything not written.
Posts: 9,686
I believe "DG" type fare were filed, but since no contract was issued for 2008 covering PMD, it didnt appear as an official route to anywhere. Same govt rules would apply, but if the GSA and GAO wanted you to drive to LAX because no official award was given, they shot themselves in their own foot....and UA on this route as well.
Sep 21, 2008, 9:55 pm
#14
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: PMD-ORD-AZO-ILO-NRT
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Posts: 744
There goes one of the primary reasons why I jumped to UA this past year. Meh, 'twas fun while it lasted...
I attended the open house a month prior to the initiation of services. It seemed like everyone in the event was just oozing with optimism...and here we are again, almost a year and a half later and back to where we started...
What makes things even more interesting is how much was spent for the Palmdale Flyer bus service that connected PMD with the Van Nuys Fly Away and the Metrolink Via Princessa Station in Santa Clarita: $75,000 with only less than 80 passengers ever using it since it's inception. It was a nice, cheap option to get from PMD to LAX (via Van Nuys) when it lasted though.
I attended the open house a month prior to the initiation of services. It seemed like everyone in the event was just oozing with optimism...and here we are again, almost a year and a half later and back to where we started...
What makes things even more interesting is how much was spent for the Palmdale Flyer bus service that connected PMD with the Van Nuys Fly Away and the Metrolink Via Princessa Station in Santa Clarita: $75,000 with only less than 80 passengers ever using it since it's inception. It was a nice, cheap option to get from PMD to LAX (via Van Nuys) when it lasted though.
Sep 21, 2008, 10:26 pm
#15
Join Date: Sep 2001
Programs: Alaska Tanzanite 100K
Posts: 3,858
as long as an airline has a fare that is 1 dollar LOWER than any Gvt fare, with the same restrictions, then CWT/SATO is allowed to book it.
For Palmdale & other markets "not covered", there is some wierd formula for determining if official gvt travelers can fly or drive, and they have to be on a fare similar to other gvt fares.
For Palmdale & other markets "not covered", there is some wierd formula for determining if official gvt travelers can fly or drive, and they have to be on a fare similar to other gvt fares.