Via Air has just announced new focus cities at BHM and PIT. Adding service to MEM, BDL and onestop service to AUS from PIT.

Good add for BDL to get PIT back after OneJet failed, and I'd say a decent add for PIT and a more established carrier with a more reliable product.

Thoughts? https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2019/01 ... l-airport/

Reliable? Uhh. You might want to google some threads from late last year.

[twoid][/twoid]

enilria wrote:

Reliable? Uhh. You might want to google some threads from late last year.

I'm softly calling it more reliable than OneJet... lol. Wasn't making it sound like a 'hard' reliable... keeping it soft.

Wow - how are they still in business?

SCHATC422 wrote:

[twoid][/twoid]

enilria wrote:

Reliable? Uhh. You might want to google some threads from late last year.

I'm softly calling it more reliable than OneJet... lol. Wasn't making it sound like a 'hard' reliable... keeping it soft.

very generous of you, still.

And PIT still hasn't learned it's lesson. I wonder how much money this dysfunctional carrier has cheated the tax payers of Pennsylvania out of.

kcrwflyer wrote:

SCHATC422 wrote:

[twoid][/twoid]

enilria wrote:

Reliable? Uhh. You might want to google some threads from late last year.

I'm softly calling it more reliable than OneJet... lol. Wasn't making it sound like a 'hard' reliable... keeping it soft.

very generous of you, still.

I'd whisper "reliable" very quietly around Austin.

klm617 wrote:

And PIT still hasn't learned it's lesson. I wonder how much money this dysfunctional carrier has cheated the tax payers of Pennsylvania out of.

They don't use taxpayer money.

enilria wrote:

kcrwflyer wrote:

SCHATC422 wrote:

[twoid][/twoid]

I'm softly calling it more reliable than OneJet... lol. Wasn't making it sound like a 'hard' reliable... keeping it soft.

very generous of you, still.

I'd whisper "reliable" very quietly around Austin.

I'll be shocked if they are operating any of these flights come June. I don't get how they aren't out of business yet.

WOW..............didn't they serve like 5 destinations in West Virginia?

I guess it doesn't take much to be called a "focus city" these days...

Any bets if service will even start on these routes?

one positive...it looks like BDL-PIT could still be successful. Don't know why DL hasn't jumped in there like they did to CLE-BDL.

jco613 wrote:

one positive...it looks like BDL-PIT could still be successful. Don't know why DL hasn't jumped in there like they did to CLE-BDL.

DL only added that back in 2014 because of the CO hub closure at CLE

The route didn't come organically

I agree it's amazing these guys are still running, but I give them credit for being bookable on the typical travel sites and also having a very nice website of their own. Of all the latest startups, these guys are at least trying to look good.

I hope they make it.

I'd be more excited if I could fly BDL beyond Pittsburgh. $200 roundtrip.
Somehow they manage to keep going. I'm not sure how.
Too expensive to really be a LCC, let alone an ULCC
NO FF base to tap into.
Not enough name recognition for corporate travel and business types to book IMO
maybe someone can correct me on the corporate travel part.

Midwestindy wrote:

jco613 wrote:

one positive...it looks like BDL-PIT could still be successful. Don't know why DL hasn't jumped in there like they did to CLE-BDL.

DL only added that back in 2014 because of the CO hub closure at CLE

The route didn't come organically

and BDL-PIT was an old US route...it's been operated in some way shape or form for the majority of the time since US dehubbed PIT

I would not book a flight on this carrier. They seem to have been on life support for some time, and seems they are close to having the plug pulled.

AVLAirlineFreq wrote:

I guess it doesn't take much to be called a "focus city" these days...

Well....if they started

PIT-ROC
PIT-MKE
PIT-EWR
PIT-MCI
PIT-STL
PIT-SDF


...it would help

enilria wrote:

Reliable? Uhh. You might want to google some threads from late last year.

I believe in June or July they only operated 9 of the 25 or so scheduled AUS-OKC around trips. One of them that operated they had to combine with TUL and then the flight canceled in TUL and they left the OKC passengers stranded and never got them to AUS. A true gem of an airline. Reliable is not a word I would place in the same sentence as ViaAir, unless you placed a “not” in there.

jco613 wrote:

one positive...it looks like BDL-PIT could still be successful. Don't know why DL hasn't jumped in there like they did to CLE-BDL.

