The Dallas Morning News Airline Biz Blog is reporting that Airtran is arranging for commuter airline SkyWest to fly new routes on behalf of Airtran from Milwaukee, WI to several destinations including Dallas / Fort Worth and Washington D.C.

 

SkyWest will be using 50 seat Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft for these flights and that interests me for a few reasons.  Due to long time personal connections to Milwaukee and living in Dallas for the past 40 years, I’ve long monitored what various airlines offer between the two cities.  Strangely, it’s a city pair that does have a lot of traffic but it has never been served very well by any one airline.

 

I suspect the establishment of this route is really for a few reasons.  One, it allows Airtran to compete with the current “dominant” player on the route which is American Airlines.    American Airlines at one time had as many as 5 frequencies on the route until the current economic decline.  Presently, they are serving it with 3 flights a day using Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft.    The flights haven’t been well served that aircraft because the flight duration exposes a lot of discomfort for the passenger during the 2.5 hour flight.  In addition, it has often been necessary to deny boarding to passengers due to weight and balance issues for making the flight.   The airplane often cannot carry a full load and enough fuel for the flight.

 

But American’s only real competition for non-stop flights has been Midwest Airlines.   Midwest has flown about 4 frequencies per day using the Boeing 717 and now the Embraer E-190.   Anyone who has flown Midwest on that route knows that that is a very comfortable flight and generally staffed with much nicer people.  Midwest has a loyal following on that route and I suspect Airtran wants to try to eat into it using price. 

 

Finally, by offering the non-stop flights, Airtran gets to tweak the nose of its newest competitor in Milwaukee, Southwest Airlines.   By starting this route now, Airtran has an opportunity to grow the business and offer a competitive distinction between themselves and Southwest in the Milwaukee market.  Southwest Airlines cannot fly that route as a non-stop yet because of restrictions placed on it due to their using Love Field airport in Dallas instead of DFW. 

 

Airtran is likely to be very successful on that route because American Airlines has never treated it as anything but an unloved step-child and much of the traffic between the two cities is O&D rather than follow on traffic.   American may retain some passengers for follow-on travel to regional destinations around Texas but I suspect that will be done by using 2 flights a day in the near future. 

 

In addition, Airtran has managed to endear itself to Milwaukee despite the ugly picture painted about themselves when they were attempting to take over Midwest Airlines.   Locals in Milwaukee like them and have found them to be a real alternative to Midwest Airlines both on price as well as quality. 

 

I think Airtran will manage to grow this route (as well as the others being served by SkyWest) and ultimately take them over with their Boeing 717 aircraft in the future.    Airtran will likely erode AA’s traffic first and then take over some of Midwest’s loads on price allowing them to ultimately become the dominant player in that city pair.  It’s doable using a CRJ-200 for now and upgradeable to a Boeing 717 pretty quickly in the future.

Filed under: Airline News, Airline Service by ajax
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In my last post, I mentioned that I was traveling Airtran.  My flight was from Dallas / Ft. Worth to Newport News, VA (Patrick Henry Field).  The Newport News airport is close to Williamsburg, VA where I have family and far more convenient than Richmond or Norfolk which are far more common for flying into that area. 

 

First, I’ll mention my booking and check-in experience.  Airtran’s website works pretty well these days and even accommodates the pre-payment of checked luggage when you do your online check-in.   My biggest criticism of the Airtran site is that you have to go through many different pages to complete the reservation and/or check-in process.  I suspect many airlines will be adding more pages to their processes if only because of the a la carte nature of the new airline business model.

 

I’ve mentioned in other, earlier posts that some airlines are developing and implementing electronic boarding passes to be carried on one’s PDA.  During my struggle to maintain 3 sheets of paper for each day of travel, I began to long for being able to use such a system on Airtran.   On my two leg trip from DFW to PHF via ATL, I had to have 2 different boarding passes on two separate pieces of paper (why, I don’t know since they are to be scanned) and I carried my receipt for pre-paying my checked baggage in case of trouble when I arrived at the airport.  Having those boarding passes and that receipt on a PDA would help immensely with simply managing the paperwork.

 

DFW to ATL (Boeing 737-700) Seat 18A:       This aircraft was clean and generally well cared for but my particular seat kept wanting to recline without being asked to do so.  As a consequence, I kept raising my seat back during the 2 hour flight and found my back feeling a bit strained after awhile.  As a rule, I don’t recline my seat when sitting in coach on such a flight simply because it’s truly discourteous to do given the little leg room and personal space that is afforded in coach.   Ordinarily, I enjoy the Airtran 737 because they use a nice Recaro seat that seems to fit my body very well.  This flight was an anomaly compared to previous experiences.

