Dot Gives United Dca-den Authority

[Busdrvr]

"Alaska flew the 737-900 into DCA when we first started service there."

So let's get this straight.... Alaska DOWNGRADED equipment on it's current FREE slots, and as a REWARD the US government GIVES them MORE!! UFB!! I'm tired of the government squandering what is a valuable asset and giving it away to a business that WILL NOT fully utilize it....

"Busdriver, your snide "White House" comment was inappropriate and doesn't belong on this board. It has nothing to do with the the subject of slot awards."

It is COMPLETELY relevent. FRNT flies ONE flight a day into DCA and can't seem to avoid overflight of the White House while U flies HUNDREDS and can. If you are to stupid to avoid endangering the White House, you shouldn't be rewarded with more slots. But how does giving the slots almost exclusively to low fair carriers bring "competition"? Are all those flights sold out months in advance? NO?! FRNT flies the route with a 132 seat jet. How is the public benefiting when someone else would fly it with a 188 seat jet AND provide connecting service to many currently unserved communities? It doesn't matter how cheap a ticket is if they don't serve your community. But somehow I guess you'll argue that allocating them in such a way as to lower GDP and provide LOWER paying jobs (and not as many at that) is somehow a "good" thing Get with the program

 

[DLFlyer31]

But how does giving the slots almost exclusively to low fair carriers bring "competition"? Are all those flights sold out months in advance? NO?! FRNT flies the route with a 132 seat jet. How is the public benefiting when someone else would fly it with a 188 seat jet AND provide connecting service to many currently unserved communities? It doesn't matter how cheap a ticket is if they don't serve your community. But somehow I guess you'll argue that allocating them in such a way as to lower GDP and provide LOWER paying jobs (and not as many at that) is somehow a "good" thing Get with the program

Using your logic, UA should be forced to give up its ORD-DCA slots, because UA doesn't use the largest metal possible. In fact, UA uses some of the smallest mainline metal on this route...many of the flights are 735's! So, UA gouges DCA fliers with high fares and uses the smallest equipment possible.

UA's not alone, almost all the others have done the same thing at DCA....high fares and smaller and smaller planes. Many of US's routes out of DCA have gone from 737's to Dash-8's. Why would the DOT reward a carrier that has routinely reduced the number of seats available at DCA?

So what if UAL uses bigger metal on the DCA-DEN route? If they charge high prices and the planes are half empty, all those extra seats will just be dead weight.

Coming from a UA pilot, your complaint about lower pay is pretty laughable considering your pay is now lower than many of the LCC's. Apparently, you are now lowering the bar.

 

[lpbrian]

Obviously this thread has come down to aircraft performance. The previous operator of DCA-LAX was TWA and they used a 757, the best A/C for this application. The simple fact of the matter is the 737-900 can't hold a candle to the 757 when it comes to payload-range on a short runway (DCA's longest runway is 6800 ft.), period, end of statement. Any time you stretch an original design well beyond its original size, payload and range suffer. DCA-LAX in an oversize 737 with a full load? I'll believe it when I see it. There is no free lunch in the aircraft performance business

 

[Busdrvr]

"Using your logic, UA should be forced to give up its ORD-DCA slots, because UA doesn't use the largest metal possible."

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I don't think ORD is "beyond perimeter". In any case, wouldn't it benefit the government the most to SELL the slots?

"Coming from a UA pilot, your complaint about lower pay is pretty laughable considering your pay is now lower than many of the LCC's. Apparently, you are now lowering the bar. Actually you don't appear to have a clue what you are talking about. To understand the diff in wages you must consider the ENTIRE package. A and B retirement plans at UAL currently add approx 30% to the total. Knowing this, please recalculate your feeble attempt at "slam" math....

 

[lpbrian]

DL Flyer, you miss the point. UA, AA, DL, et al, match eqipment for the frequencies available.

 

[DCT JVL]

Just wanted to clarify something here. UA only asked for one extra trip DCA-DEN. UA wasn't awarded a second trip, because they didn't request one. United did not request a frequency to LAX either. AS was awarded that trip over American (and Primus, whoever they are). Where UA got the shaft was on a 2 requested round trips from DCA-SFO. They got none. That would have been a great route with fantastic connectivity to Asia. Here's a list of what was requested and what was awarded.

Within the 1,250-mile perimeter awards:

AirTran
Ask: 2x ATL
Got: 1x ATL

Midwest Airlines
Ask: 1x MCI
Got: 1x MCI

Spirit Airlines
Ask: 2x DTW
Got: 1x DTW

Primus
Ask: 3x MDW/STL
Got: None

Comair
Ask: 2x, one each for JAN and LEX.
Got: 1x for either destination (has announced plans for a LEX flight)

US Airways
Ask: 5x, two each for CHA. and AVL , plus one for ILM.
Got: 1x for any one of the three destinations

Beyond-the-perimeter awards:

Alaska
Ask: 4x, two for LAX and two for SEA
Got: 2x, one LAX and one SEA

Aloha
Ask: 2x SNA
Got: none

America West
Ask: 3x, two for PHX and one for LAS
Got: 1x PHX

American
Ask: 1x LAX
Got: None

Delta
Ask: 1x SLC
Got: None

Frontier
Ask: 2x DEN
Got: 2x DEN

Primus
Ask: 2x LAX
Got: None

United
Ask: 3x, two for SFO and one for DEN
Got: 1x DEN

US Airways
Ask: 4x, two for SFO and two for SJU.
Got: None

 

[whlinder]

IIRC, AS downgraded from the 900 to the 700 SEA-DCA because of 9/11 and the subsequent ban on aircraft larger than 156 seats. Once the ban was lifted AS, could have resumed with 900 service, but had added two frequencies to IAD.

 

[C54Capt]

Busdrvr,

If you have hundreds of flights to DCA, as your last post indicates, then why are you so up-set that a few LCCs were awarded a few slots.

Your obsession with a single airspace violation that happened a couple of years ago defies logic, as it pertains to slot awards. If UA were not allowed to fly into airports where they had violations, they would have the smallest route network in the world. Besides, you obviously don't know what you are talking about. Were you on the ASAP Board? Do you know the circumstances? NO.

Lower paying jobs? Management wants to add you to the "Peer Group". That would have been great before the sell out, not now.

I see you have a Ted gig going on. Was that your idea? I'll bet you are proud.

 

[N297UX]

I flew SEA-MIA in a 737-700 and thank god I was sitting up front (first). The back was about 60% full and everyone seemed comfy, but Alaska has NO IFE in their 737s, making anything over 3 hours a trip from hell. The good food, great flight attendants, and comfy seats don't help the time fly by....

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Busdrvr]

"I see you have a Ted gig going on. Was that your idea? I'll bet you are proud."

90% load factors?! i wish it were my idea!!

 

[mweiss]

Actually, they do have IFE in their 737s. DVD viewer rentals.

You can read more about them here.