American Airlines establishing a hub in Austin? (Houston, New Braunfels: home, bus)

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by As Above So Below...

Houston has about 2/3 of the O&D that the DFW market has. If it didnt work there, it wont work here.

It wouldn’t work but that was decades ago so can’t really judge because of that. The reason is simple. United has a premier hub at IAH.

[Trainwreck20]

SW is not any cheaper, generally, but they also have relatively fixed prices - I don't have to search all the travel sites trying to find the best deal, or wonder if the price of the ticket will go down tomorrow and then up the following week. So while I don't save money, I do save effort.

Some years back, SWA looked at going to assigned seating and did some pilot programs. The passengers generally preferred it. But SWA came out and said that the additional delays in people boarding cost too much - it added at least 15 minutes to each flight, more in some cases.

I usually don't check luggage, but I like knowing that once I pay my ticket, they will not charge me anything more at the airport if I do need to check luggage. Or for an aisle seat. Or an exit seat. Or a seat near the front.

The vast majority of the time I fly for business, but it is expensed back to clients and looks bad if the cost is too high. Often, I can finish my work early - or sometimes it goes late - and switching flights on SWA is not only cheap but also easy.

Anyway, I do fly other airlines on occasion for work, but not very often.

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

It wouldn’t work but that was decades ago so can’t really judge because of that. The reason is simple. United has a premier hub at IAH.

Well yeah. DL would be doomed at IAH or DFW, but theyd still probably have a better chance at DFW since the domestic O&D is so much higher. Either way, its a nonstarter.

[DCtoTejas]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Some years back, SWA looked at going to assigned seating and did some pilot programs. The passengers generally preferred it. But SWA came out and said that the additional delays in people boarding cost too much - it added at least 15 minutes to each flight, more in some cases.

I thought it was worth putting up with back when SouthWest was a much smaller and inexpensive airline then it is now. In those days they generally didn't have flights that lasted over 2 hours, I remember flying from Baltimore to the west coast, San Francisco I think, and we must have made at least two stops. It was like a bus, travel to next stop, some get off, some get on, and it takes off again. Either your flight was short so it didn't matter too much if you didn't get a great seat or you could find a better one at the next stop. It was also truly open boarding not this hybrid system they have now where it is impossible to get an A pass without paying extra and if you don't pay you have the A's plus 10 other categories of people getting on before you and are guaranteed a crap seat.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Breeze Airways, (one of America's 2 new airlines) is eying a focus city in San Antonio. San Antonio is also a market that needs better options so I hope they see success there.

Another note, the other of the two which is Avelo Airlines has its headquarters in Houston but they haven't announced any Texas flights.

I hope for success from Avelo and Breeze because our low cost airlines here are managed terribly in comparison with other countries.

[Tyrone Shoes]

Just to clear up in my mind...
1. Delta is the only airline that has 'self-proclaimed' being an Austin focus/hub city but no significant increase in flights. Delta did replace the contract DGS ground crew with actual Delta employees.
2. Allegiant has announced the establishment of a 'crew base' in Austin but not a focus/hub. Allegiant did state they were gonna invest a large amount of funds to ramp up the Austin crew base operations to occur out of the South Terminal. Now late last week it was announced that the South Terminal was be closed for taxiway expansion and replaced with a new six gate terminal south of the main terminal. The south terminal closure would happen before the new terminal could be started.
3. American has upped the number of flights to and from Austin but no focus/hub announcement. It is interesting to note that Austin has become the largest non-focus/hub station for American.
4. Southwest has announced additional Austin flights including both new and existing routes but no focus/hub announcement for Austin. It is not known why the increase but Southwest probably wants to protect its big dog status in Austin.
5. Austin airport will start off-loading passengers on the ramp and bussing them to the terminal thru gate 13. Now gate 13 is the old gate 1 AKA Commuter Ramp - International gate. This isn't the first time ABIA tried remote parking and bussing passengers. Before the east expansion two very expensive co-busses and an air stair were purchased. The city wanted Frontier to use the far east parking spaces (RON) and bus their passengers. Frontier had their aircraft wait for a gate to be made available rather than ramp unload/load. Oh yeah Frontier will need to move back to the main terminal once the south terminal closes.

OK did I miss anything?

[Tyrone Shoes]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

Breeze Airways, (one of America's 2 new airlines) is eying a focus city in San Antonio. San Antonio is also a market that needs better options so I hope they see success there.

Another note, the other of the two which is Avelo Airlines has its headquarters in Houston but they haven't announced any Texas flights.

I hope for success from Avelo and Breeze because our low cost airlines here are managed terribly in comparison with other countries.

Where did you see Breeze is looking at SAT?

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoes

OK did I miss anything?

Delta opened a new Sky Club in the most recent airport expansion here.

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoes

Where did you see Breeze is looking at SAT?

They are flying to San Antonio, but I wouldnt call it a focus city:

https://www.expressnews.com/business...s-16193406.php

[urbancuriosity]

If an airline wanted to shake things up, it would be interesting to bring commercial service to the Austin Executive Airport northeast of downtown and make it a focus airport. I know it will never happen but it would shake things up.