REALLY BAD news for DCI XJ&9E

[Kaman]

Sounds good to me! And not really as ludicrous as my tongue in cheek remark might have been. The 1900 would make money on most of those sectors that are losers on the SAAB? EAS was never really intended to be flown by aircraft in the 34-seat class, and with exception of a few cities it has been a pork barrel project for politicans.
The 1900 has a viable place in the new world order of airline transportation in the United States. It is either that or "high-speed rail", but don't get me started...

 

[gojo]

Sounds good to me! And not really as ludicrous as my tongue in cheek remark might have been. The 1900 would make money on most of those sectors that are losers on the SAAB? EAS was never really intended to be flown by aircraft in the 34-seat class, and with exception of a few cities it has been a pork barrel project for politicans.
The 1900 has a viable place in the new world order of airline transportation in the United States. It is either that or "high-speed rail", but don't get me started...

I don't know of any routes that the Saab lost money on. EAS made them profitable on the routes with low yeild factors. That's why I think Delta's thinking is so strange. Of course, when you fly a CRJ 200 to Devils lake it's going to loose money. Delta could give two $hits about people in the smaller communities. All they car about is having their name on jets. That business model worked good when gas was cheap, but in my humble opinion they are missing out on a oppertunity here. It wouldn't be too hard to market props creatively.

 

[bri5150]

I don't know of any routes that the Saab lost money on. EAS made them profitable on the routes with low yeild factors. That's why I think Delta's thinking is so strange. Of course, when you fly a CRJ 200 to Devils lake it's going to loose money. Delta could give two $hits about people in the smaller communities. All they car about is having their name on jets. That business model worked good when gas was cheap, but in my humble opinion they are missing out on a oppertunity here. It wouldn't be too hard to market props creatively.

Yeah, but they may be getting free feed if Lakes picks up the routes and the government pays them. I don't think it was quite free feed with us. I could be totally off base.

 

[gojo]

Yeah, but they may be getting free feed if Lakes picks up the routes and the government pays them. I don't think it was quite free feed with us. I could be totally off base.

True, but I just think Delta is sending out a strong message here. I think the average custumer is going to see it differently

 

[jynxyjericho]

I don't know of any routes that the Saab lost money on. EAS made them profitable on the routes with low yeild factors. That's why I think Delta's thinking is so strange. Of course, when you fly a CRJ 200 to Devils lake it's going to loose money. Delta could give two $hits about people in the smaller communities. All they car about is having their name on jets. That business model worked good when gas was cheap, but in my humble opinion they are missing out on a oppertunity here. It wouldn't be too hard to market props creatively.

What you may not be aware of Gojo, is that many of those 1900 routes get subsidized 100%. See what Kaman is getting at?

 

[DoinTime]

I would wager that less than 1/2 of 1% of Delta's customers originate from or have a destination to these EAS cities that they are pulling the plug on. Considering that these cities need an entirely separate fleet to serve them profitably, its probably not worth their time to screw around with it for such a small portion of their market share. Aspen was probably a lucrative market too but it wasn't worth continuing to keep a bloated fleet of Avro's in the air just so they could continue serving it.

 

[TurboAWD]

I think pilots put to much emphasis on aircraft. Yes, a SAAB is cheeper to operate than a CRJ from MSP-BRD, etc. But you still have to have gate space, ground crew, ticket counter, deicing equipment etc, so I suspect the overall cost of operating a SAAB vs CRJ on these routes is not as different as it might seem at first.

Also, just because DL is going to stop flying these routes, it doesn't mean that someone else won't fly them, and that those passengers won't still get on a DL flight out of MSP or DTW when they get there (think of the Great Lakes/UA model)

 

[Inconceivable]

Sounds like a new Cape Air opportunity!

 

[sinkrate]

I think pilots put to much emphasis on aircraft. Yes, a SAAB is cheeper to operate than a CRJ from MSP-BRD, etc. But you still have to have gate space, ground crew, ticket counter, deicing equipment etc, so I suspect the overall cost of operating a SAAB vs CRJ on these routes is not as different as it might seem at first.

Also, just because DL is going to stop flying these routes, it doesn't mean that someone else won't fly them, and that those passengers won't still get on a DL flight out of MSP or DTW when they get there (think of the Great Lakes/UA model)

When the B1900 operator pulled out of the Arkansas and Missouri EAS market they were replaced by a Pilatus operater out of the northwest that uses the call sign Sasquatch. They park at FBOs that provide the ground handling in exchange for fuel purchases. I see growth in their future.

 

[Paul R. Smith]

When the B1900 operator pulled out of the Arkansas and Missouri EAS market they were replaced by a Pilatus operater out of the northwest that uses the call sign Sasquatch. They park at FBOs that provide the ground handling in exchange for fuel purchases. I see growth in their future.

This!!
Maybe its time to start a small "regional" airline operating to small cities in the Upper MW.

 

[TurboAWD]

Send me $200 with your resume, and I'll consider your application to be a direct entry captain!!!