Southwest Negotiating For Gates In Clt.

Its the oldest tactic in modern (airline) warfare. SWA feints a full assault on PHL, which makes US pool all its resources for the big defensive stand. The 28 or whatever flights SWA plans out of PHL will make US change its entire fare structure. When US runs out of the resources to wage a second front battle (CLT), SWA will waltz in and enjoy an immediate boon. The greatest part of this for SWA is that they will have had to use so little firepower to acheive the massive effect. As the Guiness beer guys say, "brilliant".
 
this company and employees has done more FOR SW in the last 15 yrs than Herb ever did !!
 
There is only one problem with this. CLT is short on gates. There are no spare gates. Everything is used during the day. US was told some time ago to use or loose the gates and there are. I fly through CLT all the time and NW,CO,AA,UA have to park A/C off the gate because there is just not enough gates. There was an article in the Charlotte paper the other day saying that US was going to add more destinations in the Caribbean and Central America. Add that to cutbacks in PIT and the A/C have to go someplace. At the present time the only construction at CLT in the expansion of the express terminal and a parking garage. From talking to an airport employee I know moving the car rentals is off in the future.
 
MR, i'd have to agree. if any place it would be PIT not CLT due to what you have said. U will be moving LOTS of flying to CLT.
 
I'm not sure U has done more for WN then HP. Every time we seem to open a new domestic route, WN joins the fray.

WN could also be feigning at CLT and planning more for PHL.
 
CLT has a very small originating base, I doubt WN would fly from there.
 
CLT has a very small originating base, I doubt WN would fly from there.
Click to expand...

First of all, I haven't been able to find the article about WN wanting gate space in Charlotte. I think it may be wishful thinking on someone's part.

However, the dearth of O&D traffic at Charlotte might be one reason WN wants to head there.

Why, you ask?

A city as large as Charlotte, with as much business activity that goes on there....ought to have some pretty decent O&D numbers.

The fact that it doesn't can mean only one thing: the fares are too high.

Some folks will come back and quote examples of $72 round trips from Charlotte to Tierra del Fuego or somesuch.....but the bottom line is that high unrestricted fares choke off business travel.

It is now (as I write this) Sunday May 9th.

Suppose my employer decides I need to get out to the Left Coast (LAX) Tuesday morning for a series of meetings and come back Friday.

Let's say I want to catch a flight at 8 am and come back at 1:15 in the afternoon.

The fare? A measly $ 2110.70.

The absolute worst walk up fare, fully refundable, for last minute purchase on a transcon route on WN would be $ 633.90...even less if they offered a nonstop.

So that's why, despite folks' protests to the contrary, WN carries business travelers and lots of them. The fare structure doesn't go out of its way to harm a company's bottom line.
 
ELP_WN_Psgr said:


First of all, I haven't been able to find the article about WN wanting gate space in Charlotte. I think it may be wishful thinking on someone's part.

However, the dearth of O&D traffic at Charlotte might be one reason WN wants to head there.

Why, you ask?

A city as large as Charlotte, with as much business activity that goes on there....ought to have some pretty decent O&D numbers.

The fact that it doesn't can mean only one thing: the fares are too high.

Some folks will come back and quote examples of $72 round trips from Charlotte to Tierra del Fuego or somesuch.....but the bottom line is that high unrestricted fares choke off business travel.

It is now (as I write this) Sunday May 9th.

Suppose my employer decides I need to get out to the Left Coast (LAX) Tuesday morning for a series of meetings and come back Friday.

Let's say I want to catch a flight at 8 am and come back at 1:15 in the afternoon.

The fare? A measly $ 2110.70.

The absolute worst walk up fare, fully refundable, for last minute purchase on a transcon route on WN would be $ 633.90...even less if they offered a nonstop.

So that's why, despite folks' protests to the contrary, WN carries business travelers and lots of them. The fare structure doesn't go out of its way to harm a company's bottom line.
Click to expand...
I could not have said it better. I am not looking for $29 fares as WN offers, but I am looking for reasonable fares without so many restrictions. I agree that CLT could have a strong O&D market if many people were not driving to GSO and RDU. The people and many businesses of CLT are not willing to pay what U wants. I would certainly welcome WN here in CLT.
 
I don't know about CLT not having alot of O/D traffic every time I fly out of CLT in parking lots are full. The airport is building a new parking garage and it seems there are more remote parking spaces everytime I fly out. There are cars everywhere. I realize you pay for the convience of flying non-stop to many destinations and driving to GSO or RDU with gas, parking and traffic must not be worth it to all the O/D pax in CLT.
 
Here's something about the plans CLT has for the next 2 years or so.....

Airport is starting runway as new fees hit passengers
David Mildenberg
Staff Writer

Long-delayed plans for a third runway will go to the front burner this summer as Charlotte/Douglas International Airport imposes a new $3 fee on passengers and issues $215 million in revenue bonds for the project.

Article

Jim

ps - sounds like a pretty good first day in PHL - congrats.
 
ELP_WN_Psgr said:
First of all, I haven't been able to find the article about WN wanting gate space in Charlotte. I think it may be wishful thinking on someone's part.

However, the dearth of O&D traffic at Charlotte might be one reason WN wants to head there.

Why, you ask?

A city as large as Charlotte, with as much business activity that goes on there....ought to have some pretty decent O&D numbers.

The fact that it doesn't can mean only one thing: the fares are too high.

Some folks will come back and quote examples of $72 round trips from Charlotte to Tierra del Fuego or somesuch.....but the bottom line is that high unrestricted fares choke off business travel.

It is now (as I write this) Sunday May 9th.

Suppose my employer decides I need to get out to the Left Coast (LAX) Tuesday morning for a series of meetings and come back Friday.

Let's say I want to catch a flight at 8 am and come back at 1:15 in the afternoon.

The fare? A measly $ 2110.70.

The absolute worst walk up fare, fully refundable, for last minute purchase on a transcon route on WN would be $ 633.90...even less if they offered a nonstop.

So that's why, despite folks' protests to the contrary, WN carries business travelers and lots of them. The fare structure doesn't go out of its way to harm a company's bottom line.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? I did the same search today for the same travel dates of May 11-14, and I found much cheaper options on Expedia.com, ranging from $327 to $390 roundtrip (plus $5 booking fee), depending on what airline you like.

CLT-ONT is even cheaper, starting at $202 roundtrip on UA.

Granted, you have to change planes on these fares, but hey, if time is money, take the $2,000 non-stop.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top