- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
For those of you following us, we’ve been away for a bit, and posting a bit less frequently, and we’re starting to catch up on our backlog of issues we wanted to discuss. In that vein, this is a roundup of all the route and related news we haven’t yet reported on in the last month.
- American pulled out of Dallas-Love Field, with its last flight on June 11th. American returned to Love Field during the Wright Amendment fight, and gradually reduced service to Chicago-O’Hare. However, even though it holds some of the gates at the airport, which are limited to 20, and just renewed a lease on them that runs till 2028, it will suspend service supposedly till terminal work is completed in 2013, the year the Wright Amendment before finally expires. Essentially the only reason it is involved with Love at all is to hurt Southwest.
- American Eagle began service from Charleston, WV to New York’s Laguardia Airport on April 7th. Service will operate six times a week.
- Jetblue and Aer Lingus celebrated the first anniversary of their alliance to take passenger to/from JetBlue destinations via New York and Boston to/from Ireland. The service, which is not a thru-fare or codeshare arrangement, merely the sum of the cost of each flight, includes baggage transfer and schedule change protection, exceeded expectations.
- AirTran will be offering seasonal service from Atlanta to Portland, ME and Harrisburg, PA, with one daily nonstop flight offered between June 11 and September 8. AirTran Airways also provides nonstop flights between Portland, Maine, and both Orlando, Fla., and Baltimore/Washington, and between Harrisburg and Orlando. Being as Atlanta is a hub for the airline, if such service is successful, we predict it may be extended.
- JetBlue announced that on flights to 14 destinations where DirecTV is not accessible, they will be offering a selection of “JetBlue Features” premium in-flight movies free of charge. Additionally, one title on these flights will be available in Spanish in both directions. On all other flights longer than two hours, movies will continue to be available for a $5 fee, proving that JetBlue believes in providing a consistent experience for all passengers.
- Horizon and Allegiant are both exploring the idea of service at Paine Field in Everett, WA, 30 miles north of Seattle. Horizon will be operating 72-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprops from Paine Field to Spokane WA and Portland OR. Allegiant already flies from Bellingham, 90 miles north of Seattle. Studies indicate is potential for daily service, partly due to the hassle of getting to Seattle-Tacoma Airport.
- Beginning June 4, United will add daily United Express service between Chicago O’Hare and both Bismarck, N.D., and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
- Allegiant will begin service from Eugene, OR to Oakland, CA on June 8th. Service will be on Monday and Friday.
- They will also begin service from Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Fayetteville to Los Angeles on May 22nd with Monday and Friday service.
- United Express will launch nonstop flights from San Francisco to Pasco/Tri-Cities Airport in Washington, twice daily using 50-seat CRJ-200s.
- A charter airline, PublicCharters.com, will operate flights out of Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, currently dominated by Southwest, with summer flights to Nantucket, Mass., and Groton, Conn and possible fall/spring service to Myrtle Beach, SC. Delta left the airport last year and was replaced by Spirit, which lasted only 3 months, until fuel prices hit record highs.
We are wondering why we’ve noticed some carriers adopting pages from the Allegiant handbook, offering service a few days a week out of smaller airports.
- AirTran Airways – The airline has recently added Florida-only service from cities, shielding AirTran from competition since it is the only major carrier offering nonstop service. And like the seasonal Atlanta service we mentioned, service to Atlanta allowing connections throughout their route network can be added later, but it risks competition from Delta, who also maintains a hub there. Adding only a few Florida flights from new markets allows AirTran to test markets that might not be considered because of their smaller size. And leisure destinations in Florida are attractive and safe destinations.
- They announced service to Charleston, WV from Orlando with thrice weekly service beginning June 25th.
- As well as announced service to Allentown, PA to both Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Service to Orlando will be four times weekly, Ft. Lauderdale three times weekly, on alternating days beginning June 25th.
- Alaska Airlines announced new service out of Bellingham, WA to Las Vegas. The service will also begin on June 25th, on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and will compliment Horizon Air service to Seattle.
We’d like to see more of this, finding ways to offer service on a weekly, not daily basis. It is not uncommon in other countries. Airlines need to find new ways to look at things. Everyone seems to want a nonstop flight, and we don’t blame them as we ourselves prefer not to change planes if we can avoid it, but not every destination has the volume for it. By looking at less than frequent or daily service, as well as other options, airlines can adapt to changing times while still enhancing service.
