Cranky on the Web – Will JetBlue Ever Come to Cincinnati?

JetBlue

What’s it going to take to get JetBlue?Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati apparently really wants JetBlue, but it seems to me that’s unlikely with Delta still flying nonstop to Boston up to 4 times a day.

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10 comments on “Cranky on the Web – Will JetBlue Ever Come to Cincinnati?

  1. It will take people who want choice in the form of lower fares to accept flying on a different airline (as opposed to just buying the lower priced seat on the incumbent with the frequent flyer program).

    1. Hello PIT, goodby B6.

      That being said, JetBlue has made DTW successful, and is trying CLE (though UA is weaker than DL). I think we will see ATL before CVG as it is just a bigger market also with high fares, but who knows. To JetBlue’s credit, they rarely enter markets unless they know they can be successful and grow.

  2. A lot of folks in the Cincinnati business community still live under the illusion that CVG will have some sort of renaissance and believe whatever Delta cites as the reason for the cuts it makes (“pilot shortage” meaning once more pilots become available, service levels will return to “normal”). Consequently DL can charge through the nose for flights like CVG-XNA, SFO, MCI, etc.

    For what it’s worth, SDF will happily take those B6 Boston nonstops if CVG doesn’t really want them.

  3. If JetBlue can’t go anywhere that DL isn’t already going to nonstop, there is no reason for them to use CVG if the locals are still DL flyers.

    1. I’d agree with that. Where is Jetblue taking pax that Delta couldn’t? The answer is not really anything else. If anyone needs to connect to a broader network, ATL/NYC are better connecting hubs than Jetblue’s in Boston. It’s a catch 22 of that the non-legal carriers don’t have the depth of network, but people don’t switch because they don’t have that depth of network.

      1. Were JetBlue to go into Cincinnati, it wouldn’t be about Cincinnati at all. It would be about broadening appeal to meet the needs of loyal travelers in Boston. But if the big corporate are already tied up with Delta, the only airline flying the route non-stop, then it becomes much harder to justify.

  4. Why not LGB-CVG? Ever since Delta discontinued SNA-CVG, Orange County has not had a connection to CVG. This flight might fit in well with the Long Beach hub.

    1. I would welcome this. Beats LAX any day since I’m usually doing business in the OC but CVG-Lax is still my best option without going through ATL or ORD.

  5. With some exceptions, B6 seems to only care to fly to places that are within an hour or two (by car) of an ocean or Great Lake.

    With a good sales effort on the corporate side, I could see sveral daily flights in each direction for every possible combination of XNA/CVG/MSP/NYC doing well. That would basically capture the CPG industry market, with flights to/from 3 of most companies top ~5 customers (Kroger, Walmart, Target), plus NYC, which has a high concentration of CPG companies.

    Don’t forget how much of a pain CVG is to fly in or out of. For those living or working near the northern end of the 275 beltway, which is where many offices and nice suburbs are, drive time to DAY is roughly the same as drive time to CVG, and DAY is much easier to get in and out of.

  6. This past Weds I was next to the gate where DL was boarding for BOS. CRJ900 I think was the aircraft. The overhead monitor at the gate had 38 open seats. I would say if load factors are this low midweek, I doubt DL will keep up that many dailies, even with P&G and GE being major corporate accounts and BOS a major center for them.

    As much as I welcome more competition at CVG, I’ll bet I’ll connecting somewhere headed West in the future. The end of the year when DL’s influence over airport decisions appears already been implemented with continuous downsizing. Just look at Sky magazine. CVG is no longer in the airport diagram section.

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