 

The gate agents loaded the plane quickly and efficiently and the flight attendants and other Airtran staff were quick to “solve” any passengers problems with stowing carryon luggage.  They did it politely but firmly and kept people moving.  As a result, the boarding process actually felt streamlined and we were able to push back precisely on time. 

 

Arriving in Atlanta, I remembered what I really don’t like about Atlanta’s airport.  It isn’t the terminals, the crowds or the often required dash to another concourse for your next flight.  It’s the taxi time from the terminal to the runway or vice versa.  It is as if you land and then travel another 40 miles to the terminal.  It feels excessively long and since your aircraft is usually behind another, you get the unpleasant aroma of burning kerosene to keep you company.  That isn’t Airtran’s fault though.

 

The Atlanta terminal is just as I’ve experienced it in the past.  Despite common complaints, you can actually move quite quickly from one gate to another as long as you’re sensible enough to get your info and read a terminal map.  If you can’t do that or won’t learn how, then you deserve what you get.   One thing I did notice about the ATL concourses was that the stores goods seemed to be priced much more fairly than usual.   They weren’t selling $3 bottles of water or $2 candy bars.  Yes, the prices were a little more expensive than the average convenience store but reasonably so.

 

ATL to PHF (Boeing 717-200) Seat 21F:  I like the Boeing 717.  Yes, it’s a tad smaller but there is something about that aircraft that suits me very well. Again, this aircraft was well cared for, staffed by flight attendants who acted as if they enjoyed going to work and my seat worked properly.  This flight had an even longer taxi time than my inbound flight but once it reached the runway, we took off quickly and seemed to get routed on a very direct path out of ATL. 

 

Both flights had a drink service with pretzels and both services were done with good cheer.  As we approached PHF, I remembered something peculiar about flying into that general area.  For some reason, the approaches feel like you arrive at high altitude and the pilot suddenly dives the airplane to the airport.  It seems as if every flight I’ve taken to that general area finds the aircraft shuddering and straining to slow down and lose enough altitude to land at the airport.  Touchdowns are always very firm and positive instead of being floating greasers. 

 

PHF is a great little airport.  It’s secondary to Norfolk but served regularly by both Airtran and Delta.  Airtran with mainline equipment and Delta by a mix mostly dominated by regional jets.  It’s convenient to most of the southern area of the peninsula bracketed by the York and James rivers.  Best of all, flights to PHF tend to be about $100 cheaper than similar flights to Norfolk or Richmond, VA.   The airport is very clean, feels very new and is easy to navigate.  You can get to I-64 in just a couple of minutes drive and be on your way to just about anywhere you need to go in the area. 

 

I’ve always liked Airtran.  They offer a superior coach product compared to most legacy airlines and they continue to adjust to the changing environment in ways that, if not exactly accomodating, are at least less punishing than most. 

 

Next post will be my return flight(s).

Filed under: Airline Fleets, Airline Service, Airports by ajax
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It feels like an odd pairing.  DFW to the new Branson, MO airport on Sun Country which is a Minneapolis / St. Paul based airline.  Well, maybe.  maybe not.

 

First, Branson has a new airport about to open.  It is unique in that it is a private airport built with private money.  You can view its website HERE.  Or, rather, you can kind of view it.  It really isn’t working very well as a website.  Not today anyway.

 

Second, it does kind of make sense.  Sun Country will be flying Mon-Wed-Fri from MSP to Branson.  Then, it appears, it will use the same aircraft to fly the DFW / Branson segments as well.  That means high utilization for the aircraft.  From what I can see, the flight will travel MSP to Branson, Branson to DFW, DFW to Branson, Branson to MSP on those days. 

 

Sun Country already flies in and out of DFW (and not just to MSP) and already understands how to fly to leisure destinations.   There should be enough traffic from both the DFW and MSP areas to feed to Branson (a kind of mid-western Las Vegas show theatre town if you are unfamiliar with it) and it should be able to do so very competitively against the bus excursions that already exist.  You see, there was no close by airport for Branson until now.  Previously, it means flying very expensive commuter flights to places such as Joplin, Fort Smith, Springfield or Fayetteville and you *still* had at least a 2 hour drive by bus or car to get there.

 

Not anymore.  These flights should do well and I will note that AirTran is another airline that will be flying to this new destination and Sun Country also has just added flights from Boston to Branson (I’m a little skeptical of that one being successful.)  Branson is offering incentives to these airlines to start these flights in the hopes of jump starting more growth of their tourism industry.    So far, you have to give them high marks for targeting the right kind of areas and the right kind of airlines.  If they had asked American Airlines to serve the destination, it would have been done with old regional jet aircraft and at high prices.  Instead, they picked airlines that understood the leisure business.  I would not be surprised to learn of Allegiant starting flights into Branson as well.

