Site Admin

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

Had they not been in bankruptcy I would have thought this to be a given. But I'm a little shocked that they would react to AirTrans announcement so soon given their financial condition.

"Northwest Airlines said today it will provide daily nonstop service from Indianapolis to San Francisco.

The airline also announced another daily flight to Los Angeles, the return of seasonal service to Seattle and a move to larger aircraft providing an additional 56 seats a day to New York's LaGuardia Airport.
The airline will grow to 44 daily flights to 18 destinations when the final changes are made June 8. Northwest provides the most daily flights out of Indianapolis International Airport.

The new San Francisco flight will begin June 1; the afternoon flight to L.A. June 8 and seasonal service to Seattle from June 8 to Aug. 21."

http://www.indystar.com/apps/p...0060215/BUSINESS/60215024/1003

Site Admin

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

Blast you and your fast typing skills...you beat me to the punch. Here's another look at the same info from Inside Indiana Business:

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=16860

I don't know if I'm all that surprised, bankruptcy or otherwise. This just shows how bloody cutthroat the airline business is nowadays. And besides, I think operating under Chapter 11 actually gives NW more flexibility to shift costs around and stuff like that.

Site Admin

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

Yeah I can type fast

The report mentions the 50 seat CRJ's to LGA. I believe they fly the 44 seat configuration like they do to the other destinations out of IND. The two A319's out west and the upgrade in the LGA service provides an additional 304 daily departing seats from IND. This would equate to nearly 7 daily departures of the CRJ B version which NW flew to STL, DFW and AUS. This should bring the total number of seats offered by NW out of IND to nearly its highest ever this summer.

Member

Joined: 27 Jun 2005
Posts: 333
Location: St. Louis, MO

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it...I *just* knew this would happen.

Northwest will be acting on the heels of its competition out of Indianapolis for years to come if they are going to be serious about the operation. If Air Tran announces Las Vegas, look for another departure from Northwest. This reasoning could be why Air Tran hasn't announced it yet...they don't wish to fight over the market if they aren't sure they can make it entirely profitable, rather than just a rat race to get the other guy to back down.

Site Admin

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

I think it will be like that though just about any market that AirTran tries to enter from here. Watch NW make SEA year round service just to keep AirTran out.