Kinglobjaw's Blog » BOS

Hey US! Why single up on double downs?

Mark — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:07:18 +0000

Double connections are getting harder to work with in terms of price, when it comes to US Airways domestic! This is not a complaint, nor a legit one, even if I tried, but it seems that when I force a double connect, US really bumps up the price. I mean really! I can’t do Chicago to San Diego via Vegas and Phoenix. I can’t do Seattle to Miami via Phoenix and Philadelphia. I can’t even do Boston to Ft. Myers via DC and Charlotte! It does change when I put in San Juan or international destinations- I can suddenly do up to 4 per direction keeping the same price!

Another exception is a flying from a “West” city to an “East” city. For example, a flight from Portland, Oregon (an America West only city) to Miami, FL (a US Airways only city). I have to route via both Phoenix and an eastern hub.

With the decent fares from Chicago to Ft. Myers, I’m looking at doing a leg from Ft. Myers out west- maybe Denver or Salt Lake City? Definitely a ski destination so I can get 2,500 bonus miles and 5% off the fare to further maximise.

I’m planning to visit another friend in San Diego in November or December. I wonder how I can work a simple Chicago to San Diego trip to my advantage, or should I say to my DM account’s advantage. Hehe…

One final tidbit. I just realized the 757 I’m flying from Philly to Phoenix later this month actually an Envoy configuration! Must clear the upgrade on this one!

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Desperate Shuttles- Delta, Primo Shuttle US Airways

Mark — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:04:44 +0000

If you look into the Delta Shuttle operation, you’ll realize US Airways is king in the shuttle market.

First, Delta decided to add First Class to lure more passengers. Then they added WiFi internet. Didn’t really help. A few months later, Delta downsized the fleet, from the maddog (MD-88) to the Delta Connection outsourced EMB-170 cutting seats by almost half. That move doesn’t seem to help either, now does it?

Currently, Delta is offering 3,000 miles for each segment instead of the usual 500. US Airways hasn’t matched yet, but do they really have to?

The fact of the matter is US Airways rules the shuttle market. They are far more convenient, offer a better product and a much more reliable service. Since Delta is merging with Northwest to become the world’s largest airline, I doubt it will drop the shuttle operation entirely, but DC to New York La Guardia seems to be Delta’s weakest of the three shuttle routes. They’d be foolish to downgrade the aircraft further as they’d loose any remaining premium traffic, but I see them reducing flights. To be fair, Northwest was never a big player in Boston, DC and New York, so they can’t bring in that many loyal customers to the new Delta.

Me? I’m just glad US Airways has a solid shuttle operation I can rely on. Including weekends! And those twelve First Class seats on every flight? They’re icing on the cake!

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Philly to Boston now belongs to US Airways – 100% of the time

Mark — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:31:43 +0000

Delta’s 4X a day Philly to Boston service ends on August 18, 2009 and personally I believe it was inevitable from the get go! Funny thing is, even AirTran held onto the route for a longer period of time than “Premier Global Airline”. Haha- I just had to say that!

With AirFrance soon putting the “cork on the wine bottle” on the Philly to Paris route, Delta takes over with a 757. I don’t see that lasting either…

About time Delta rolls back to their domestic ops and moves back to the domestic terminal at Philly. Enough trying to “Premier Global Airline” in Philly, Delta! Philly already has US Airways.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Preview: Summer 2009 US Airways Flights to Bermuda

Mark — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:54:33 +0000

Every Summer, US Airways beefs up it’s flights to Bermuda. While PHL service is offered year-round on an Airbus A320, come summer we see birds as large as the A330-300 or the B767 on the route. In addition, seasonal routes from other cities like MCO are offered. Let’s look at the full schedule.

PHILADELPHIA (PHL)- BERMUDA (BDA) * DAILY YEAR ROUND SERVICE*- SUMMER 2009 SERVICE ON B757

US1070 PHL (10:15AM)- BDA (1:35PM) B757
US1425 BDA (3:27PM) - PHL (4:45PM) B757

CHARLOTTE (CLT)- BERMUDA (BDA) *DAILY SERVICE* FROM MAY 28, 2009- September 8, 2009

US1067 CLT (11:21AM)- BDA (2:49PM) A319
US1047 BDA (4:30PM) - CLT (6:15PM) A319

WASHINGTON-REAGAN (DCA)- BERMUDA (BDA) *DAILY SERVICE* FROM JUNE 2, 2009- SEPTEMBER

US981  DCA (8:30AM)  - BDA (11:53AM) A319
US1635 BDA (12:45PM) - DCA (2:08PM)  A319

ORLANDO (MCO)- BERMUDA (BDA) *SATURDAY ONLY SERVICE* FROM JUNE 6, 2009- AUGUST 29, 2009

US1104 MCO (11:50AM)- BDA (3:28PM) A319
US1103 BDA (1:00PM) - MCO (2:47PM) A319

Summer 2009 schedule doesn’t show the Boston-Bermuda and New York-LGA operating at all. BOS-BDA last operated during Summer 2008, while LGA-BDA last operated during Summer 2007. Both were daily utilizing A319 aircraft.

I also remember US Airways applied with the DOT for permission to fly nonstop from Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) to Bermuda in 2003. I’m not sure if the flights ever materialized, but here is a press release regarding the flights.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark