So what's the story with National Airlines? I know they operate an all 757 fleet and that they are based in LAS. But how is thier service? Has anyone had any experience with National? National seems to be a good airline that could come into ABQ and give Southwest some competition on the ABQ-LAS non-stops, because Southwest is the only airline at ABQ who runs a ABQ-LAS non-stop, a few years ago America West used to, but im not sure why they stopped. And also, it would be cool to see those great looking 757's at ABQ. And also getting back to the ABQ-JFK route possibilities, National could do a LAS-ABQ-JFK route to compete with Continental's ABQ-EWR flight. on Saturdays.

Lates from ABQ

Gabe

i dont know if this is any help but in the latest edition of Airliner World (May 2000) there is feature on this airline

Andrew 

Thanks for the info. I will pick up a copy today. Actually I should just get a subscription.

Don't look for them in ABQ anytime soon... That currently only serve 8 cities (9 when service to Newark begins), and I would suspect that their next additions will be major US cities as opposed to smaller, regionally served cities like ABQ. I'd guess that Seattle, Atlanta, DC, Boston, and perhaps Portland will be among those next targeted for service.

How Many 757's does National Have I know of 3

thanks
flying_727  

National has great service. I have flown them SFO-LAS, and even on the short flight we were served a fresh donut. And on the return, we got fresh baked cookies. They have nice and clean planes. They are planning on flying into SJC sometime soon, and I hope they final that decision.

Flying_727: National has around 12 757-200s.

Rotate777

I've flown National three times on the SFO-LAS route and they are, without doubt, my first choice to Vegas. The planes are roomy, all of the staff (both on the ground and in the air) act professionally and show a service orientation, and their fares always seem to be lower than their competitors. On my most recent trip (last weekend) the captain went on for 5 minutes as we waited to depart SFO about how thankful the airline was for our business (as there are many choices to LAS out of SFO) and how they plan on building the best airline in the US. They seem well on their way.

Marc
San Francisco, CA

I have flown National on 3 round trips between JFK and LAS. On every leg however, I upgraded to first class.

The first class cabin was amazing; I have never seen such a large seat and so much leg room. (Sorry, I do not have the actual pitch size, but I am six foot one and 205 pounds, and I was very comfortable).

The service was professional and the cabin crew were very accomodating. I recall once during some prolonged light to moderate chop, the captain came on and appologized on a couple of occaisions, saying he knows some people find chop a little 'un nerving'.

At the time when I flew them, they did not have any in-flight entertainment. I guess a cost-cutting measure.

I recommend National Airlines.

National is staring LAS to EWR service starting the middle of July. Now I love Continental, and they're my first choice when flying out of EWR, but their fare to LAS is almost $200 lower than Continental's.

I'm planning on going to Las Vegas at the end of August. I'm hoping that at the very least CO will match National's fare on this route. I would prefer to fly CO because I'm an elite member with them, but $$$ talks.

We'll see what happens.

regarding my earlier post's mention of the lack of in-flight enterntainment on National, please find below a clip from the FAQ section of www.nationalairlines.com:

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We are currently able to offer in-flight movies only on select flights. Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict which flights will offer this service. We are in the process of upgrading all of our aircraft to include audio-visual entertainment systems and will soon be offering in-flight movies and music on all flights.

Thanks for the update. It's nice to see that National seems to have a hold on things,a nd a positive outlook for the future. I think this airline might just stick. Here's hoping the don't get consumed by a larger airline.

Does anyone think that National should return to New Orleans? Is it feasible that they will?

Stephen

National must have at least 11 Boeing 757s, since the following were all seen at Las Vegas in January, 2000:
N506NA, N508NA, N512NA, N513NA, N517NA, N521NA, N544NA, N545NA, N546NA, N547NA, N757NA.
Hope this helps.
Best regards, Heinz

National Airlines, to my knowledge, is a privately held corporation. The stock is held mostly by Harrah's (or is it Rio's?) and Wexford Management, parent of Chataqua Airlines. What are the odds that, within 5 years, the gambling contingency will sell its shares of National. Right now, from an economic perspective, the airline is a commodity designed to transport tourists to/from LAS, which has limited expansive potential. Its ability to expand right now may be significant, but it can only expand so much in the LAS market.

What are your thoughts on National's economic success and its future?

Well, I don't know that it's ALL about the casinos... keep in mind that Las Vegas is a great place to live in general, and is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation...

That's good to hear, Rominato. Very good to hear.
Has National turned a profit yet?

don't forget about the asian market!!! it is a good tourist destination for asians and JAL(?) has a direct flight from asia to Las Vegas.