One Less Competitor On Los Angeles To Vegas

[v1rotate]

First, they tried to compete against Delta LGB-ATL (Delta LAX-ATL) and pulled out. Then they tried to compete against Southwest, America West, American and Northwest LGB-LAS (Southwest LAX-LAS, SNA-LAS, BUR-LAS and ONT-LAS, America West LAX-LAS, SNA-LAS and ONT-LAS, American LAX-LAS and Northwest LAX-LAS) and pulled out. It looks like JetBlue can't take the heat so once again they're getting out of the kitchen! Can't wait until they try to fly into ORD!!

Please remember that the short haul flights out of LGB by B6 were originally put in place as merely a way to utilize all of its allocated slots.

In the beginning (when nobody but B6 wanted to serve LGB in the first place) AA made a bunch of legal drum beating about B6 having to either use the slots or give them up. B6 chose to use them. However due to the fact that the number of airplanes on line at the time was limited, short haul flying with frequency was the only solution to hold the slots until more airplanes arrived. Those airplanes have now arrived and are being re-deployed to the much higher yielding markets that they were intended for in the first place.

B6 made money in ATL, just not much. A tough market to be sure. However, instead of sitting on its pride, they chose to end the service and better utilize their assets in more productive markets. Smart move. More airlines should do the same.

So you see, B6 ending LGB-LAS is no big thing as it was all part of the original plan anyway.

V1

 

[biztraveller29]

v1rotate is absolutely correct in that the plan was ALWAYS to get out of the LGB-LAS market upon receiving sufficient numbers of planes to utilize the LGB slots. Now that B6 has more planes, they can increase long-haul flying, which is much more of a direct threat to AA than LGB-LAS ever was. This is actually better news for WN and HP.

I don't think I'd be clinking champagne glasses yet....

 

[MiAAmi]

There will be no champagne popped until AA becomes profitable even with low fare carriers flying along side.

 

[jimntx]

WN alone offers 15 weekday round trips between LAX and LAS, 12 between BUR and LAS, 10 between ONT and LAS and 3 between SNA and LAS. If my math skills are up to par that is a total of 50 round trips a day between Southern California (excluding SAN) and Las Vegas.

This should help put the JetBlue pullout from the LGB - LAS market in perspective.

Add in HP's flights in those same markets and it's over 75 daily RTs...

And that's only the mainline airlines. I called up the route on Orbitz and some airline names came up that I've never heard of. Must be California-based regionals.

 

[MAH4546]

I think its more about keeping B6 contained. They also dropped the 2nd non-stop from FLL to LGB. Meanwhile AA increase FLL-LAX to 4 n/s. Its no question that b6 is a threat, its just how AA defends itself.

They suspended (they didn't drop) the 2nd FLL-LGB because of lack of slots and the need to get BOS-LGB started with two dailies (important business market). One of the reasons they are ending LGB-LAS is to bring back the second FLL-LGB flight. It should be uploaded back into the schedules in due time. jetBlue's loads on FLL-LGB average around 92%.

 

[funguy2]

And, I doubt seriously that LGB-ATL is a major moneymaker for Delta either.

Ummm.... DL doesn't fly to LGB... And I would expect that ATL-LAX (and also service to nearby SNA) is extremely lucrative to Delta, hence their dramatic moves to protect the market!

 

[Cart Pusher]

First, they tried to compete against Delta LGB-ATL (Delta LAX-ATL) and pulled out. Then they tried to compete against Southwest, America West, American and Northwest LGB-LAS (Southwest LAX-LAS, SNA-LAS, BUR-LAS and ONT-LAS, America West LAX-LAS, SNA-LAS and ONT-LAS, American LAX-LAS and Northwest LAX-LAS) and pulled out. It looks like JetBlue can't take the heat so once again they're getting out of the kitchen! Can't wait until they try to fly into ORD!!

As far as I was aware, B6 never intended on being a permanant competitor in the LGB-LAS market. That market was there simply to hold their slots at LGB while they awaited more aircraft to deploy them from LGB on longer haul flights. I don't think that B6 ever intended on staying in this market in the first place so it's not real coup for any other airline that they are leaving - nobody chased them out, they are just proceeding with their already determined plans.

 

[mga707]

And that's only the mainline airlines. I called up the route on Orbitz and some airline names came up that I've never heard of. Must be California-based regionals.

Allegiant Air? They're the only CA-based (FAT) airline I can think of.
All others have gone to that big airline graveyard: AirCal, PSA, WestAir, Imperial, SunAire, AirLA, Royal West, Pacific Express, Apollo/Pacific Coast, etc., etc. (I'm sure there were others).