V-Flyer

Word has it, though I can't find the article where I read it, that US/AA will be giving up a slot pair between PHL and LHR to comply with competition rules post merger. I'm not sure whether whoever gets the slots will have to run the same route, but say if it did, do you think VS should get them and offer a competing service to what will be AA and BA on that route?

Probably not. Not sure how significant a route it is, but it really isn't at all difficult to get to Philly from NYC by train. I'd rather VS looked at some other US destinations.

I would have thought 2 slots at LHR could be put to better use as PHL is so easy to get to via NYC either by car or plane.

JCBR wrote:I would have thought 2 slots at LHR could be put to better use as PHL is so easy to get to via NYC either by car or plane.

Whilst that's true, that would be a big win for AA/BA - it currently supports around 375K pax a year. Someone would want to fill that gap.

Edit: I should reiterate that it's a slot pair and not 2 slots.

Interestingly, I just read elsewhere that it's merely an offer by US/AA and the EU/DOJ will likely make them give up a pair on another route such as JFK-LHR. But an LHR slot pair is likely apparently.

News article here about it

http://articles.philly.com/2013-07-25/b ... port-slots

US connects a lot of flights through PHL, with the merger they will simply move these pax to the JFk or CLT.

Once the merger is complete there will be a lot of "right sizing" of long haul routes.

Between the AA 752, 763 and 777 and the US 762, 332 and 333.

So moving pax from the PHL - LHR route will be easy.

Would VS want to fly to PHL, sure, they now have the right aircraft to fly this route, 333, and if after 4 years the route isn't working they could use the LHR slot for something else.

How much O&D demand is there, once you remove the connecting people from those figures?

in 2011 it was 152,350

I cannot find 2012.

Thanks! Interesting. I'm not sure I understand how those figures work but if that represents passengers in both directions, then by my arithmetic you end up with about 208 passengers per flight assuming one rotation per day. Would that be enough for a 333, I wonder?

I'm not sure about Philly because of relatively low demand. If VS can only manage Vancouver and Chicago seasonally then I couldn't see why Philadelphia would make any sense. But with flight to Accra ending soon surely there will be a new route/increase in frequency soon. Any news/ideas?

Excuse my ignorance but can someone explain the term 'a slot pair ' to me please

When a flight arrives at an airport, that's a slot. When it leaves again, that's another slot - hence when a plane arrives at LHR from, say, JFK and departs again it uses a pair of slots.

Because LHR is so full, slots are like gold dust and sell for millions.

Thanks gumshoe

FLYERZ wrote: But with flight to Accra ending soon surely there will be a new route/increase in frequency soon. Any news/ideas?

I don't think there are any plans to start new routes until a few of the 787's have arrived.

I think something will fill the Accra slots, possibly Vancouver going 7 days to fill the winter ski season?

Is it not a case of VS having to use the slots regardless of destination otherwise they can lose them? I seem to recall BA taking flak for 'ghost flights' to keep vacant slots.

I also think that if an airline has no immediate plans to use them they can rent them to another airline (unofficially).

As JCBR mentions, airlines can (and do) lease slots to other carriers. It can be quite a money earner for the donor airline.