MAH4546 From Sweden, joined Jan 2001, 31119 posts, RR: 74 Posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 6982 times:
Rumors from multiple sources appear to have it that Southwest will announce MIA service next week. The service - about a dozen daily flights - will apparently be operated by AirTran as MIA remains an FL station until integration.
Anybody hear more? Can't believe this might actually be happening, but still just a rumor for now.
zippyjet From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 4724 posts, RR: 13 Reply 1, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 6821 times:
Quoting MAH4546 (Thread starter): Anybody hear more? Can't believe this might actually be happening, but still just a rumor for now.
Rumors have been abounding for months. Of course the opera ain't over till the fat lady sings. But, I heard that WN
was negotiating with Metrodade which operates MIA that WN would get up to six (6) gates. We FL operate out of the oldie but goody Concorse G which is basically the same as it was when it was completed around 1962.
This is one concourse that is way underutalized. FLL can now be a pain in the you know what as it is becoming overcrowded with all the narrow body domestic service. MIA is the gateway to Latin America and it would behoove our company WN/FL to feature regular service. We'd be formidable competition to the empire which is AA at MIA. The Miami metro area is very spread out. For example driving from North Miami Beach aka Sunny Isles to Kendall and points south can take an hour or more driving time non rush hour. MIA is maybe the mid point. MIA priced itself out of the domestic lcc market with their high landing fees and it all went to FLL. Now, MIA may be open to deal making. I'm looking forward to the creative advertising during Ravens games proclaiming MIA service. Out of BWI,, its us FL one flight and the legacy big boy AA with maybe 2 MIA flights out of BWI. And with the Port of Miami a stones throw away from MIA this opens up an entire new market not to mention MIA being the gateway to Latin America. And with the 737-8's South America bekons from SWA Life!
QANTAS747-438 From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 1804 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 6409 times:
Nope, haven't heard a word on it. Ever since the aquisition, I always thought MIA would be great for WN. Combine that with various other Latin American destinations, and I think WN will do very well.
My posts/replies are strictly my opinion and not that of any company, organization, or Southwest Airlines.
zippyjet From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 4724 posts, RR: 13 Reply 3, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 6397 times:
Quoting QANTAS747-438 (Reply 2): Nope, haven't heard a word on it. Ever since the aquisition, I always thought MIA would be great for WN. Combine that with various other Latin American destinations, and I think WN will do very well.
Agreed
There's more to the South Florida market than FLL!
PlanesNTrains From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 4543 posts, RR: 28 Reply 4, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 6095 times:
PlanesNTrains From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 4543 posts, RR: 28 Reply 5, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 6087 times:
bobnwa From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 5983 posts, RR: 9 Reply 7, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 4412 times:
Quoting zippyjet (Reply 3): Agreed
There's more to the South Florida market than FLL!
Shouldn't you be saying that there is more to South Florida market than MIA? This may disturb a few members,
yellowtail From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 5172 posts, RR: 2 Reply 8, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 4311 times:
Well well well.....
If the other rumors around about WN are true....then this would make perfect sense.
Look out AA.
When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No-one has ever collided with the sky.
flymia From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 6298 posts, RR: 6 Reply 11, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 3626 times:
Quoting zippyjet (Reply 1): FLL can now be a pain in the you know what as it is becoming overcrowded with all the narrow body domestic service.
This is very true and many people that live close to either airport or closure to MIA have figured this out. FLL used to be the airport people wanted to go to. It was the easy, not crowded airport. How things have changed. Of course FLL has MIA beat by a mile with choices of domestic airlines but as FLL because more and more congested I have seen a lot more people head to MIA. It is easier and not as crowded. Unless your flying NK it is usually around the same price.
If WN does come into MIA I think it will be interesting to see if maybe, just maybe B6 might make a move into MIA. B6 is one reason people do not mind driving up to FLL.
