Originally Posted by
Ferd149
Bored (yes I should be doing my training CD, but) and ran across this. I used to watch the "Banana Boats" go past AZ State when I was a kid and my goal was to be a Hughes pilot someday. Guess you can say I made it.
But, looking at the route map, can you imagine how little we would need Alaska if Republic would have had the balls to run a western airline?
and what about combined with this one?
I've always been interested in the "what could have been" in history.
Ferd, not sure if it had anything to do with having the stones to run it, but with each merger it seems that the acquiring company has a corporate headquarters basis, whereby the route structure is systematically deconstructed favoring a preconceived model based on data developed for and by the corporation (you don't know what you don't know). When NWA took over REP, they de-emphasized PHX and LAS, when you downsize the hubs, less traffic and eventually they are taken virtually out of the system; it confirms the corporate think tank..."see, the traffic has dropped off to virtually nothing..just as we predicted, good thing we pulled out of those money losing stations." I know what happened to PHX and LAS and I predict the same for MSP, CVG and possibly MEM.
As far as history, I'm a big believer in those who ignore it, will repeat it!
Took the Banana Boat to survival school!