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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

UPDATED: Southwest to trim PHL schedule. Others? Can't say

UPDATE: Southwest Airlines is expected by analysts to report a small third-quarter loss tomorrow. Here's a report from the AP that came in Wednesday evening. The rest of this entry was posted on Wednesday afternoon.

It's inherently unfair to report what one airline is doing that may affect customers without being able to say if other airlines are doing the same thing. That said, here goes anyway: Southwest announced its May-March 2010 flight schedule today, and it includes trimming three PHL flights and adding one. It's eliminating its one PHL-Austin, Tex., nonstop flight, and taking its PHL to Manchester and Providence schedules from five a day to four. One additional flight, PHL-Tampa, will be added.

In total, Southwest is adding 62 weekday flights and eliminating 10, for a net gain of 52. By that measure, PHL doesn't seem to be doing as well as a market for the airline as some of its others. Much of the increase in this schedule is focused on Baltimore and Chicago Midway, two of its largest "focus cities" (hubs to other carriers). 

If I could tell you what other airlines have done to their PHL schedules in this time of deep cuts in capacity I would. But Southwest -- different in so many ways from competitors -- is the only carrier that regularly informs me through its e-mailed press releases how its schedules are changing. Airlines always trumpet  new routes from PHL but we don't always know when a route is abandoned or the schedule cut back. If the other airlines would do as Southwest does, I would let you know.

Another Southwest note: The airline received complaints this summer from its frequent fliers (including at least one reader of this blog) on the schedules on its PHL-Pittsburgh route, and -- lo and behold! --- Southwest responded. As part of earlier capacity cuts, the airline had eliminated an early morning PHL-PIT flight, leaving the first one of the day a post-9 a.m. departure. Now it's put a flight just after 7 a.m. back on the route. Thanks to Steve and all the others who complained, and thanks to Southwest for listening to its best customers.   
Posted by Tom BELDEN @ 4:20 PM  Permalink | 4 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:26 PM, 10/13/2009
    USAir has trimmed its PHL to SFO non-stops over the course of the year. It may have been seasonable (as the prices certainly have been) but it looks like there is only 1 now in the morning (7:30-ish) and 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Trying to schedule flights into SJC has been harder, too (I look at both PHL->SFO and PHL->SJC [stopover in PHX usually]) to compare pricing.
    — cadguy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:51 PM, 10/13/2009
    How about a discussion of PHL's overdependence on USAir. What happens if USAir goes belly up? A month ago we had reservations to fly to SJC to visit our son in Palo Alto. At the last minute we had to modify our reservations, because our cockatiel pet for 25 years required vet attention. We had to euthanize our long time companion. A few keystrokes modified my Southwest frequent flyer reservation at no cost to me. My wife's $300 USAir voucher obtained for giving up her seat on a previous overbooked flight immediately became worthless! WHAT A WAY TO RUN AN AIRLINE! How desperate is USAir? Lucky for us we had another Southwest frequent flyer coupon we could use. What good is a cell phone parking lot if there are no flights?
    — John Scanlon
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:11 AM, 10/14/2009
    I usually fly American or United because of elite status. I've recently increased the amount of flights with USAir due to code share. The experience has been positive, close to ontime departures and pleasant service. It's a nice change from previous experiences with the airline.
    — Jay G
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:59 AM, 10/14/2009
    Interesting...I had priced PHL->PHX->SJC and PHL->SFO last month for flights in Dec and the PHL->SJC route was running up in the high $400. I checked this morning and they're down in the high $200. BTW, Southwest prices to the SF Bay Area are not the lowest (although it probably is a wash when you have to pay other airline's ala carte fees).
    — cadguy


4 comments
About Tom Belden
Tom Belden has been reporting about Philadelphia International Airport and other air travel subjects for more than 20 years, writing columns for The Inquirer's Travel and Business sections. His reporting (with colleague Craig McCoy) on baggage handling problems in Philadelphia have been credited with helping to improve the system. His previous blog was called Road Warrior. He can reached at tbelden@phillynews.com.
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