What’s more, it will be done with mainline aircraft such as the Boeing 737, 717 and, if Allegiant jumps into the game, the MD-80.  All aircraft much more suited to the demographics of the typical Branson traveler.

 

Filed under: Airline News, Airline Service by ajax
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I have a family member who will be flying to the DFW area on December 24th.  She lives in the PDX (Portland, OR) area and it has been snowing for several days now.  A weather forecast check reveals that it might still be snowing there on December 24th, her departure date.

 

Now, I first inquired as to whether or not the PDX airport ever closes for snow.  It turns out that they do not do so very often.  You see, PDX is nearly at sea level (next to the Columbia River) and it remains pretty warm down there so it’s quite easy to keep the flights moving.  However, this family member lives in the Southwest hills of Portland where the altitude is much higher.  In Portland, it is quite possible for the street conditions to be much worse in the hills than it is down by the river.  In fact, this family member has seen more than enough snow at her altitude that she hasn’t been able to drive her car both because of the snow as well as the icy conditions on steep roads.   PDX Airport has had little or no delays during that same time.

 

So, she might need a backup plan.  That might be simply taking a cab (most cabs will have chains or traction devices or at least be of sufficient size to navigate the roads safely) or an airport shuttle.   Another backup plan might include having someone drive her to an airport hotel the day before when it is possible to navigate the roads.  The real dilemma, however, is that it may be quite possible for her to be snowed in but for airplanes to continue to take off.  How do you think an airline might treat her non-arrival for the flight? 

 

Most likely, they may let her change her travel date but with a substantial charge.   She is flying a legacy airline (Continental) and they do charge for changing travel dates and that change is subject to availability *and* the difference in the cost on that leg.  Such a change could quite literally run to several hundred dollars more.

 

Not many people are faced with such a situation around the country.  At least few do in most major cities.  Yet, watching the weather and having a backup plan can save you hundreds of dollars too.  Airlines don’t have a lot of sympathy for the reason of your delays.   Their outlook is most likely to be determined on whether or not they could take off, not how the weather might be affecting your ability to get to the airport.  Plan ahead and save money.

Filed under: Travel Hints by ajax
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My wife and I went on a peace-keeping mission yesterday by visiting DFW airport to do some plane spotting. She’s actually quite enthusiastic about these trips and, I hate to admit, is better at framing a shot of an airplane than I am. Damn it.

 

We have 4 locations that we often visit. You can see them all on this Google Map.

 

Yesterday, we visited the Temporary Founders’ Plaza location for about 5 minutes to see who was on the northwest freight ramp. We were hoping to spot a China Cargo 747 that was scheduled to take off about 20 minutes after we arrived. We didn’t see that airpane but we did see a UPS 747 on the ramp (a passenger conversion of a 747-200) and a North American Airlines 757 at Terminal B (Braniff’s Old Terminal 2W).

 

We then went to Minter’s Chapel Cemetary located on DFW property on the southwest side of the airport. From here, you can view spectacular take-offs and the occasional aircraft taxiing by. Unfortunately, this location generally offers many different varieties of American Airlines aircraft and very little else.

 

There were 2 particular airplanes we wanted to try to get today. A China Cargo 747-400 and a British Airways 777-200ER that were scheduled to take off. The first was the China Cargo and it never did. I had my laptop connected to the internet via my cell phone but flight in FlightAware.com never changed its schedule and never showed itself as having taken off.

 

After more than hour of photographs, we were leaning against our car in the shade and suddenly my wife asked “What is that airline?” and pointed. Ummm, it was the British Airways 777 we were waiting for. By this time, I had lost the batteries in my camera so she took the photos with OK results. (It was a long, long shot for her camera.)

 

After getting that photo, we decided it was time to pack and leave. As we were putting together our things, I looked to the northwest and saw this rather large aircraft coming in for a landing.

 

Me: “Hey! That looks like a 747 coming in!”
Carolina: “Yup. We aren’t going to miss it like all the other 747s are we?”

 

You see, we have this history of leaving the airport, looking over our shoulders and seeing a 747 coming in for a landing. Not a good history but a history.

 

After landing and taxiing, we discovered it was the China Cargo 747 and was just late arriving so its takeoff clearly was going to be late too.

 

There is some good news. DFW is nearly finished building a NEW Founder’s Plaza (See the Google Map for the location) at a new location that is on the northwest side of the airport. It is nearly adjacent to the UPS freight facility and practically in front of runways 18R and 18L.

 

Here are some selected shots from both this trip and one we took about a month ago. Click Here.

Filed under: Airplane Spotting by ajax
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