Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigtime
What about the HOU option being mentioned on a.net? Would that hold the "bear" back a little if they wait until 2015 when HOU goes international?
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HOU looks good on paper not in practice (IMHO). The geographic make up of Houston is that a significant part of the head office and regional office structure occurs along the Houston Energy Corridor (HEC). The HEC is located in Western side of Houston along Katy Freeway over by George Bush and Eldridge parks. Additionally a lot of oilfield service companies are located in Northwest Houston.
HOU is located in SE quadrant fairly close to downtown, traffic around HOU is heavily affected by downtown commuters.
For me and my coworkers who are destined for NW Houston and/or Energy Corridor; YYC-HOU is a nonstarter.
As to you question about whether the bear is held back by WS going to HOU instead of IAH. Throughout FTC hearings and Justice Department actions regarding airline mergers, the FTC etal have always looked at markets from a city perspective and not airport perspective. If WS were to start YYC-HOU then I would expect UA-AC to apply to FTC to have the YYC-IAH route carve out restrictions removed. Included in the UA-AC application is the necessary documentation to support that IAH and HOU airport is a common market. WS is free to provide a rebuttal, based on past experience this rebuttal is unlikely to be accepted.