US doesnt get DCA-PNS Slots

[700UW]

DOT gave the slot exemptions to AirTran and Spirit.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The U.S. Department of Transportation has given AirTran Airways and Spirit Airlines the right to begin new flights out of Reagan National Airport.

Each airline can begin one new daily round trip. Officials say Airtrain will serve either Jacksonville, Florida, or Milwaukee. Spirit will fly to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The new service must begin by May 3.

Officials say they selected the two airlines over three other carriers because of their record of having low fares and because they would offer more seats than the competition.

By this order, the Department grants the following slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA): (1) Spirit Airlines, Inc. (Spirit), two slot exemptions to provide a daily nonstop round trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and
(2) AirTran Airways, Inc. (AirTran), two slot exemptions to provide a daily nonstop round trip to either Jacksonville, Florida, or Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In the event that either Spirit or AirTran fails to operate the slot exemptions awarded here by May 3, 2008, we select Midwest Airlines, Inc. (Midwest) as the back-up carrier, to provide an additional nonstop trip to Milwaukee or Kansas City, Missouri, utilizing Boeing 717 aircraft.

As between AirTran and Midwest for the remaining two exemptions, we find that
AirTran better meets the statutory criteria. It would provide more seats than Midwest,
and has a track record of providing low-fare service.

Midwest, on the other hand, highlights its premium level of service and claims that it will
offer competitive fares, but does not focus on offering low fares. Midwest's application
also seeks to increase its nonstop frequencies on routes where it offers the only nonstop
service, allowing it to strengthen its monopoly position. As a result, we will award the
second pair of exemptions to AirTran to serve either Jacksonville or Milwaukee.

These factors, taken together, with all of the other considerations discussed above,
support the selection of AirTran's DCA-Jacksonville or Milwaukee proposal and Spirit's
application to serve the DCA-Fort Lauderdale market.

Slot times for these two exemptions are in the 0900,
1400, 1700, and 1900 hour periods.

 

[PA18]

DOT gave the slot exemptions to AirTran and Spirit.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The U.S. Department of Transportation has given AirTran Airways and Spirit Airlines the right to begin new flights out of Reagan National Airport.

And why not?

Those two airlines are going to serve those markets with real airplanes.

All US would have done is pollute DCA with more RJ's.

 

[etops1]

And why not?

Those two airlines are going to serve those markets with real airplanes.

All US would have done is pollute DCA with more RJ's.

so an emb-170,crj-200,crj-700,0r a crj-900. is not a real airplane? last time i checked they could fly just like a 319,320,757,and 737 and go as high and as fast as the boeings and the airbuses. and some have better avionics installed in them as well. now i know what your getting at but think about what your gonna type before you post.

 

[AtlanticBeach]

Interesting award as US serves JAX 3x/day. Does not make sense to award slots for a route that is currently served unless an MC put some pressure on this.

 

[smoot4208]

The US proposal of DCA-PNS was the best applicant of them all. we will probably see another soon saying that US could just drop a frequency else where to start the flight. This is not a valid reason..the award should go to the best applicants. So for you type of thinkers I guess that means US shouldn't apply for a new slot until the next 192 slots are awarded? That makes no sense

 

[YVINTERN]

It's all politics and bureaucracy at DCA...I'm not even slightly shocked US isn't able to get slots awarded for Pensacola service.

 

[john john]

so an emb-170,crj-200,crj-700,0r a crj-900. is not a real airplane? last time i checked they could fly just like a 319,320,757,and 737 and go as high and as fast as the boeings and the airbuses. and some have better avionics installed in them as well. now i know what your getting at but think about what your gonna type before you post.

All USAirways Express A/C ARE NOT CAT 11 or 111 big difference especially with the weather the pass couple of days. They’re reliable issues as well.

 

[john john]

so an emb-170,crj-200,crj-700,0r a crj-900. is not a real airplane?

Real yes-outsourced contract service and equipment. Was this a factor in there decision?
I would like to think YES

 

[flyguy121]

Real yes-outsourced contract service and equipment. Was this a factor in there decision?
I would like to think YES

Perhaps another factor in this decision is also opening up DCA to more competition since US does have a large concentration of flights there. Does anyone else currently have service to PNS from DCA? It is a little surprising that new service to an unserved city wouldn't be embraced.

 

[EMBFA]

The other carriers were offering larger planes and reliable service, a benefit to hundreds. US wants to fly 50 or 70 people on unreliable contract carriers, not much benefit there.

 

[PHX PHLyer]

The other carriers were offering larger planes and reliable service, a benefit to hundreds. US wants to fly 50 or 70 people on unreliable contract carriers, not much benefit there.

That's the thing.....DCA-PNS was easily the best application of them all. Problem is, a 76 seat plane offering what can maybe only be called "competitive" fares and not "low-fares" by the largest slot holder at DCA is hard to justify. If anyone other than Delta or US offered DCA-PNS it would be an automatic winner, no questions asked. It was the best route application, but by the least likely carrier to get a slot.

 

[sbtinme]

so an emb-170,crj-200,crj-700,0r a crj-900. is not a real airplane?

etops1 -- I can't recall ever having disagreed with any of your posts. However, this time I do disagree.

If I'm a pax flying from DCA to a FLORIDA market or to a city in the midwest, these are all 2 hour+ flights -- nearly 3 hours in many cases. For mid-continent destinations from the east coast, the thought of 50 pax stuck on a CRJ200 (or -700, or -900 for that matter) should make any sensible person's skin crawl. Let's call a spade a spade -- it's flat out miserable!

The EMBs are a different story altogether and would be competitive.

I'm with other posters here -- the last thing we need domestically is another CRJ flight that is blocked for 2:53. Just plain yuck.

All other things being equal (and they never are), I always go well out of my way to take a mainline flight. I'm especially pleased that these routes were awarded to airlines that will operate the routes with full sized aircraft.

 

[Travelpro72]

I flew from PHX to PVR on Mesups crj-900 and let me tell ya it wasn't fun. Why not just strap me down and drip water on my forehead or rake nails down a chalk board. It was miserable. The 170/175 on the longer runs is tolerable in comparison. We're talking US here though. How reliable are the contract carriers? Not very at times. Hell neither is US mainline. They made the right choice in giving it to someone else. I'm sure Doug is soooo very popular in Washington now wouldn't ya say?

 

[FutureUScapt]

Perhaps another factor in this decision is also opening up DCA to more competition since US does have a large concentration of flights there. Does anyone else currently have service to PNS from DCA? It is a little surprising that new service to an unserved city wouldn't be embraced.

PNS is currently the largest within-perimeter market that is not served by any airline out of DC (DCA/IAD, and BWI for that matter). The DOT quite obviously saw Air Tran's name on the application and immediately gave it the approval stamp.

The EMBs are a different story altogether and would be competitive

It would've been served with a mix of E70/E75 aircraft, unlike DLs applications to JAN and VPS, which would've been served by CRJs.

 

[john john]

The E175 is a weight and balance nightmare