Cranky on the Web (September 21 – 25)

Alliances, BNET, Delta, Emirates, Mergers/Finance, Schedule Changes, United, US Airways, V Australia

July Premium Traffic Shows GainsBNET
It’s premium traffic monitor time again, and traffic is still in the tank. But it’s not quite as bad, so that’s good.

Delta’s SkyClub Promotion Slightly Misses the MarkBNET
Delta offered club access to some elite members for a day. Good idea, not great execution.

Guest Posts From My Favourite Bloggers : Brett Snyder – The Cranky FlierFlying with Fish blog
I wrote a guest post for Fish about the recently announced V Australia/Emirates codeshare.

US Airways and Delta Raise More MoneyBNET
Airlines are raising money left and right these days. Might as well do it while they can.

United Goes Back Into Mini-Expansion Mode DomesticallyBNET
Don’t look now, but United has started adding new flights and new cities once again. That’s always encouraging, though I do wonder about some of these.

Virgin America’s Improved Second Quarter Performance DetailsBNET
Now that the government data is out, we can take a look at Virgin America’s performance in greater detail. Not too bad, but there’s still work to do.

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6 comments on “Cranky on the Web (September 21 – 25)

  1. CF: Regarding UA’s mini expansion with the CRJ, I’d be curious to see how the contract is set up. I assume most of those routes will be flown by SkyWest. I know there was talk about more risk based flying using the jets as opposed to the more common CPA/FPD setup. Could it be that UA’s exposure on this is light, and that OO had some CRJ-200s sitting around and needed something to do with them?

  2. UT Flyer wrote:

    Could it be that UA’s exposure on this is light, and that OO had some CRJ-200s sitting around and needed something to do with them?

    It definitely could be the case. I actually don’t know the answer, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that were the case.

  3. eponymous coward wrote:

    How do the VX ex-SEA routes look? Still their weakest station (outside of SNA)?

    In terms of load factor, LAX to Seattle has actually picked up:

    April – 82.03%
    May – 86.14%
    June – 89.49%

    As has SFO to Seattle:

    April – 77.84%
    May – 81.52%
    June – 86.22%

    The ones that stick out as the lowest loads right now are obviously Orange County as well as LAX and Vegas to SFO.

  4. I don’t get the targeted elite Club open houses. Elites travel “a lot” by definition. Either a club membership is beneficial to them or it’s not. Most layovers are short, with barely enough time to check in and grab a drink. When I was a Platinum with Northwest, I got more use out of the clubs on the originating end of a trip — it was quite nice to check in early, get some work done/read/relax, and grab a beverage and snacks. (I loved the bagels on AM flights.)

  5. Dan wrote:

    I don’t get the targeted elite Club open houses. Elites travel “a lot” by definition. Either a club membership is beneficial to them or it’s not. Most layovers are short, with barely enough time to check in and grab a drink. When I was a Platinum with Northwest, I got more use out of the clubs on the originating end of a trip — it was quite nice to check in early, get some work done/read/relax, and grab a beverage and snacks. (I loved the bagels on AM flights.)

    But if you’re an elite and you aren’t a member of the club, there must be a reason. For some, it’s because they don’t need it but for others they may not realize what they’re missing. I think that offering a free trial is a great way to get someone in the door and encourage them to purchase.

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