AUSTIN | ABIA Updates

[DoubleC]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

Agreed....

Also going by electricron's logic since Houston and Dallas have direct flights to London then Austin shouldn't. Since SA doesn't have a direct flight to London why should Austin... Oh yea that logic makes so much sense considering that ABIA is totally on another level in passenger numbers as well as airport growth than SAT and who cares if Houston and Dallas are hubs. It's about market demand and profit for the airline. If they feel they can start a successful route then they will do it regardless of what hubs are nearby.

He might as well come out with it and ask why Austin even has an airport at all considering the majority of his comments on this thread....

Hahaha no airport xD.

I don't know the numbers on traffic to Hawaii. Maybe a /seasonal/ 3-4 weekly seems reasonable, as pointed out (plus the seasonal part).

I'm surprised Air Canada used a CRJ9 instead of the CRJ7 they'd use. Why the small up gauge?

I think KE rumor is ded. *Hopes I'm wrong about it not happening yet!*

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by DoubleC

Hahaha no airport xD.

I don't know the numbers on traffic to Hawaii. Maybe a /seasonal/ 3-4 weekly seems reasonable, as pointed out (plus the seasonal part).

I'm surprised Air Canada used a CRJ9 instead of the CRJ7 they'd use. Why the small up gauge?

I think KE rumor is ded. *Hopes I'm wrong about it not happening yet!*

Be patient regarding KE...

[AUS]

DoubleC, I think we will get the 789 because it will have first class and BA is loosing money it could be making not offering first on the route, so the 789 will help make even more profit on the route.

[DoubleC]

I'm patient :b . We can't expect all international carriers to start flooding AUS just because of the one BA flight we've got.

Originally Posted by AUS

DoubleC, I think we will get the 789 because it will have first class and BA is loosing money it could be making not offering first on the route, so the 789 will help make even more profit on the route.

That's a good point. It also may not have many more seats than the 788, right? I'll check if seatgurus has the seat maps already for the BA 789 (doubt it). Otherwise Wikipedia will be an alright guess.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by DoubleC

I'm patient :b . We can't expect all international carriers to start flooding AUS just because of the one BA flight we've got.

I don't believe anyone is suggesting this...

[DoubleC]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

I don't believe anyone is suggesting this...

I feel that way sometimes though. I've already heard of several rumors on this thread about other far-away carriers coming here (Air France, KE, ...just those two, really). Otherwise... it's safe to say people's hopes are high on more carriers coming /soon/.

The one carrier I'm actually wondering about is the infamous Spirit. We've had Frontier and Allegiant (the other ultra-low cost carriers) expand a good amount here already (sort of). I wonder if they'd come in the near-future. I wouldn't fly on them unless I was going to Dallas or Houston for a day so I could just carry one personal-item no charge... or anywhere for a day. Fees fees fees.... I wouldn't have a problem if they didn't come, but one can still be smart and get a cheap flight in the end.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by DoubleC

I feel that way sometimes though. I've already heard of several rumors on this thread about other far-away carriers coming here (Air France, KE, ...just those two, really). Otherwise... it's safe to say people's hopes are high on more carriers coming /soon/.

The one carrier I'm actually wondering about is the infamous Spirit. We've had Frontier and Allegiant (the other ultra-low cost carriers) expand a good amount here already (sort of). I wonder if they'd come in the near-future. I wouldn't fly on them unless I was going to Dallas or Houston for a day so I could just carry one personal-item no charge... or anywhere for a day. Fees fees fees.... I wouldn't have a problem if they didn't come, but one can still be smart and get a cheap flight in the end.

Spirit is kind of funny. Very simplistically, unless they enter this market to serve a Central American or Caribbean destination, the other places Spirit flies seem to already be saturated with routes from AUS on Southwest, Frontier, Virgin America, etc. It would be tough to break in on those routes. But, not impossible.

[jg6544]

Originally Posted by DoubleC

I feel that way sometimes though. I've already heard of several rumors on this thread about other far-away carriers coming here (Air France, KE, ...just those two, really). Otherwise... it's safe to say people's hopes are high on more carriers coming /soon/.

The operative word is "rumors".

[DoubleC]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

Spirit is kind of funny. Very simplistically, unless they enter this market to serve a Central American or Caribbean destination, the other places Spirit flies seem to already be saturated with routes from AUS on Southwest, Frontier, Virgin America, etc. It would be tough to break in on those routes. But, not impossible.

Indeed. A lot of the most popular routes are already served by a good number of carriers. Denver: Frontier, Southwest, and United. LAX: AA, Southwest, United, Delta, and then JetBlue if going into Long Beach. Even O'Hare and Atlanta are served by three different airlines now.

DFW and IAH can only be flown into via AA and United, respectively, so there's a monopoly there. However, there also exists Love-Field and Hobby as alternatives to those cities.

Point is, unless people have a preference in airport, there are plenty of options to choose from already. It's uncertain if ultra-cheap flights would lead to people to fly instead of drive between cities, whom wouldn't normally fly because of cost.

