myron96
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From USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=51081938.blog
US Airways pulling out of small Oregon market
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US Airways plans to end its US Airways Express service to Medford, Ore., The Associated Press reports. The carrier's routes to Phoenix and Las Vegas –- operated by affiliate Mesa Air –- will end Sept. 2. "It's all related to fuel," US Airways spokesman Phil Gee tells the Medford Mail Tribune. Gee says the cuts are unrelated to the precarious state of partner Mesa Air. "It doesn't have anything to do with Mesa's financial state, it's just us reducing capacity and eliminating unprofitable routes. We've seen jet fuel go from $2.50 to more than $4 a gallon in just a few months. Flights that make sense at $2.50 don't make sense when the cost is over $4. Unfortunately, Medford falls into that category," Gee says.
US Airways likely would have pulled out of the market even if it would have filled all its flights there to capacity, Gee tells the Mail Tribune. "We're more interested in yield and how much revenue a flight generates," Gee says. "You can have a full aircraft of 50 and lose your shirt or 30 people and make money." He says other regional markets are likely to lose US Airways Express service, though he didn’t name any other cities by name. "Most are ones with regional aircraft going to it," Gee says. "Generally they are more expensive to operate than large aircraft and have less of a (population) base to pull from."
The Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport will still have service from Alaska Air subsidiary Horizon Air, Allegiant Air, Delta Connection and United Express. But local travel officials say US Airways' pullout will have an impact. "This is going to be bad," Micki Summerhays, owner of Carrousel Travel says to the Mail Tribune. "This is going to be a nightmare. Christmas and Thanksgiving are already heavily booked, and those are the two hardest times to find alternatives. It's going to be a lot of extra work to reaccommodate those people." The Mail Tribune says US Airways may try to reaccommodate some of the affected passengers by rebooking them on codeshare partner United. Medford is located about 275 miles south of Portland and about 360 miles north of San Francisco.
What other areas we pulling out of? How will this effect psa/piedmont/mesa, etc....
US Airways pulling out of small Oregon market
Buzz up!Like this story? Share it with Yahoo! Buzz
US Airways plans to end its US Airways Express service to Medford, Ore., The Associated Press reports. The carrier's routes to Phoenix and Las Vegas –- operated by affiliate Mesa Air –- will end Sept. 2. "It's all related to fuel," US Airways spokesman Phil Gee tells the Medford Mail Tribune. Gee says the cuts are unrelated to the precarious state of partner Mesa Air. "It doesn't have anything to do with Mesa's financial state, it's just us reducing capacity and eliminating unprofitable routes. We've seen jet fuel go from $2.50 to more than $4 a gallon in just a few months. Flights that make sense at $2.50 don't make sense when the cost is over $4. Unfortunately, Medford falls into that category," Gee says.
US Airways likely would have pulled out of the market even if it would have filled all its flights there to capacity, Gee tells the Mail Tribune. "We're more interested in yield and how much revenue a flight generates," Gee says. "You can have a full aircraft of 50 and lose your shirt or 30 people and make money." He says other regional markets are likely to lose US Airways Express service, though he didn’t name any other cities by name. "Most are ones with regional aircraft going to it," Gee says. "Generally they are more expensive to operate than large aircraft and have less of a (population) base to pull from."
The Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport will still have service from Alaska Air subsidiary Horizon Air, Allegiant Air, Delta Connection and United Express. But local travel officials say US Airways' pullout will have an impact. "This is going to be bad," Micki Summerhays, owner of Carrousel Travel says to the Mail Tribune. "This is going to be a nightmare. Christmas and Thanksgiving are already heavily booked, and those are the two hardest times to find alternatives. It's going to be a lot of extra work to reaccommodate those people." The Mail Tribune says US Airways may try to reaccommodate some of the affected passengers by rebooking them on codeshare partner United. Medford is located about 275 miles south of Portland and about 360 miles north of San Francisco.
What other areas we pulling out of? How will this effect psa/piedmont/mesa, etc....