"It was just four of us on the flight deck, trying to do our job" (Captain Al Haynes)
jfklganyc From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 2666 posts, RR: 5 Reply 12, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 3284 times:
NASCARAirforce From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 3084 posts, RR: 5 Reply 13, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 3176 times:
You mean I won't be able to go to MIA anymore for a major Florida airport I can spot at without having to see Southwest?
PI767 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 14, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 3151 times:
Quoting NASCARAirforce (Reply 13): You mean I won't be able to go to MIA anymore for a major Florida airport I can spot at without having to see Southwest?
DB777 From United States of America, joined Apr 2001, 885 posts, RR: 49 Reply 15, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 1701 times:
Quoting zippyjet (Reply 1): We FL operate out of the oldie but goody Concorse G which is basically the same as it was when it was completed around 1962.
If you're going to write about MIA at least strive for some accuracy when you post or you'll have the younger folks actually believing the distorted history.
The concourse opened in 1959 when the new 20th Street Terminal opened and most passenger airlines moved from the 36th Street Terminal. It was known as Concourse 2 until the mid-1970's when all of MIA's concourses and gates were renamed and renumbered.
If this concourse was "basically the same as it was when it was completed" as you say, we would now see a one-story open-air (non air-conditioned) no loading bridge concourse with passengers walking across open ramps to aircraft parked parallel to the concourse without the wider section from gate G-10 outward to the end. That simply is not the scenario that you have described. The addition of the second floor out to the end and the addition of nose loader and pole mounted loading bridges happened in the 1960's and the expansion of the interior for the end gates happened prior to 1973. The concourse was extensively remodeled again at least one time in the late 1980's and possibly since then.
For the history buffs, the concourse was under a long-term lease to United, Air Canada, TWA and Northwest from 1959 until the latter part of 1986 when the entire lease expired and the Aviation Department took control of the gates. Continental and American sub-leased gates from Northwest when they both started service to MIA in the 1970's. When the airport took over Concourse G we turned all the gates into common-use gates with our gate controllers assigning gates on a flight by flight basis with preferential assignments to the carriers who were wired for computers at each gate. We also replaced all of the old airline-owned but poorly maintained jet bridges with new bridges, eliminating all of the old nose-loader bridges, and re-striped all of the apron striping to bring the concourse into compliance with other airport-controlled gates. Since the lease expired the airlines no longer had lease payments but they now had to pay airport concourse fees for each arrival and each departure based on aircraft type and average seat configuration for each aircraft type, loading bridge fees for each arrival and each departure, overnight parking fees and security screening fees to pay for the concourse's security checkpoint costs.
Photographing aircraft since the Earth was flat and on Airliners.net since #338
zippyjet From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 4724 posts, RR: 13 Reply 16, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 1610 times:
Quoting DB777 (Reply 15):
If you're going to write about MIA at least strive for some accuracy when you post or you'll have the younger folks actually believing the distorted history
Yes, G concourse was part of the 1959 original structure but as you mentioned it originally was open air /no a/c, and no jetways. From reading MIA history, yes the concourses were numbered. Concourse 1 which is now H opened around 1961 and was enclosed from the get go with the mini-me nose loader jetways. A year or so later approx 1962 Concourse 2 was enclosed, air conditioned and got the mini me jetways. As a matter of fact, gate G-7 still had a mini me jetway not in use and right by it was a flight of stairs that led out to the apron for boarding the classic propliners by air stairs! So, please let me know if I'm still not accurate. Also from what I read, the concourses were enclosed and air conditioned from south to north. Pier 6 which became C concourse (Eastern Airlines) actually was a few years later for its expansion and enclosure and air conditioning. And Eastern did not go for the mini-me/nose loader jetways and instead went for the telescoping jet ways which are more like today's jetways. I also remember in August 1966 we boarded Eastern flight 172 which was then a Boeing 720 home to Baltimore. We passengers that sat in coach boarded by air stairs in the rear and the jetway was for first class passengers boarding at the front of the aircraft as is done today. Concourse 6 (then C) was expanded around 1967 if I'm correct. Please share. Getting back to Concourse G then 2, airlines that originally used it (before H) were:
Delta, Northwest, Capital (airline that had tons of crashes then merged into UAL), TWA, and Air Canada.
