Why CVG lost half of all flights

[Pilot0486]

What I still don't understand about all of this is at PIT why are the parking lots fuller than ever and every flight is over full with fewer flights? Someone will eventually come back to PIT once the airport fees are knocked down.

CVG is exactly what happened to PIT. Airline helps build a terminal/complex. Airlines are charged huge fees to help pay off that debt, giving customers higher fares. Airline gone, airport in huge debt.

 

[scramjet]

What I still don't understand about all of this is at PIT why are the parking lots fuller than ever and every flight is over full with fewer flights? Someone will eventually come back to PIT once the airport fees are knocked down.

PIT has a few things going for it, it has a metro population of around 3 million including the entire Tri-State area, it's within four hours driving distance of several other major cities with metro populations greater then 1 million including Cleveland and Buffalo, and it has a geographic advantage for connections from East to West. That being said, I don't know really who if anybody would fill the huge gaps left by USAirways. The only scenarios I can think of are if a new LCC tried to utilize it as a "hub" of sorts or if foreign ownership rules get relaxed and some carrier overseas sees PIT as convenient, non-congested connection point for international and domestic travel. There's been about three or four LCC concepts since 2001 that have centrally featured PIT, but they never got off the ground.

 

[rd757]

So they would rather have their employees piss away time that could be used to, oh my god, do their jobs so that they can save a few bucks on airfare.

Yeah, makes perfect sense to me.

I booked my own travel and I told the bean counters that I'd stay within the budget allocated for my travel. Whenever they asked me about whether it'd be cheaper to fly out of xyz airport or to do a multiple leg flight instead of a non-stop, I'd say, I'm still under budget, correct?

That shut them up real fast.

I'm just the messenger, don't shoot. I didn't work there, my mother did.

For what it's worth, I would've done the exact same as you. Time is worth something, as well as staying within the assigned budget. But we're pilots and we understand this... some don't.

 

[H46Bubba]

Even though Delta is scaling back dramatically, they will still have a tight grip on CVG. They own both the A and B concourses which they built themselves as well as the fuel farm. All the cargo carriers and other airlines, get their fuel from ASIG, who buys it from Delta. Unless Delta is willing to sell the A concourse, or the airport builds another terminal with jet bridges, there's no way to attract LCCs to CVG.

 

[derg]

Good!

That city didn't think twice about having people drive two hours to save $20!

 

[derg]

Good!

That city didn't think twice about having people drive two hours to save $20 on their airfare!

 

[H46Bubba]

Good!

That city didn't think twice about having people drive two hours to save $20!

I'm guilty of that as well. It's a matter of an hour or so drive each way, a little gas, and the difference of $300 per person for airfare!(and that's with the 20% off fares for less discount!) I'd love to just hop in the car drive 2 miles, park in the employee lot and hop an the plane; but my pockets aren't that deep!