skyfly

Looks like US will be making Key West a seasonal destination. They are suspending service starting in June through Oct (or Nov??) from FLL/MCO. I alway thought they ran this year round. I do realize EYW is slower in the summer. So maybe the demand does not justify the service during the summer/early fall. US is reaccommating booked paxs on to CO (Gulfstream from FLL).

Looks like they are reducing some of the carribean service to. I believe they are reducing AUA to a few days a week from CLT.

They are no longer going to be codesharing with the Carribean partner. Carribean Sun. The regional feeder may be ceasing operations.

Starting in March, they will finally be on a single reservations. Finally, it would be a relieve for paxs and ticket agents who continue to have to book on seperate systems.

mersk862

Big ^ to getting to a single reservation system. I had to book a co-worker on US today DCA-PHL-PDX, especially with getting seats, since DCA-PHL is East metal, PHL-PDX is West metal...heck, when I look at her itinerary on delta.com (the return trip for her is on Delta), it only shows the PHL-PDX leg (no mention of DCA-PHL; fortunately, usairways.com shows both legs)...

sbtinme

Disappointing to see EYW go seasonal. I fully suspect it's due to this route's being converted about 2 years ago to service with the E170s. I can fully appreciate not being able to justify E170 service within FLA in the summer, but I would've guessed that US would've attempted to run this route with a feeder carrier's RJs. However, upon further thought, I recall hearing numerous nightmarish tales of RJs ending up hours late on the intra-FLA runs a few years back and that EYW ended up being weight restricted, etc, etc, etc.

Maybe there simply is NO feeder regional airline willing to take up this slack for EYW in the summer months. I can't believe that after years and years of full service, and now with quasi-mainline jets, that US's first choice was to drop this station outright and just serve it seasonally.

BoeingBoy

I agree. I think we've served EYW continuously since the old PI Florida Shuttle days and the F28's.

FWIW, the Express affiliates operate on fee for departure contracts except for Be-1900's which serve primarily EAS routes. So they fly where-ever US wants them to fly.

Jim

McFlyPHL

Nice. Another reason to fly someone else. EYW is about as close to the carribean as you can get and still drink the water. It's actually a tradition with my college roommates to hit EYW every summer when it's cheap.... thanks US for pushing us elsewhere.

ClueByFour

Totally off-topic, but I'd submit to you that the water on Barbados or the Turks is better than what one is getting at EYW.

Not every island south of Florida is Jamaica. Or the Dominican. (before anyone squawks, I've been to the former and work extensively in the latter--and the water is scary).

That said, I can't believe they won't have somebody run a few 50 seaters in there during the summer. Or even the 37 seaters (I thought Chautauqua and/or transstates was still flying EMB-135s in US colors).

grahampros

That said, I can't believe they won't have somebody run a few 50 seaters in there during the summer. Or even the 37 seaters (I thought Chautauqua and/or transstates was still flying EMB-135s in US colors).[/QUOTE]

A previous post explains it best why the won't run summer service in the airport.

" It's actually a tradition with my college roommates to hit EYW every summer when it's cheap.... thanks US for pushing us elsewhere."
Hauling cheap traffic in the peak summer season (overall for the network) is not a good use of assets for a company focused on making a profit. Better use of the capacity somewhere else.

ClueByFour

That won't scale. It makes for a route network that adds no value (synergy, natch) for the customer.

stiphy

Carribean Sun is ceasing operations but I believe this is because their sister airline, Caribbean Star is licensed by the West Indies equivelant to the FAA. Airlines regulated by this agency can now operate in the US as the West Indies licensing agency has been upgraded by the FAA. Because of this there is no need to have 2 separate airlines owned by the same company.

It looks like US has dropped St. Croix entirely now. They went to Saturday only after 9/11 then they went to seasonal only a few months ago. It was announced in the St. Croix AVIS that they were leaving entirely. I hadn't had much use for Saturday flights (I'm a biz traveller out of STX) and since CSA pulled out of STX over the summer I've been doing American Eagle to SJU and then US onwards. I have to reevaluate though as there is now NO possibility of using my miles to fly my wife all the way to STX.

Interestingly, on the US DM partners site it mentions getting credit for flights on LIAT under the CSA section that mentions they are ceasing ops. I wonder if something is in the works for partnering with LIAT. Not that it would help me much as LIAT doesn't go SJU-STX. I'm hoping Caribbean Star comes back to STX under the new licensing arrangements with the FAA!

Sean

flyingcat

Looks like STX does not come back until December.

PHLGovFlyer

It is odd how US has morphed their EYW service over the past few years. I've flown there in summer on a BE1900 out of TPA, and on a DH-8. The summer props were always packed when I rode them. At that time they also served EYW from MIA. I wonder if the abandoned shift to FLL as a "mini hub" has factored into this?

It is difficult to justify an E170 in the summer, but why not shift it to CRJs or props as opposed to shutting down completely?

stiphy

So you see it coming back? GREAT! I checked and I didn't see it returning at all next year but I may have overlooked something.

Sean

McFlyPHL

As a follow-up, I know there are islands that aren't all that bad, hence the "". For us, it's more about the tradition than anything else. We used to buy the dirt cheapest fare we could, chip in for the Chevy Aveo-style rental car and drive the keys. Now, we pretty much just pay what's asked and fly straight to EYW (handy for avoiding the return drive with a hangover). I wouldn't characterize us as premium traffic, but we aren't flying to EYW on $99 fares either.

fishintheobx

Because all those planes are already on more profitable routes. Plus, there are no Dash's or CRJ's just sitting around to be put on a route.

I lived in Key West for a few years and flew out of EYW bi-weekly on just about every airline that went in there. From May to right before Fantasy Fest is dead there. The only planes I ever saw packed were the B-1900's on certain days.

FlyerAl

I believe Caribbean Star is in the process of merging with LIAT.