Originally Posted by
JediCheese
Airframes get cheaper to operate and larger over time, but the same hub and spoke ideas continue on. Ask United how giving up slots and space at JFK and LGA are working out for them. Unless the airlines absolutely need to save cash to survive, they'll need those slots long term and filling them with cheap packing peanut flights allows the airlines to hold onto those valuable slots.
Hub and spoke works until it doesn’t. Until business and international flying rebounds, flying in the hubs is going to be way down. And while yes, the Big Three have long used their regionals to occupy gates so they could lock competitors out of a hub but unlike Alaska, they all do have scope clauses and for most of these cutbacks in NB aircraft flying will cause a cutback in allowed Regional flying as well. And the Big Three right now are sort of in survival mode - they really can’t afford it. Both Delta and United have recently released financial reports and they are still bleeding money. American has debt of over $40 BILLION and it is increasing every day. Sure, if the pax are there they could and would do it - right up to the scope limits - but right now the pax aren’t there and they don’t have the money to defend many gates or slots they can’t economically utilize.