[QUOTE=TexasFlight;3410293]
Originally Posted by
KelvinHelmholtz
Interesting. Any reason HOU has so many more commuters than DAL? California bases are less commuter heavy than I expected.
Between Austin and San Antonio we have a TON of commuters, many of whom prefer to drive. So, Houston is “easier” in that regard to commute to. Also, Houston seems to be the base of choice for our Gulf Coast folks.
HOU is a great commuter base. Plenty of frequency on SWA to most places or you can use AA or DL through their mega hubs. Cheap and dependable hotels, you can be chilling in your room 20 minutes after your flight hits the gate. Good chief pilot as well. Lounge is terrible but getting a facelift soon. Lots of commuters because of the hotel situation and there are a lot of early and late flights to a lot of commuter cities.
I did DAL for a while. The hotels aren't great unless you want to pay for the Doubletree. They all have spotty shuttles or are overpriced and prone to filling up. It was a 3 hour drive, but I hate driving, so back to Houston I went.
Commuters are like water. They flow down the path of least resistance. That's why MDW and HOU have so many.