Febuary_schedule

[US1YFARE]

While I liked the idea of a dual class E170, now that I've flown on it, I think the single class works better. There's tons of legroom throughout that would be lost, and the seats are already 2X2, leather, wider than any coach seat in the US fleet, have tons of legroom and adjustable headrests. The E170 coach is pretty much on par with short haul first class.

Plus there would still only be two F/As, and I can't see there being much more service up front than in the back. The F/A would still spend most of thier time in the back. The F cabin is only seperated by a thin curtain that flies in the faces of the first row of coach, and the aisle is in a different place in F than it is in Y which slows the boarding process and makes the plane feel smaller.

I say they do the following:
* fly the EJets under the US Airways brand, but single class.
* provide F/As with manifests so thay can recognize FFs and comp drinks and meals
* try to seat prefereds in the first three rows- they can even get thier coats hung
* develop a quality domestic short haul product- the E170 product is fantastic already, but how about if they added audio entertainment.
* put your first class resources into making the first class better on flights that actually need it. Put the Passport system in every seat on the Airbuses, and put glassware and other amenities back into first.

I'd rather see them have a great first class product on international, Carribbean, and transcon flights, instead of a crappy first class product all over. A premium cabin is only needed on the longer flights, particularly if you can offer a stellar coach product on shorter flights.

[post="192317"][/post]​

I have suggested drink coupons to Consumer Affairs on RJ flights to entice more elites because of no upgrade. I will sometimes take a connecting mainline flight to avoid a CRJ or ERJ--you can't do work on them even in the exit row because it is so cramped. Pax opting for a connection reduces the revenue per flight for the company. Their response is always: thank you for your comments. we consider new things all the time. I don't need glassware in FC--it's not a big deal to me--except on Transatlantic where I think it is more important. A little thing like a drink coupon or a meal coupon costs so little and can go so far. People get excited about the smallest things--they like being made to feel special.

 

[Light Years]

Spread the word, the more suggestions they get the more likely they are to do it.

On mainline flights, the agent gives the A F/A a FC manifest, and that's how they know who you are. They can request one for coach as well, and I've heard of F/As doing that on MDA flights so they know who's who (elites, US1, US2, people who need assistance etc) . I don't think F/As for the other Express carriers are really even trained in what the dividend miles program is and would probably be stumped if you asked them what a Chairman's Preferred was. But at least on MDA, which they have alot more control over, I don't see why the company would have a problem giving thier best customers a beer. I know they used to have drink coupons years ago, but I don't see why they'd even have to bother since it's on the manifest.

As I understand the meal program (Inflight Cafe), those are the property of LSG and not the airline, so they would probably have to have vouchers for them.

It's amazing the little things they could do for thier loyal customers. Why am I coming up with this stuff and not them?

 

[LGA / 037]

LGA-BUF_has_1_mainline_flight_return_and_LGA-MSY_gets_added_frequency.

[post="192061"][/post]​

LGA/BUF is too late . It needs to be in the 5:00p hour the way it was after 9/11. MSY is too late as well. Customers dont want to lose the whole day. When we had the evening MSY service previously (US177) it never went out with more than 30. LGA will be contacting OCC/scheduling to tweak the schedule.

 

[FutureCEO]

Scanning over the Feb. schedules it is obvious that management has no concept on how the network should operate. Here are some points.

1. Philadelphia gaining about 90 flights, aprrox. a 25% increase. Last time I checked the operation at 400 flights is a can of worms, just imagine how things will be when you throw another 90 in there.

2. The continued reduction in PIT service. For example, LAX has 2 319's in February. According to DOT data the pair averages 452 O&D passengers a day. For an airline in bankruptcy, giving away reveune is always a sound financial strategy. Also, a market like ORD with demand over 700 passengers and offering only 3 flights? you might as well just tell them to fly United.

 

[FM2436]

2. The continued reduction in PIT service. For example, LAX has 2 319's in February. According to DOT data the pair averages 452 O&D passengers a day. For an airline in bankruptcy, giving away reveune is always a sound financial strategy. Also, a market like ORD with demand over 700 passengers and offering only 3 flights? you might as well just tell them to fly United.

[post="192494"][/post]​

You'd have to assume that the majority of those 700 passengers are originating from ORD and not PIT. Just off the top of my head I'd assume 65-70% originate from ORD and 35-30% originate from PIT. If that were the case, it would seem more likely that passengers originating from ORD (Chicago area residents) would choose United or American into PIT and passengers originating from PIT (Pittsburgh area residents) would choose US Airways into ORD. Not all 700 passengers flying between PIT and ORD fly exclusively on US Airways.

