Originally Posted by
e6bpilot
Couple of experts here, clearly.
Hawaii is a multi layered deal. Even if the flights themselves break even, that whole node of the network is a magnet for the biggest money maker of them all, which is a branded credit card and the associated points.
At this point, they would have cut and run if it was a loser or at least pulled back significantly. The load factors are going to be awful when you fly 175 seat airplanes inter-island. Inter-island loses money so that the rest of it can make money. It was the key that caused the red carpet to get rolled out. Once redeyes come online, (allegedly early 25) I suspect that there will be a lot less aircraft overnighting there.
As for HA and AS, yeah, that's going to clearly change the game. I am interested to see how it all shakes out.
Why didn’t the big 3 come in and do inter island? Why didn’t AAG position Horizon out here? There is a money losing reason. SWA doesn’t need inter island to have a Hawaii credit card foot print. SWA came out to put HAL out and create a monopoly. So yes I’m sure they will reconsider dumping capacity in a saturated money losing market. HAL is the states largest employer and SWA wants street cred even though they are acting like the colonizer.