[Austin1971]

B

[DoubleC]

Originally Posted by Austin1971

Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY 10:40 a.m. EDT May 21, 2015

British Airways confirmed Thursday that it will boost capacity on its London-Austin route starting Oct. 25, switching from a Boeing 787 Dreamliner to a bigger Boeing 777-200

http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthe...-route-appears-to-be-a-success/27702453/

Great!! I love when my skepticism is wrong !

[LoneStarMike]

from that article

British Airways' Dreamliners seat 214 passengers while the carrier's 777-200s seat up to 280.

At first glance it makes it sound like they are going to be adding 124 daily extra seats (62 each way) , but that's not really the case. If they're offering First Class, then they'll be using the British Airways Boeing 777-200 Four Class version which seats 224. So basically they're adding 20 more daily seats (10 each way) to the market.

It's still an increase, though, and any increase is good.

[ILUVSAT]

Great news! Guess this got out before British Airways was ready. Nothing has been reported on RoutesOnline or BritishAirways.com. In fact, if you try to book a flight after Oct. 25, 2015, the britishairwarys.com system still reads B787.

Anyway, If this is true, and the USA Today story is correct that the up gauge is to a four-class B772ER - is pretty telling. It may suggest that the majority of empty seats on the AUS-LHR route are in the World Traveller Class (economy) cabin.

Why? Well, British's B788 carries 214 total passengers (35-Club World, 25-World Traveller Plus, and 154-World Traveller). Their four-class B772ER carries 224 passengers (14-First, 48-Club World, 40-World Traveller Plus, and 122-World Traveller). British is increasing overall capacity on the route by only 10 seats. However, they are reducing economy capacity by almost 21% (32 seats) in order to increase capacity in their economy-plus, business and now first class cabins (the more profitable cabins).

Pretty interesting...

[ATXboom]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

Great news! Guess this got out before British Airways was ready. Nothing has been reported on RoutesOnline or BritishAirways.com. In fact, if you try to book a flight after Oct. 25, 2015, the britishairwarys.com system still reads B787.

Anyway, If this is true, and the USA Today story is correct that the up gauge is to a four-class B772ER - is pretty telling. It may suggest that the majority of empty seats on the AUS-LHR route are in the World Traveller Class (economy) cabin.

Why? Well, British's B788 carries 214 total passengers (35-Club World, 25-World Traveller Plus, and 154-World Traveller). Their four-class B772ER carries 224 passengers (14-First, 48-Club World, 40-World Traveller Plus, and 122-World Traveller). British is increasing overall capacity on the route by only 10 seats. However, they are reducing economy capacity by almost 21% (32 seats) in order to increase capacity in their economy-plus, business and now first class cabins (the more profitable cabins).

Pretty interesting...

Qualitatively I can validate this having flown the round trip several times. Austin is a high class / well traveled market (lots of reward miles). Business and premium were almost always full and the empties were in the back. First class will do well here. Smart move on BAs part to take that easy money. I imagine there is more space in the 777 cargo hold as well to support the record cargo and associated revenue they are moving.

[KevinFromTexas]

Has anyone seen any renderings for this yet?

https://www.austintexas.gov/devreview/b_showpublicpermitfolderdetails.jsp?FolderRSN=11355681

ABIA Hyatt Hotel

The applicant is proposing to construct a hotel with associated improvements.

3600 PRESIDENTIAL BOULEVARD

[drummer]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Has anyone seen any renderings for this yet?

https://www.austintexas.gov/devreview/b_showpublicpermitfolderdetails.jsp?FolderRSN=11355681

No renderings, but from a quick google search, I found this article from Sept. 2014. Mentions a larger development near the cell phone waiting area...not sure if this is part of that idea or totally unrelated.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/r...l-development-plan-set-for-abia-lot.html

[Digatisdi]

Originally Posted by ATXboom

Qualitatively I can validate this having flown the round trip several times. Austin is a high class / well traveled market (lots of reward miles). Business and premium were almost always full and the empties were in the back. First class will do well here. Smart move on BAs part to take that easy money. I imagine there is more space in the 777 cargo hold as well to support the record cargo and associated revenue they are moving.

I agree. I have OneWorld Sapphire status via Qantas and I flew out today (not to London) and I can tell you in the Admiral's Club there were more British (UK and Overseas) passports held than US based on my observations today at around 3 to 4 pm. I think one thing is that a lot of people who aren't frequent fliers just don't know about the route. Or they'll have heard rumours but haven't checked it out for themselves if the flight exists or not. I think this is something that will probably fill up more in a few years, when it's been an established flight and people who would maybe start saving up for a trip now but not book a flight until say... Four years from now would start taking advantage of.