 

[DCAflyer]

I have suggested drink coupons to Consumer Affairs on RJ flights to entice more elites because of no upgrade. I will sometimes take a connecting mainline flight to avoid a CRJ or ERJ--you can't do work on them even in the exit row because it is so cramped. Pax opting for a connection reduces the revenue per flight for the company. Their response is always: thank you for your comments. we consider new things all the time. I don't need glassware in FC--it's not a big deal to me--except on Transatlantic where I think it is more important. A little thing like a drink coupon or a meal coupon costs so little and can go so far. People get excited about the smallest things--they like being made to feel special.

[post="192448"][/post]​

Not to drift off topic here, but I wish the company would sell meals before people board. That way, catering knows exactly how many meals to provision and the F/A's don't have as much cash to worry about. When people check in online or at the kiosks, a small advertisement of what food is available for purchase could come up, and the card they used to make the purchase would be charged. At the gates, there could be kiosks where people who didn't previously make purchases have a last chance to do so. Cut off could be 20 minutes or so before departure, and the agents could make announcements before boarding to give folks an opportunity to make their final orders. 20 minutes before pushback, catering could get an automatic count, count could be put on the manifest and the F/A's can do a final count to make sure everything is on board, along with final seat assignments. Labels can be printed out in catering listing the Pax/s name and seat.

-DCAflyer

 

[pitflyer]

You'd have to assume that the majority of those 700 passengers are originating from ORD and not PIT. Just off the top of my head I'd assume 65-70% originate from ORD and 35-30% originate from PIT. If that were the case, it would seem more likely that passengers originating from ORD (Chicago area residents) would choose United or American into PIT and passengers originating from PIT (Pittsburgh area residents) would choose US Airways into ORD. Not all 700 passengers flying between PIT and ORD fly exclusively on US Airways.

[post="192604"][/post]​

I would have to think that O&D is relatively split down the middle, because otherwise you'd have a continued migration to the city with less O&D (true for the occasional one-way or open jaw). Otherwise Chicago would be shrinking as every day more people come to Pittsburgh, but that's not the case 🙂

I think the reason US is dropping its ORD schedule so much is because of its partnership with United. Most US fliers who need to go to Chicago will just take United now since it has many flights, Economy Plus, and you can get Dividend Miles (if you stil want those). I fly United a lot back (since they have the last flight of the day from ORD to PIT right now) and most of those fliers are USAirways elites. I also fly AA on this route at least once a week (with the downsized hub, I spend a lot of time in Chicago) and those flights are full. I believe USAirways has better battles to fight than this one.

 

[TWA Guy]

I would have to think that O&D is relatively split down the middle

[post="192895"][/post]​

For the year-ended March 31, 2004, 55% of the PITORD market O&D originated in PIT. The market had 243,630 total O&D passengers or 334 passengers per day each way.

 

[JS]

Not to drift off topic here, but I wish the company would sell meals before people board. That way, catering knows exactly how many meals to provision and the F/A's don't have as much cash to worry about. When people check in online or at the kiosks, a small advertisement of what food is available for purchase could come up, and the card they used to make the purchase would be charged. At the gates, there could be kiosks where people who didn't previously make purchases have a last chance to do so. Cut off could be 20 minutes or so before departure, and the agents could make announcements before boarding to give folks an opportunity to make their final orders. 20 minutes before pushback, catering could get an automatic count, count could be put on the manifest and the F/A's can do a final count to make sure everything is on board, along with final seat assignments. Labels can be printed out in catering listing the Pax/s name and seat.

-DCAflyer

[post="192636"][/post]​

That is the complicated version of:

Buy food in the airport yourself and take it on the plane

 

[JS]

I would have to think that O&D is relatively split down the middle, because otherwise you'd have a continued migration to the city with less O&D (true for the occasional one-way or open jaw). Otherwise Chicago would be shrinking as every day more people come to Pittsburgh, but that's not the case 🙂

Originating means where you started your round trip, not where you started your flight. PIT to ORD and back is one originating PIT passenger.

