E,
So you travel around the world and when you get home your wife tells you to get out of her face and you think that “poking sticks” in the eyes of other people over the internet is a hobby? You just did as good of a job of describing deviant human behaviour as anyone could – and you did it by and about yourself. Try bike riding or a contact sport if you need a little more violence, go to the gym, feed the homeless, interact with humans face to face.
You have yet to respond to Josh's very logical question about why you are so fixated on reputation scores for others including leading a campaign to vote someone else's down which has clearly resulted in a lot of positive votes for you. You are indeed the one living in duplicity and hypocrisy. But your professional name is next to your posts.... You do know there are plenty of people in China that can read English.
And to think you are letting your Republican and gun-control messages go down the tubes. If the 'pubs lose a single seat in the next round of elections, it will all be pinned on you.
Caught in their hubris, Kev? Is that your game plan? Is that really the strategy you would like to propose? What hubris would you like to share with AS so they catch DL in it? You’ve gotta have a little trash on DL that you can sell for 30 pieces of silver.
Do you not think not only AS mgmt but also members of the investment community don’t know what is going on between AS and DL? DO you not think that they are fully aware that AS has started service in several of DL’s key markets including ATL? You did read the conference call transcript didn’t you, Kev?
Problem for AS is that SEA IS AS’ largest hub and bread and butter. DL can add dozens of flights at SEA and it barely register as a blip on DL’s revenue. That is probably why 25% or more of the questions on AS’ analyst conference call were taken up with questions about the AS-DL relationship while I’m not sure there were any on DL’s.
Of course the PNW is home to some of the largest US based multinational corporations and the largest are indeed based in SEA, not PDX, Kev. As one of the smaller cities on the west coast, PDX might be a nice play to live but when people want to do business, they have to leave town. SEA is the economic powerhouse of the PNW. That is why AS’ largest hub – one of the largest hubs on the west coast is in SEA. It is also why DL has had such success in building its SEA operation.
The notion that people in the PNW are so loyal to AS that they won’t switch is unsupportable by any kind of empirical data. DL’s little experiment with LAX-SEA proved that SEA residents have stuck with AS because no one else has been serving the market to any degree for more than a decade. UA, the largest and most global carrier that SEA has had, has been in decline and cutting its presence in SEA. UA’s pulldown of its NRT service further makes it clear that SEA, just like so many other largest coastal cities, are ripe pickings for one of the true nationwide legacy airlines to move into since the market has been divided among AA, DL, and UA for years.
BTN’s survey of corporate travel purchasers shows that DL is the highest rated of the current big 5 US airlines. DL has clearly had no problem attracting the highest quality revenue to DL’s network even in markets where it has competed against AS. The results of DL’s preliminary buildup of LAX and SEA shows that DL very effectively compete on the west coast in the most competitive markets which is undoubtedly why they have moved forward with the next set of markets.
AS' superior service? Not according to the DOT that shows that DL has a better on-time ratio, better baggage handling, and better oversale management. Maybe that is why DL is being as successful as they are in SEA.
The fact that the new 333s can easily reach deep into Asia with a CASM that is competitive with anything else that will fly the Pacific is precisely why DL is building its presence in SEA now.
I’m still waiting for a viable response as to how AS is going to come out smelling like PDX roses in this little competitive skirmish that is playing out in AS’ key markets.
