AirTran Reporter

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 341
Location: Indianapolis

Will they ever do anything with the "vacant" USAir club? It almost seems like a waste of space. I think AirTran should move to concourse D and utilize the "club."

Site Admin

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

Nothing's going to happen club-wise until the new terminal's open. Then we're likely to get a NW Worldclub. Airtran doesn't have clubs, AFAIK.

Site Admin

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

NW would seem like a lock for club space. And in the terminal plan there is club space.

Member

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

I am surprised Northwest just hasn't forced its way into D Concourse as it is.
But oh well, what do I know.

But yes, AirTran doesn't have clubs. The most I've seen for a "club" is them offering free coffee in the terminal at some of the airports, most noteably Atlanta. And I gotta be honest...it's pretty damn good!

AirTran Reporter

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 341
Location: Indianapolis

I would love to see the inside of that club..maybe some old USAir stuff laying around

Member

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

Hey, you could be right, possible USAir "artifacts."

AirTran Reporter

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 341
Location: Indianapolis

that would be cool...does anyone know when they closed it? I know it was around the time that USAir cut the IND "hub."

Site Admin

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

I believe it was still open as late as 2003 or 2004. I belong to Priority Pass, which gets you into various airlines' lounges around the world. The IND lounge was still actively listed in the directory when I joined that year. Allowing for a time lag in updating the directory, it had to have been open at least into 2003.

AirTran Reporter

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 341
Location: Indianapolis

What was the club like? Was it nice or was it a piece of junk?

Site Admin

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

I never got there, because I hardly ever fly out of D. And since IND is my hometown airport, I usually don't spend enough time there to feel like going to the lounge anyway. I had a couple hours to kill one time, and went over there, but it was already closed by then. And it was inside security. From what I can tell, it was just a standard lounge, nothing special.

AirTran Reporter

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 341
Location: Indianapolis

With US painting their jets in the Piedmont, Allegheny, PSA, and America West colors, anyone think that they should paint a jet in the 80s colors? I think it would be cool.

Site Admin

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

I'm kind of getting tired of all the different paint schemes, myself. Pick a scheme and stick with it, I say. It's like the sports teams with the throwback uniforms. It was cool when the first couple of teams did it, but now it's just stupid.

Site Admin

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

Do something original like using a paint that changes color in the light. What do they call that kind of paint? Iridescent?

Member

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

I've done some more internet work/research about the hub. Mostly this is to collect everything I have gathered and put it on the forums, but some stuff is new.

Accoding to Wikipedia: "With 146 daily departures USAirways was the dominant carrier accounting for 49% of all seats." (Stats for IND btw, but I'd assume you know that)

From Ben Mutzabaugh's colum at USATODAY.com "[The] origination (of the USAir hub at IND) was derived from Lake Central Airlines which merged into Allegheny Airlines which also in turn bought out Mohawk Airlines"

Very interesting article about the possiblity of the USAir hub coming back to IND: http://theairlinenews.com/Archive/a20050606.html

Thats what I have for now, just some more info to add to what we already know.

AirTran Reporter

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 341
Location: Indianapolis

I think IND would make a good "mid country" hub/larger focus city. How well did the IND hub/focus city do when they previously had it?

Site Admin

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

Focus city, yes. Anything much larger, we don't have the o&d traffic to support it.

Member

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

For a hub -- the traffic is there, there are just too many airlines right now to make it feasible. Outside of Northwest and AirTran, US Airways still has a feasible operation here...with those nonstops to National, Boston, and La Guardia.

Another problem -- it's not the local traffic but the surrounding feeder cities arent exclusive from other regional carriers to cause a surge in demand for more hub connections.

AirTran Reporter

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 341
Location: Indianapolis

How long does USAirways have on the leases of the D gates? And will they get the same # when the new terminal opens??

Member

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

I'm guessing they will get fewer gates, but I dont know how many they have.

AirTran Reporter

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 341
Location: Indianapolis

Well..they had i believe the entire D concourse at one point which has 10 gates. United i believe has 2, maybe 3. So that would leave USAirways with 7. Anytime i have been in that concourse, it always seems empty.