Originally Posted by
Margaritaville
Sounds like they are planning for the Amazon Prime of airlines. And anyone who has ever tried to file a complaint at amazon knows how hard it is to get a human on the phone.
Also, I wouldn't be surprised if SkyWest Inc is some sort of silent partner here, much like the role SKW played in Air Mekong many years ago. It has striking similarities. I'm also hearing that SkyWest training folks are playing a large role in getting this thing off the ground. It would be a great way for SkyWest to eventually branch out into bigger and better things as the FFD model continues to decline. We have all heard for many years how SkyWest wants to start an LCC. Sounds like they've got Neeleman setting one up for them.
Could be. For many years they did keep a lot of gates under their control, and also kept the hardware to do ticket sales in storage. They used to be a stand-alone commuter airline, and haven't forgotten that.
If UAX takes a big dump because of covid-induced scope limits, that might be the time for them to do it. They are definitely large enough, financed enough, and competent enough (especially with DN involved).
But it's a long slog... mileage loyalty keeps a lot of the market out of reach until you can chip away at other airline's loyal customers. The ULCC market is always available I suppose.