6778 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

That headline should read: Southwest Airlines, a carrier with no hubs, cancels….

[Mike K.]

Yeah, I don’t know about that. Try flying between Seattle and most of the east coast. You’ll be routed via hubs. Usually Denver.

[Nparker]

Or Dallas. Or Atlanta.

[Mike K.]

You can’t get to Atlanta or Dallas from Seattle without either stopping in, or changing planes in Denver.

[Nparker]

In 2010 I flew Seattle to Atlanta on a trip that was ending in Fort Lauderdale. Things might be different today of course, but the routing did exist.

[Victoria Watcher]

You can’t get to Atlanta or Dallas from Seattle without either stopping in, or changing planes in Denver.

I just found one to Atlanta with one stop in Chicago, no plane change.

[Mike K.]

There could be seasonal variations. But southwest is as much a hub airline as the other guys. Their difference is they route planes further than airlines with Dash 8s because it’s more economical that way.

[Mike K.]

I just found one to Atlanta with one stop in Chicago, no plane change.

Yes, there are going to be variations.

And Chicago is another hub. Whether you change planes or not doesn’t matter, since they’re all 737s.

[Victoria Watcher]

But a 737 going to Denver then Boston isn’t traditional “hub”. Hub would be Dash or small jets into Denver from Boise then back again.

[Mike K.]

There’s no such thing as a traditional hub. A hub is a hub, just operated differently, because 737s operate differently than regional planes.

Southwest will provide direct flights from its service cities to its hubs. Some flights will be direct. It’s the same model AC uses, but different because they have to maximize 737 efficiency.

[Victoria Watcher]

Southwest has no hubs. They just have a few big busy airports they like that make sense.

Back where we started here.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 28 December 2022 - 08:48 AM.

[Mike K.]

But they do, they just route planes further than AC does with its Dash 8s (which may be a dying model, look what’s happening with Calgary). Chicago Midway is like 90% southwest flights. They must really like that airport.

[vortoozo]

Wasn't the whole point of this discussion that Vitoriawatcher wanted southwest to serve Vancouver to Toronto because there aren't enough airlines serving it and they would be more reliable? There goes that theory.

[Victoria Watcher]

I want United serving Vancouver to eastern airports.

[vortoozo]

Why on earth would they do that when they have a very solid partnership with Air Canada?

[Victoria Watcher]

More money? Freedom? Self-destiny? No self-respecting airline in the US has a similar deal with another domestic US airline. They only do it here because - government.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 28 December 2022 - 09:46 AM.

[Nparker]

In 2010 I flew Seattle to Atlanta on a trip that was ending in Fort Lauderdale...

Discovered I still had the flight info on file. 

Glad to know I was not mis-remembering

[Hotel Mike]

It's not just Southwest Airlines. WestJet is a catastrophe right now. It took my friend five days, five days to get from Winnipeg to Victoria. The Winnipeg flight was delayed a day. Then they flew to Calgary. Flight to Victoria, cancelled. They told him they could put him on a flight to Edmonton, and then he could make a flight to Vancouver. When he got to Edmonton, the flight to YVR was cancelled. He spent three night in Edmonton before finally getting on a flight to Vancouver. Then there were delays, delays before the flight to Victoria. He got back home at 9:00 p.m. on Christmas day. Wtf? Are we a third world country now when it comes to air travel?

[spanky123]

^ Not much airlines can do about weather. 

 

The problem is that airlines have got so good at managing capacity there is no extra space to rebook people once a flight is cancelled. I am hearing lots of stories about people missing flights (cancelled or otherwise) and having to wait days to get rebooked. 10 years ago you could go standby and reasonably get a flight in a few hours.

Edited by spanky123, 28 December 2022 - 12:53 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

^ Not much airlines can do about weather. 

 

The problem is that airlines have got so good at managing capacity there is no extra space to rebook people once a flight is cancelled. I am hearing lots of stories about people missing flights (cancelled or otherwise) and having to wait days to get rebooked. 10 years ago you could go standby and reasonably get a flight in a few hours.

 

 

Plan for delays when you choose a winter trip.

 

Go back to your hotel and have few extra nights.

 

FFS.

 

Losers.