Originally Posted by
El10
One myth that needs to be put to bed is that mainline will get flying back. If attrition stays on the same pace and shrinking occurs at the regional level the effects will be the smaller communities served will lose service. This will come in the form of less frequency or the spoke being connected to less hubs. Right now DAL is the only one adding back mainline service to places it used to fly, but they only have about 50 more 717s to come online. Current costs at UAL are going to prevent them from bringing on line 100 seaters. To early to tell what AA is going to do, but they do have a full plate for the next few years.
Do not miss understand this to mean I do not support what is going on. I think its great to see the sector banding together.
This is incorrect. It would be correct if regional airlines still only served small communities.
In other words, all small towns are served by regional airlines, but not all regional airline service is between small towns. How many RJ-700's and -900's do 2.5 hour or greater flights? I work for a turboprop operator who does happen to do mostly short flights, but the "regional" nature of RJ's has long since been outgrown.
ORD-ABQ is served by SKW on a 700. What "region" is that? North America? Those are the two largest cities in their respective states. RAH does this one in an E175.
Buy a ticket on Delta for ATL-YYZ? RJ-700.
EWR-OKC on an E145...
ORD-MIA on a 700.
PIT-DEN.... E145.
IAD-IAH.... E145.
ATL-EWR.... E145.
YYZ-IAH.... E145.
These are all major cities, and these are all long flights. If the regionals can't stay on top of their staffing, the Legacy carriers have two options:
- Cut capacity across the board, not just between small towns.
- Add mainline flights in order to maintain capacity. Not grow, just maintain.
There are even short flights between major cities that should go to mainline. SEA-GEG, PHX-ABQ... Sure, a Q400 usually goes between Seattle and Spokane, but Alaska has a 737 do it three times a day. If Southwest can do PHX-ABQ in a Boeing, so can everyone else.