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Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Posts: 2316
Location: Indianapolis, IN

It looks like during the winter months the 5 daily nonstop flights to LGA will be going to TPA, MCO and DAB. According to an Orlando Sentinel report...


Not all of the Florida flights are likely to last beyond the winter, though. AirTran executives eventually want to use some of those LaGuardia openings on flights to the Midwest, where AirTran is hoping to establish a bigger presence. Look for those changes to come in the spring.


Source: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.c...n/2007/11/airtran-will-bo.html

So will we get a a flight or two? Will it go to MDW, MKE, STL or PIT?

Member

Joined: 06 Jan 2007
Posts: 106
Location:

Hopefully us, but with NW and US to LGA and DL to JFK, it's hard to tell. Obviously we have no LCC service to NYC (I don't count US), but New York is a business market for the most part anyway. Would AirTran be able to steal NW's loyal frequent fliers? Probably not. So who knows.

Site Admin

Joined: 15 Jun 2005
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Location: Indianapolis, IN

The one thing AirTran would have going for it is that there is a huge lack of mainline service to LGA. There is only one mainline between US and NW so basically no business class seats. There are some. However many there are in a DC9. Continental has one mainline a day to EWR. Delta flies a single regional to JFK daily. No business class seats there either.

So between the three airlines there are around 14 or 15 flights a day and only 2 of them are mainline. I'd say there is room for improvement. It actually amazes me that there is such a lack of mainline service to a market that large.

Member

Joined: 15 May 2006
Posts: 728
Location: West Lafayette, IN

I think the New York market is primarily business, but there are enough leisure travelers for AirTran to make it work...if they can crack into NW's frequent flier stronghold, like you mentioned rw175.

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Joined: 06 Jan 2007
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Indy wrote:

It actually amazes me that there is such a lack of mainline service to a market that large.

I'm not surprised by it at all. New York is a business market, and as we all know, business travelers prefer frequency and convenience. Obviously NWA isn't going to stick 5 or 6 DC-9's/A319's on the route each day, just as US isn't going to put 5 or 6 737's/A319's on the route. So business travelers will stick with the regional jets if they have to for convenience. I think AirTran's only hope would be to actually use all five of those slots on IND and go with 5 flights per day here. Otherwise, they wouldn't break into the loyal US and NW base.

On this note, US is actually somewhat improving their service. One roundtrip to LGA and BOS each day is now being flown by a Republic Airlines E-170. Even though it's still a regional jet and US hasn't gone the route of other majors and put first class on regionals, it's still a major improvement over the standard CRJ and 145. I would love it if US eventually put the 190 on the route as obviously it has first class.

Site Admin

Joined: 15 Jun 2005
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Location: Indianapolis, IN

AirTran will do something stupid like make it Tuesday - Friday service so they can run Saturday - Monday service from somewhere else. They are spreading themselves far too thin.

Site Admin

Joined: 15 Jun 2005
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Location: Indianapolis, IN

I'm not saying AirTran's planning is less than brilliant but they are starting Saturday service to MSY from here. There is only one destination from here where that has worked. That would be Cancun. Every attempt at this in the past has failed. NW tried it to parts of south Florida and it failed. AirTran tried it. It failed also. So what is worse than starting a route like this? Forgetting to press release it.

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Joined: 06 Jan 2007
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I agree - it's like what's the point? They aren't promoting it AT ALL. No signs, no press release, one day per week service. Seems very strange and pointless unless they plan to build on it and make it daily.

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Joined: 15 May 2006
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Location: West Lafayette, IN

Why isn't it daily to begin with? That makes little sense to me.

Site Admin

Joined: 15 Jun 2005
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Location: Indianapolis, IN

Why is LAX seasonal? They keep deferring plane orders and keep adding routes. Something has to give. Remember all that talk about AirTran wanting a Midwest hub? Does adding those LGA slots to Florida sound like it?

Site Admin

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 949
Location: Carmel, IN

ATAIndy wrote:

Why isn't it daily to begin with? That makes little sense to me.

Maybe they got some kind of lucrative freight deal taking something that comes in on Friday's Cargolux down to MSY on Saturday. They wouldn't do it if they didn't think they'd make money on it.

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Joined: 06 Jan 2007
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Boofer wrote:

Maybe they got some kind of lucrative freight deal

AirTran announced that they are pulling out of the cargo business.

Site Admin

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
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Location: Carmel, IN

Then maybe it's an opportunity to earn some revenue while repositioning aircraft for some other service.

Or maybe they really are just that stupid.

AirTran Reporter

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 341
Location: Indianapolis

THings have seemed a little "boring" lately. THere have really been no major announcements from Air Tran in terms of service at IND. THey seem to be busy most of the time. When i flew on Cape Air last Tuesday, there were 4 Air Tran jets parked at the gates so they obviously still have a good setting at IND.

Site Admin

Joined: 15 Jun 2005
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Location: Indianapolis, IN

They started LAS over a month early and they have MSY starting in Feb. I suspect we'll see a couple new flights by summer. Not sure if they will be a new route or just additional frequencies to existing routes. There are a couple of holes in their schedule that they can still fill here. I got bored one day and mapped out their departures from here lol.