What Cities Are Next?

[BoeingBoy]

Hi Clue,

My hazy memory could likely be wrong, but I thought they said their "parking lot" research showed that most of the PA people using BWI were not from the PHL area, but from further west as you think. (Do PA plates have something to identify what part of the state they were issued in?)

Jim

 

[Reservation Agent]

Probably Charlotte in Sept/Oct.....

And then Pittsburgh in April 2005....

 

[AgMedallion]

At the time service to ORF was announced, Kelleher stated that RIC would be next. Perhaps he meant the next city in Virginia since PHL turned out to be "next". Perhaps it's because PHL was a target of opportunity. Part of the delay in starting service to RIC is, from what I've heard, construction going on at MDW and ISP, which are two of the cities RIC service would fly to. I think ISP gates are not yet completed, but I'll bet they will be sometime next year.

Perhaps U should worry more about where B6 will add service, once they get RJs.

 

[the turtle]

US Air is toast.

 

[funguy2]

I would expect at least 3 more PHL-MDW trips (6 total), now that MDW terminal is nearing completion (I think a part of Concourse A for ATA is being completed, which should give LUV more gates on B ). Also BWI-MDW has about 10 flights/day. I think 3 flights to STL and additional flights to Florida will arrive by Christmas.

 

[ClueByFour]

My hazy memory could likely be wrong, but I thought they said their "parking lot" research showed that most of the PA people using BWI were not from the PHL area, but from further west as you think. (Do PA plates have something to identify what part of the state they were issued in?)

Jim,
The plate itself does not have an identifying mark, however, most cars have either a dealer "bracket" around the plate or a dealer emblem somewhere on the back of the car. They could probably obtain a reasonably accurate sample that way.

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm kind of suprised that WN went to PHL and not ABE (to draw off more EWR traffic) or MDT (MDT is woefully underserved, but they are building a new terminal, anyway).

 

[BoeingBoy]

Clue,

You couldn't have been more surprised than me when WN announced PHL. That isn't their normal model. Of course there was STL with TWA - oh oh, I think I see the future.

Jim

 

[airlineorphan]

ktflyhome commented:

I wish we still flew to San Antonio. I never understood why we stopped service there, when flights were always full. You could never non-rev. The River walk was a dream.

ktflyhome,

Reportedly, US Airways used to have 3 full flights/day to AUS and SAT. Being a Texan, I was disappointed to find we did not fly to these fine cities. I asked around back before my furlough about why these were suspended. Consensus was that the company felt there was no room to expand in spite of the fact that the flights were profitable.

Sigh.....

In solidarity,
Airlineorphan

 

[funguy2]

My hazy memory could likely be wrong, but I thought they said their "parking lot" research showed that most of the PA people using BWI were not from the PHL area, but from further west as you think. (Do PA plates have something to identify what part of the state they were issued in?)

Jim,
The plate itself does not have an identifying mark, however, most cars have either a dealer "bracket" around the plate or a dealer emblem somewhere on the back of the car. They could probably obtain a reasonably accurate sample that way.

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm kind of suprised that WN went to PHL and not ABE (to draw off more EWR traffic) or MDT (MDT is woefully underserved, but they are building a new terminal, anyway).

The researchers are probably able to pull up your plate through your state's Motor Vehicles Dept. I seem to recall that several years ago that Hollywood types were extremely concerned about how easy it is to get personal information from Motor Vehicles such as the person the car is registered under and address, etc. I think this was a contributing factor in an actress stalker/murder case.

At any rate, it would not surprise me if Motor Vehicles departments were allowed to tell anyone who asked that plate PA ZZZ-1234 is registered in Allegheny County or whatever. We as a society are always signing away our rights to privacy in things like this... Like for example, when you sign up for the Saver Card at the grocery store (for which you have to give your address, birthdate and SSN) or give a hotel your credit card and your plate number, etc.

 

[ClueByFour]

You couldn't have been more surprised than me when WN announced PHL. That isn't their normal model. Of course there was STL with TWA - oh oh, I think I see the future.

Jim,

In a way, it _is_ LUV's normal model.

LUV looks at a market's O&D, but they are also quite aware of the "potential" O&D. PHL's "potenial" is probably much higher than it's current "actual," largely due to US pricing model.

Look no further than BWI to see what I mean. I have no doubt that O&D in Philly is going to increase dramatically once Southwest has been in town for a few year. People will fly a $200 trip to MHT in a day. They won't do the $600-800 trip that U has hawked for the past few years.

RDU was like this. Hell, Chicago was like this before LUV and ATA at MDW.

If LUV makes it to PIT, I'll bet that O&D boardings would increase a half-million/year almost overnight.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Clue,

I couldn't agree more with your points. What I phrased badly was that it isn't WN's normal model to enter the main airport in that market when that airport is delay prone in the first place - they do it but it is the exception.

I would have expected them to announce Trenton or something like that if they wanted to enter the PHL market.

Jim

 

[mweiss]

oh oh, I think I see the future.

Yup. I think you do.

WN couldn't have pulled it off ten years ago, but they have the muscle now to make the bigger cities profitable, simply because their network is so extensive.