Here's the airport's press release which has information on the amenities in Club World

One other thing that I've noticed, because I'm a show-off when it comes to languages and I can't help myself, is that in talking with people I notice we're getting a whole bunch of international visitors from nationalities I'd never encountered before in the airport in such numbers. Back in March (I think it was the 21st?) I did a quick one-sentence English-Russian interpretation for a couple holding Ukraine passports, and we had a lovely conversation. I've also spoken with people from Bahrain, France, Japan, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Spain, Portugal, a whole bunch of other EU countries... All for tourism. I'm willing to bet that a lot of this is the entrance of BA.

[LoneStarMike]

Two-part article (and both are really long) about Korean Air from CAPA Centre for Aviation:

Korean Air Part 1:Ignores trans-Pacific expansion to lift profits. Future service with 747-8 & 787-9
May 15, 2015

The trans-Pacific market between Asia and North America has been experiencing a growth surge, with available seats growing about 10% in each 2014 and 2015 after years of limited growth. This has been accompanied by yield pressure, but most airlines appear willing to sacrifice performance for a long-term shot at market share.

This is not the case at Korean Air, which has typically been the largest Asian carrier across the Pacific and second overall only to United. In 2015, Cathay Pacific and Delta will surpass it. Korean Air, having already built up scale, is now focussing on financial performance instead of capacity growth. Korean Air VP Americas John Jackson, speaking at CAPA’s Americas Aviation Summit in Las Vegas, says that with 13 destinations in North America, Korean Air is not looking immediately to add new points but will selectively add frequencies over time.

Not all services will be made daily and Korean Air does not plan a hyper-frequency approach of multiple 777 flights a day; instead it offers double daily A380 flights to Los Angeles and New York and will soon add 747-8s and 787-9s to its fleet. About 50% of Korean Air's North American passengers transfer beyond Seoul. China is the large opportunity followed by core Southeast Asian markets like Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam and then smaller "boutique" markets like Cambodia and Myanmar.

[SNIP]

Korean Air plans some destination and frequency growth for the long-term

Growth is on the cards for Korean Air, but selectively, Mr Jackson tells CAPA at its recent Americas Aviation Summit in Las Vegas. Korean Air has the largest network of destinations, serving 13 points in North America. This is more than any other Asian carrier and more than the number of points any North American carrier serves in Asia. Additional points in the medium-term are unlikely, Mr Jackson says: "We''re present in every place we want to be."

Moderate frequency growth is expected, but Korean Air does not expect to be a frequency-focused carrier; Air China for example has three daily Los Angeles flights and Cathay Pacific has five daily New York City flights. This is partially due to Korean Air’s fleet strategy that includes A380s. Korean Air deploys A380 to Atlanta (three weekly), Los Angeles (double daily) and New York JFK (double daily).

Mr Jackson says Korean Air will not necessarily be daily in every market. In five of Korean Air's 13 North American markets, Korean Air does not offer a daily service. In four of the markets, Korean Air offers five weekly flights and in one market Korean Air offers three weekly flights.

The 13 North American destinations already served by KE include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington DC.

Korean Air Part 2: Delta Air Lines difficult but potential JV partner. Pause on US-LatAm growth
May 18, 2015

A joint venture with Delta would be beneficial but the relationship needs patching

Perhaps the biggest near future strategic change for Korean Air is a possible partnership – even joint-venture – with Delta Air Lines. Although the two are members of SkyTeam, the Korean-Delta relationship has been one of the most sour in any alliance. It was Delta that cancelled the codeshares with Korean Air, Mr Jackson says. Delta also no longer allowed its frequent flyers to accumulate elite qualifying miles when flying on Korean Air-coded flights, a move likely designed to keep Delta's members on Delta-coded flights.

[SNIP]

Seoul Incheon is courting Delta. Korean Air and Delta account for 59% of US-Korea market

Another factor at play between Korean Air and Delta is Seoul Incheon trying to woo Delta for an expanded presence at Seoul Incheon, essentially asking for Delta to move its Asian hub at Tokyo Narita to Incheon. Delta has raised this matter, not in much depth publicly, but Incheon's CEO was to meet with Delta CEO Richard Anderson in Dec-2014, according to the Korea Herald. Incheon not only wants a gain in passenger numbers but an increase in transfer traffic.

Delta is unlikely to bite without a Korean Air deal. But should one eventuate between Delta and Korean Air, Delta it seems will have an anxious Incheon ready to do business.

[AUS]

According to the schedule, BA will go back to the 787 on March 26, 2015. Either they have not completely updated the schedule, because why would they go back to a 787 for summer? It may be the 787-9, which I think has more seats than the 787-8, but I'm not sure. This is just something interesting I noticed on the schedule.

[DoubleC]

Originally Posted by AUS

According to the schedule, BA will go back to the 787 on March 26, 2015. Either they have not completely updated the schedule, because why would they go back to a 787 for summer? It may be the 787-9, which I think has more seats than the 787-8, but I'm not sure. This is just something interesting I noticed on the schedule.

You mean March 2016?

I'm sure they'd definitely want a 777 during March and the summer for obvious reasons.