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Allegiant Phases Out Boeing 757s and Exits Hawaii
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air has phased out its final Boeing 757-200s, marking an end to the carrier's Hawaii service. (www.flightglobal.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
southwest would never consider allegiant a threat, barely a competitor. Cost structure, aircraft reliability, general positive view of the airline- all these and more are the advantages of southwest verses allegiant, and spirit, and frontier, et.al. As well as the ability to schedule against a lesser opponent, with frequencies, fare promotions, and deeper pockets. When, not if, southwest orders 787's or 797's, then I can't wait to see the strategy happen to persuade away from NORWEGIAN AIRLINES. Can southwest do in Hawaii what it has done in las vegas, with many departures to everywhere just about in their system?
Yes, they can.
Keep in mind that AAH ran their entire operation from LAS-HNL via SNA and OAK with ETOPS-compliant B737-700s. SWA can definitely do that. SWA can easily do the same from their OAK base. LAX is another issue, but as they already get their international flights into TBIT, they could work on that.
And while AAY is a ULCC, that wasn't the point. The point here is that a competitor in the LCC spectrum of aviation is on the rocks at a certain destination, and that is when SWA usually pounces on the opportunity.
FFT was in trouble at KDEN (as well as UAL at that time), and that was when SWA relaunched service to KDEN.
MEP was on the rocks at KMSP, and that's when SWA started service to KMSP (a place they said they would never serve because of it being a hub for NWA. Both MEP and NWA are gone.
By osmosis (from buying out TRS), SWA started service to ATL - another place they said they'd never serve, being DAL's home.
They didn't want to touch anything in the NYC area, and now they have slots at LGA and EWR, thanks to the UAL/COA merger; especially EWR, which was the COA hub.
Again, the trend over the past 20 years is that when an airline has had some trouble with service, SWA tends to come in.
Keep in mind that AAH ran their entire operation from LAS-HNL via SNA and OAK with ETOPS-compliant B737-700s. SWA can definitely do that. SWA can easily do the same from their OAK base. LAX is another issue, but as they already get their international flights into TBIT, they could work on that.
And while AAY is a ULCC, that wasn't the point. The point here is that a competitor in the LCC spectrum of aviation is on the rocks at a certain destination, and that is when SWA usually pounces on the opportunity.
FFT was in trouble at KDEN (as well as UAL at that time), and that was when SWA relaunched service to KDEN.
MEP was on the rocks at KMSP, and that's when SWA started service to KMSP (a place they said they would never serve because of it being a hub for NWA. Both MEP and NWA are gone.
By osmosis (from buying out TRS), SWA started service to ATL - another place they said they'd never serve, being DAL's home.
They didn't want to touch anything in the NYC area, and now they have slots at LGA and EWR, thanks to the UAL/COA merger; especially EWR, which was the COA hub.
Again, the trend over the past 20 years is that when an airline has had some trouble with service, SWA tends to come in.
Well technically NWA is only gone by name, being adsorbed by Delta. The service is still there.
And yet they still have MD80s flying around. That break down often. Admittedly, I'm not an aviation expert. But it's interesting to read this.
This would definitely explain the rumours about SWA starting service to Hawaii. normally they wouldn't enter a new market unless it were advantageous for them (read: smelling blood around the success or failure of another carrier, easy turnaround time, etc.) You'd have thought they would have just continued where ATA left off or picked up where AAH failed.. but now with AAY leaving, now is the perfect time for them to start service.
Actually SWA has announced they will be starting Hawaii service in the near future, they just have yet to mention details like which west coast airports will be their gateways, what the destinations will be, or even precisely when service will begin. Might not be so much SWA smelling blood as Allegiant seeing the writing on the wall.
True, but there isn't any pattern or history of AAY dropping service from a destination after SWA announces service to that same destination. It could be here that SWA looked at the non-legacy competition in this market and saw an airline that was struggling, and then decided to move in; this time it happened to be before the competitor announces cuts in service instead of after. SWA moved back into Denver before FFT cut service and went ULCC. SWA moved into MSP shortly after MEP started to go under.
As far as destinations go, the most logical choice right now is LAX. They are already logistically set up for international flights there, in case the arrival has to come into TBIT (however, this is domestic, so it could go either way). However the bigger question isn't where, but HOW they want to do this. They could surround the legacy carriers as well as their biggest competitor on this, HAL: they could follow the AAS route and use SNA, BUR, and OAK, as that's what AAS did, and OAK is their west coast base. This allows them to add more frequent flights with that turnaround that HAL, UAL, or AAL won't be able to get in a B752, B767 or A330. SAN is out of the question, as well as ONT. not enough people for ONT, and SAN is already a bear to get in and out of. SMF would be a smaller market to do this in and may work, but that's direct competing with HAL, which may not work.
The last option is LAS. They can go head to head with HAL there, as no other carrier except HAL has nonstop service to HNL from there. SWA has all that data from ATA to lean on as well, when they ran DC10s and L1011s to HNL to know what they could do, plus has every city on their map flying a nonstop, if not a 1-stop into LAS. The only concern there is taking passengers who go to LAS as their major destination and use that only for a layover to another major vacation destination.
Also, any combination of this will work, so it's back to a "watch this space!" for how they'll do it.
As far as destinations go, the most logical choice right now is LAX. They are already logistically set up for international flights there, in case the arrival has to come into TBIT (however, this is domestic, so it could go either way). However the bigger question isn't where, but HOW they want to do this. They could surround the legacy carriers as well as their biggest competitor on this, HAL: they could follow the AAS route and use SNA, BUR, and OAK, as that's what AAS did, and OAK is their west coast base. This allows them to add more frequent flights with that turnaround that HAL, UAL, or AAL won't be able to get in a B752, B767 or A330. SAN is out of the question, as well as ONT. not enough people for ONT, and SAN is already a bear to get in and out of. SMF would be a smaller market to do this in and may work, but that's direct competing with HAL, which may not work.
The last option is LAS. They can go head to head with HAL there, as no other carrier except HAL has nonstop service to HNL from there. SWA has all that data from ATA to lean on as well, when they ran DC10s and L1011s to HNL to know what they could do, plus has every city on their map flying a nonstop, if not a 1-stop into LAS. The only concern there is taking passengers who go to LAS as their major destination and use that only for a layover to another major vacation destination.
Also, any combination of this will work, so it's back to a "watch this space!" for how they'll do it.