I think the reason US is dropping its ORD schedule so much is because of its partnership with United. Most US fliers who need to go to Chicago will just take United now since it has many flights, Economy Plus, and you can get Dividend Miles (if you stil want those). I fly United a lot back (since they have the last flight of the day from ORD to PIT right now) and most of those fliers are USAirways elites. I also fly AA on this route at least once a week (with the downsized hub, I spend a lot of time in Chicago) and those flights are full. I believe USAirways has better battles to fight than this one.

[post="192895"][/post]​

US and UA are supposed to compete with one another. One or two missing flights isn't noticeable, but if US and UA were to split up a bunch of markets, they could get in big trouble with the DOJ for anti-trust.

 

[phllax]

For about a week there was a website, www.buyonboard.com, that was up an running from which you could purchase IFC meals on US. For some reason or another that program has been put on indefinate hold.

 

[DCAflyer]

That is the complicated version of:

Buy food in the airport yourself and take it on the plane

[post="192902"][/post]​

I just don't see where it's complicated. Actually, it will make things easier and more cost-effective. Food sales would come from three sources (online checkin, kiosk checkin, and at-gate sales terminals) and the information is instantly transferred into the caterer's software. 20 minutes before pushback (or say even 30, when boarding begins) sales for that flight are cut off and an automated check-out takes place. Labels are printed with PAX names and seat numbers, slapped on the boxes, and boarded onto the A/C. No cash changes hands. Exactly the number of meals needed are boarded... no waste.

 

[WestCoastGuy]

That makes WAY TOO MUCH SENSE for this company to do. I dont think the VP of inflight services thought of that, so obviously, it's a bad idea.

 

[JS]

I just don't see where it's complicated. Actually, it will make things easier and more cost-effective. Food sales would come from three sources (online checkin, kiosk checkin, and at-gate sales terminals) and the information is instantly transferred into the caterer's software. 20 minutes before pushback (or say even 30, when boarding begins) sales for that flight are cut off and an automated check-out takes place. Labels are printed with PAX names and seat numbers, slapped on the boxes, and boarded onto the A/C. No cash changes hands. Exactly the number of meals needed are boarded... no waste.

[post="192960"][/post]​

That's not complicated? You must work for Microsoft! 😉

OK, I will spell out all the problems with it --

1) You will have to buy a kiosk for every single gate just to get customer food information. The number of kiosks needed would be far more than the check-in kiosks -- big bucks $$$.

2) The gate agent will have yet another thing to do right in the middle of boarding. Or, forget about the gate kiosks and hire more gate agents to take food orders in person -- more big bucks $$$$.

3) The caterer will need an army of employees in order to be able to slap labels on food in a ten minute window of boarding time, not to mention delivering it to the plane. Huge big bucks $$$$$. If you try to cut costs there, you will get to choose between delaying a flight waiting for individualized catering, or leave anyway and royally piss people off by selling them food that isn't on the plane in flight.



Stocking food on the plane (either free or sell it, same thing) in the same quantity and ratio on every flight is much easier, because all you have to do is deliver a large quantity of pre-packaged meals at once. Having done a little bit of catering myself, you will just have to trust me that the difference between "mass"-loading 100 chicken meals and 100 steak meals, versus loading 97 individually labeled chicken meals and 103 individually labeled steak meals, is HUGE.

Besides, if people are going to switch airlines just because they didn't get their meal choice, just let 'em go. They are rare, not to mention a drain on resources being that picky.


Ordering your own food in the airport and taking it on the plane yourself is far more efficient because:

1) the passenger takes it on the plane, wiping out the need for just-in-time individually labeled meal delivery

2) if there is a long line at one eating establishment, the passenger will go to another one or skip the meal entirely. Delaying the flight is not an option, thus ceases to be a concern.

 

[sfb]

I have to say that JS is right here about the logistics of allowing passengers to pre-order up until close to departure time. It would take too many people to pull the meals from inventory (let alone label them), load them onto carts, and deliver them to aircraft from the kitchen within 30 minutes. And that doesn't even take into account that you'd have to multiply by 30-40 aircraft departing within 45 minutes during a hub bank.

Now, a pre-reservation system that's open until a few hours before boarding could work if the caterers have some down time between banks to prepare. And perhaps the option to purchase a voucher for meals and drinks (like CO's Continental Currency) at the kiosk could help cut down on cash handling for in-flight staff. But that still doesn't account for the fact that a lot of people are impulse buyers, and that smelling or seeing something good to eat is more likely to make someone feel hungry.