New Crew Base ?
 

What new crew bases are being considered?

Decision date?

Im hearing SEA.

RIP AS if true.

After the major contract cycle completes expect the next round of merger attempts.

Similar to LAS, MCO and CLE, crew base doesn’t mean hub. It just means there are enough flights to justify the crew base staffing expenses over the cost of hotels.

So why is there no HNL base?

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7/21/23

Given that both LAS and MCO were big commuter cities, as is SEA, SEA was at the top of my list as the next crew base. But do we have enough gates there to make it happen? The last time I was there, I flew into one terminal and flew out of another. It was as big a mess as EWR is with the new A terminal.

I don't see that as likely under the current administration. They are opposing mergers pretty aggressively (and not just airline mergers). I'm still watching for the green light on Jetblue and Spirit. If that gets nixed, there's no way United/Delta/American/Southwest will be allowed to merge with another carrier.

I agree. SEA would be cool but we are definitely a guest in that airport. I wouldn’t expect it at current levels. Maybe if we elbowed our way into a few more gates.

Gates do not factor in a decision on adding crew bases….

I can tell you from a Delta perspective. You open a crew base for two reasons. A reduction in credit hours and or an improvement in operational statistics. Hotel costs can be a third but minor player. HNL because all legs are more than 5 hours block to get there offers little in the way of credit reduction. In fact it likely increases credit because long legs make it much easier to build low credit rotations. Pull those long legs out of domestic bases may increase their credit. Operationally you also gain virtually nothing. With the weather in HNL and a predominantly one way traffic flow irops requiring reserve crews are non existent. In short a HNL base for airlines like Delta or UAL probably increases costs.