Originally Posted by
9mikemike
JetBlue in LAX does not affect Alaska Airlines
at all. We dont haul their passenger demographic. LAX eastbound is not now and never has been an important part of Alaska’s playbook. We haul mostly leisure travelers that can’t quite stomach the Spirit/Frontier Zoo and who consider assigned seating important. The wind-down from the Virgin America flying out of LAX is just about complete. As the Airbus is removed from LAX the pilot base will get smaller as they have no plans to replace those airframes...So again: Not at all
I agree with this. JB really just wants transcon expansion and has little to no appetite for short haul west coast, which is AS's strong suit. I could see closer cooperation with JB/AS and a formal codeshare, maybe join the existing AA/AS codeshare. Yes, JB will fly a few flights to HNL someday, but thats not going to be a huge hit against AS or HA.
The future theme of the US airline industry will be cooperation, particularly in competitive markets like LAX. Domestic codeshares/joint venture agreements will be a more common way for carriers to gain exposure in tough markets.