Concourse 3 (now F) originally housed: National airlines and Northeast
Concourse 4 now E Pan Am, Panagra and various Latin American carriers including Varig
Concourse 5 (became D) some gates Eastern, 1 or 2 werer the original Branniff
Concourse 6 (then C) all Eastern the original Mackey was either in 5 or 6 when the 1959 terminal opened which was state of the art.
During that same 1966 trip (I was 10) we flew down on DL due to Eastern being on one of its many strikes. I remember deplaning on one of those mini me jetways off a DC-8 from ATL. I was in awe.
Please verify and add to my MIA early history knowledge. I even request you give me a grade and if you feel I'm wrong please let me know and, I remember at least as late as 1976 much of the baggage claim was open air and un airconditioned. Eastern was the first area to have the baggage claim enclosed and air conditioned.
The MIA website neglects to have a history section on its rich and storied past which is a tragedy at least for this airline /aviation nut.
from my Facebook page, 2 pics of old G7 with unused mini me jetway...
SurfandSnow From United States of America, joined Jan 2009, 2588 posts, RR: 31 Reply 17, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 1491 times:
All along I thought something was fishy about FL doing a massive expansion from MIA - a market where they have struggled for years and have virtually no presence/FF loyalty. If it wasn't for the takeover they would have probably completely pulled out on their own merit anyway.
Meanwhile, I think WN has probably had its sights set on MIA for some time - it is a popular primary airport that would nicely complement their existing operations at the traditional metropolitan alternates (FLL and PBI) they have served for years. We have seen them (re)add SFO to complement OAK/SJC, LGA and EWR have come online to further the New York presence beyond ISP, and BOS is now served in addition to MHT/PVD. Not to mention WN's recent forays into other relatively high cost primary airports like PHL, PIT, MSP, DEN, and soon ATL. Thus, I think MIA would play into their strategy of extending their reach directly to the nation's most popular destinations...
Even though FL has now formally pulled out, I wouldn't rule out WN setting up shop at MIA just yet. With their addition of ATL we saw that they may "open" markets acquired through FL the splashy old-fashioned WN way, instead of simply switching the branding signs from FL to WN one day. Perhaps MIA is the first FL station to fully transition from one network to the other, and others will follow suit where FL completely pulls out and WN jumps in to save the day with "new" service. It may sound crazy, but many of the FL markets have a lot of growing to do to reach standard WN thresholds (in terms of omnidirectional connectivity, minimum daily flight levels, etc.). Otherwise, this could be WN driving a hard bargain with MIA to cut them a fair deal or lose their only American LCC.
Bottom line - I would personally be surprised to see WN pass on the opportunity to serve MIA. I realize the airport is expensive, but it offers great yield potential and long term opportunities. If WN has found ways to serve several other high cost airports effectively, why not this one?
Flying in the middle seat of coach is much better than not flying at all!
par13del From Bahamas, joined Dec 2005, 5902 posts, RR: 8 Reply 18, posted (1 year 6 months 2 weeks 1 day ago) and read 1434 times:
Quoting SurfandSnow (Reply 17): Bottom line - I would personally be surprised to see WN pass on the opportunity to serve MIA.
Quoting SurfandSnow (Reply 17): instead of simply switching the branding signs from FL to WN one day.
Fact is that as of right now, it is cheaper to re-brand than to leave the market and hope that the airport offers you concessions to re-commence service at a future date, something like a bird in the hand.
MIA is still growing, has an entrenched massive legacy carrier, and as long as they are not loosing traffic will have no reason to go "begging" to other carriers to join the fray. DL now has a presence in MIA on TATL, small it may be it is a foothold, WN has one now in FL and are deciding to abandon.
The acquisition of FL is probably the largest transaction they made, perhaps they are being conservative in ensuring that they properly fold the pieces together first before attempting to be more things to more people, the KISS principle.
Time will tell exactly what strategy they are following / implementing, 2012 will be interesting for WN and its fortunes.
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