The following is from today's PlaneBusiness Banter an industry weekly newsletter written by Holly Hegeman. Holly is a former industry
insider and has a strong following with her subscription weekly newsletter including many airline employees. She's not always right, but over the years she has been right more then she's been wrong in her analysis and predictions of the industry.

From today's edition.

From Oscar's recent letter to all employees.

"I've asked the leadership team to look at all aspects of our employee and customer experience to enable faster and better decision making, improve processes and reduce costs -- this includes everything from reviewing our management structure to refining the mission each of our hubs and spokes play in our route network to modernizing our IT systems and various operational processes.

Undoubtedly, this journey will create a lot of discussion in break rooms and jump seats across the system, and I welcome that. In order for you to have all the facts, I am committed to keeping you informed as we build the plans to deliver the best experience for our employees and customers. That is the foundation of trust and transparency upon which we are building the new United.

Finally, one of the most important changes we need to make is for us to act as one United team. It's been more than six years since we announced the merger and we can't continue looking backward. We need to eliminate "sub United" and "sub Continental" thinking and truly be a "united" United. This will lead to a shared sense of purpose and, as many of you have told me, it's also important that you share in United's success."

Plane Business Banter - Holly Hegeman analysis:

Let's dissect that letter. Here's what he is saying. There are going to be some major changes at the airline. I intend to communicate these to you. But you're going to have to get over this turf war crap of legacy United versus legacy Continental.

He's right. I've been screaming about this for ...how many years?

I alluded to one change I am pretty sure we are going to see in my call notes. The closing of the hub at IAD. I would not be surprised to see United also close its hub in LAX. Why? The airline does not need one major and one minor hub on each coast. SFO and Newark. Period.

But there are going to be other changes as well.

I can't wait.

Continued...

 

She's regurgitating the verbal masturbation the geniuses over at Motley Fool wrote yesterday. Not exactly original thoughts.

http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/0...-its-hubs.aspx

Meanwhile IAD posted almost the same profit as EWR last year in a base half the size.... Yeah. We'll close it.

 

Do you have figures to back that up?

 

All that money spent on the metro

 

Relax a little.

 

Newb question here...If you close a base, does that mean you concede to giving up more mkt share to competitors? I don't see how giving up more mkt share at LAX especially would be a good thing. And what's wrong with IAD? Aren't we the dominant airline there? If it's profitable, and we already gave up elsewhere in DC, why just let it go?

 

James said so. It must be true.

 

I see this more as a cutting of middle (and meddling) management so that those in the field can get things fixed, or push better ways of doing business to actual practice.

NOT as closing a major hub.

 

https://www.thestreet.com/story/13457320/1/undefined

ANALYSIS: What does the future hold for United at Washington Dulles?

 

You guys are definitely on the receiving end of a true advocate.