PHL-SEA in June

[BuffaloJoe]

I was checking out schedules and I know that HP added a flight PHL-SEA at 8:30pm and now on US web page there is also a US flight 499 at 8pm. Is this a mistake or they running two flights that close so late? Also the return, they both do red-eyes back to PHL from SEA. Just thought that is weird. Is there demand for those flights and if so why 3 flights within 2 1/2 hours and none during the day except for an early 7:30am flight.

 

[robbedagain]

it most likely is a code share flt operated by USAIRWAYS on a USAIRWAYS metal object. If I can remember i think the code share is in effect until the merger is complete but someone else may be able to explain it better

 

[USFlyer]

I've been taking the 8:30 p.m. HP-operated PHL-SEA lately. I'll look in June and see if they added some additional flights. I know they upgauged (as usual) to A321s for the summer. SEA is a popular city in the summer. Every other airline seems to be able to fill their planes to SEA in the winter, but US always seems to have a harder time in January and February. I think it's the catchment areas of the east coast hubs.

Edited to add - You're right, US is operating 3 flights and HP is operating one. Honestly, the demand probably warrants two flights that late. Although, the HP one may go away ... who knows.

 

[BuffaloJoe]

OK, Now HP will be flying PHL-SEA and PHL-PDX. With both flights depart just after 8PM, where does the extra HP jet come from?

There is a 7pm inbound from PHX which is the one jet, but there isn't any other. Or is it that when they start the PDX service,the SEA flight become US Metal which clarifys the 2 late flights.

 

[Barbell]

where does the extra HP jet come from?

I don't know for certain, but I do know that RON a/c in PHL has always been a revenue issue from the scheduling side (for some reason more so than other "like" cities from PHX such as EWR, JFK, BOS, etc). The goal was always to use the LAS redeye to go right back to PHX, but there was always either an issue that the morning HP PHL flight couldn't generate enough revenue (generally because US would dump junk fares on a similar timed flight, ironically enough), or that there was a gate space issue w/ CO handling the gates at the time.

I believe this change is probably an issue of better a/c and crew utilization while using a redeye inbound and trying to eliminate long ground time/RON a/c.

 

[BoeingBoy]

According to the timetable on the US site, the 7:55pm flight is a US flight number on US metal and the 8:30pm flight is a code-share flight (8000 series US flight number) on HP metal.

Jim

 

[BuffaloJoe]

According to the timetable on the US site, the 7:55pm flight is a US flight number on US metal and the 8:30pm flight is a code-share flight (8000 series US flight number) on HP metal.

Jim

That is what I mean, why would they both do a flight like that with times so close, and the return the each have a red-eye for returns. Wasn't the HP metal put on the route to support US routes? They (Both US & HP) have flights, give or take a few minutes,
7:30 am US
6:00 pm US
7:55 pm US
8:30 pm HP

That seems very weird scheduling 1 early flight and then 3 flights so close and nothing in between. Wouldn't it make sense for HP to have a flight at Noon-1pm then can do a PHX/LAS Run after? I think that the HP flight will be no longer and will be shifted to the PDX route, cause where would the 2nd plane come from?

That is what I mean, why would they both do a flight like that with times so close, and the return the each have a red-eye for returns. Wasn't the HP metal put on the route to support US routes? They (Both US & HP) have flights, give or take a few minutes,
7:30 am US
6:00 pm US
7:55 pm US
8:30 pm HP

That seems very weird scheduling 1 early flight and then 3 flights so close and nothing in between. Wouldn't it make sense for HP to have a flight at Noon-1pm then can do a PHX/LAS Run after? I think that the HP flight will be no longer and will be shifted to the PDX route, cause where would the 2nd plane come from?

OK I just checked out HP web site and they DO NOT list the HP flights, so I guess they are shifting the flight to PDX. That answered that.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Pure speculation only......

The two flights close together may just be the result of a lack of equipment - not enough bigger airplanes to put on every route that needs the capacity so double up with smaller planes. In the summer with the increased TA schedule and now the HI flying, this is especially true - 2/3 or so of the 757/767/330 are tied up there.

The lack of flights between the morning & evening probably has to do with the time change and flying time - like all the TA flights leaving in the late afternoon/evening. Departing westbound in the early morning gets to the west coast in time for a day of business, vacation activities, whatever, and the airplane can return to the east in time for evening connections.

Leaving early evening gets you there for bedtime and the airplane can do a redeye back east.

Leaving between the two - 12 to 5 - gets you there late enough that the business day is pretty well shot, etc, plus turning the airplane around to fly east puts it back in the wee hours. Quite possibly, once we fully integrate, this problem will disappear to a degree. A plane used mid-day east to west could then fly western routes to fill the time till it was needed for a redeye back east, for example. But right now a West crew can't get on East metal when it arrives on the west coast to do something like that.

Jim

 

[rjh]

Actually, once HP starts running the PHL-PDX flight, they will no longer operate the PHL-SEA flight--that will go back to being operated by US. If you check PBT's, you will see the HP PHL-SEA flights have been zeroed out.

Here's what I heard: US was planning on operating the new PHL-PDX run. However, they realized they did not have the equipment (i.e. Shares) in PDX. So, since HP already operates there, it makes more sense to just let HP operate those flights.

 

[MarkMyWords]

So, when the final schedule change is loaded. the HP flight will drop out and all the customers will be reacommodated onto the US flight. Give it a week and it should all come out in the wash.

 

[USFlyer]

Slightly off topic, but US needs a BNA-PHX flight. Right now, the combined HP-US still bleeds traffic to UA and other carriers if you're in BNA and trying to get west. Or, like me this week, I ended up on a BNA-PHL-SEA routing, which ends up wasting a ton of time.

 

[Barbell]

Slightly off topic, but US needs a BNA-PHX flight. Right now, the combined HP-US still bleeds traffic to UA and other carriers if you're in BNA and trying to get west. Or, like me this week, I ended up on a BNA-PHL-SEA routing, which ends up wasting a ton of time.

That's a hideous routing!

BNA-PHX has been considered several times. Unfortunately, HP let WN take the market, and now there isn't a lot of room. Hopefully we'll see the error of our ways...