Originally Posted by ryane946
I have an idea about this one.
1. Airlines own their own hotels. I know that bankruptcy has left many carriers scrambling for cash, and therefore selling off their assets. But this seems like an important investment. If United uses 40 hotel rooms a night in Sacramento, imagine how many rooms they use in San Francisco, or Denver, or Chicago. It seems like airlines should buy a hotel property (Just the right size) in their hub's for their crews. This has got to pay off.
Thats just what the airlines thought back in the 60s-80s. In fact, a lot of overseas airlines still do this. Most major hotel chains were at one point owned, at least partially by an airline. But as times get tough, airlines (and most other businesses for that matter) sell off their "extra curriculars" to focus on their core business. When/if the airline industry in this country returns to profitability, I'm sure you will see at least a partial return to this system. As an airline, owning a hotel chain is great as long as people are traveling for business and pleasure. The problem is that by being so heavily invested in the travel industry the airlines take a double hit whenever there is a downturn (they lose money because of fewer butts in seats and then again when those same butts don't use hotel rooms).