funguy2 said:
Ch 12:
Can you give an idea of what you are thinking? Are you thinking something like an LAX focus city (like Frontier and America West are trying)? Go back to things like LAX-CMH/IND? COS focus city?
I hear what you are saying from a high-level perspective. I just don't see many real world specific examples of what US Airways could do successfully.
I think that alot more opportunity exists than most of us think. A few years ago, I didn't anticipate LGB becoming a formidable focus city of a large carrier.
I'd love to say that COS would work b/c that seems to be the secret recipe that will be wonderful when done correctly but nobody has quite figured it out yet. Maybe it is too small. Look at LA, though. There are several airports that serve substantial populations and are ripe for a focus city. Maybe ONT, maybe SNA, maybe BUR...who knows. Like I said...I never saw LGB coming and that has been a boon for JB.
If U could have even one focus city out there, they could pipe many flights directly to it and have their typical commuter feed going up and down the left coast. This would connect anything that isn't on the eastern seaboard to the west which is the area where U is currently missing the boat entirely. Forget UA codeshares...U needs this as part of their own network.
But it is important to not be timid about such a move. Typically, this kind of action is not backed up and management deems it a failure before it even begins. There must be confidence and agressiveness to make it work. I think that the feeder carriers could be much better off in more formidable markets.
So I ramble on, but I see any of the LA airports as well as RNO, SMF, FAT (another shaky one that seems like some day it will be done right...but not yet), and probably countless others.
Just to restate...I think that we all believe that everything is drying up quickly but the LGB example makes me feel that maybe we aren't thinking hard enough.