I’m still not sure why DL even continues to fly CLE-BDL. A quick glance at this week, for example, shows a 38% load factor on its best day, and an average of more like 25%.

727LOVER wrote:

WOW..............didn't they serve like 5 destinations in West Virginia?

Yes, were EAS routes and they lost all of them due to poor reliability. They are currently operated by Southern Airways Express, Skywest, and Contour.

jetmatt777 wrote:

enilria wrote:

Reliable? Uhh. You might want to google some threads from late last year.

I believe in June or July they only operated 9 of the 25 or so scheduled AUS-OKC around trips. One of them that operated they had to combine with TUL and then the flight canceled in TUL and they left the OKC passengers stranded and never got them to AUS. A true gem of an airline. Reliable is not a word I would place in the same sentence as ViaAir, unless you placed a “not” in there.

Via seems to have canceled about 20% of their operation during the month of June (not counting the discontinued CLT flying which was likely not much different) based on DoT scheduled vs operated flights. It may have been even worse depending on how close-in schedule changes were handled and reported. And these say nothing of on-time performance of what did operate, potentially just as damning to a traveler if the delay is long enough.

The schedules they’ve rolled out for these new flights concern me -- they are iffy for the business traveler market with the potential to support these city pairs and high RJ costs. But if they can’t operate a reasonably-reliable operation that will sink them. I really do think there’s some potential for point-to-point RJ flying to work (especially with relatively low fuel prices) but they need to be focused on serving passengers willing to pay higher fares for convenient, reliable nonstop flights. That’s usually business travelers, but they are a challenge to win even with flawless reliability and great schedules. It doesn’t help Via that some PIT business travelers may already feel burned by the OneJet saga, even with PIT-BDL perhaps being the single route in their system with the least disruption. If Via post a similar performance in these new markets as this past year it will only make it that much harder if a reliable, business-focused operation tries to pick up the pieces in PIT and elsewhere in the future.

I think there is lots of potential in RJ point to point flying if there were just more pilots. So many of these 50 seater planes are being retired from the big boys, so getting them is cheap. Fuel has to stay low . I think modern day milk run routes could work with one stop no plane change further destinations . Finding the right route combinations is the trick. I dont think AUS-MEM-PIT is it., Hope I'm wrong and VIA become viable.

knope2001 wrote:

jetmatt777 wrote:

enilria wrote:

Reliable? Uhh. You might want to google some threads from late last year.

I believe in June or July they only operated 9 of the 25 or so scheduled AUS-OKC around trips. One of them that operated they had to combine with TUL and then the flight canceled in TUL and they left the OKC passengers stranded and never got them to AUS. A true gem of an airline. Reliable is not a word I would place in the same sentence as ViaAir, unless you placed a “not” in there.

Via seems to have canceled about 20% of their operation during the month of June (not counting the discontinued CLT flying which was likely not much different) based on DoT scheduled vs operated flights. It may have been even worse depending on how close-in schedule changes were handled and reported. And these say nothing of on-time performance of what did operate, potentially just as damning to a traveler if the delay is long enough.

The schedules they’ve rolled out for these new flights concern me -- they are iffy for the business traveler market with the potential to support these city pairs and high RJ costs. But if they can’t operate a reasonably-reliable operation that will sink them. I really do think there’s some potential for point-to-point RJ flying to work (especially with relatively low fuel prices) but they need to be focused on serving passengers willing to pay higher fares for convenient, reliable nonstop flights. That’s usually business travelers, but they are a challenge to win even with flawless reliability and great schedules. It doesn’t help Via that some PIT business travelers may already feel burned by the OneJet saga, even with PIT-BDL perhaps being the single route in their system with the least disruption. If Via post a similar performance in these new markets as this past year it will only make it that much harder if a reliable, business-focused operation tries to pick up the pieces in PIT and elsewhere in the future.

Well said. I think their eyes seem to be bigger than their stomach. I don't know if the economics are just so bad they can't afford to operate a good airline, or if the terrible operation is just killing the revenue. Either way, it's not good. The business model seems interesting on the surface, but at the moment it's not working.

N766UA wrote:

jco613 wrote:

one positive...it looks like BDL-PIT could still be successful. Don't know why DL hasn't jumped in there like they did to CLE-BDL.

I’m still not sure why DL even continues to fly CLE-BDL. A quick glance at this week, for example, shows a 38% load factor on its best day, and an average of more like 25%.

$$$, I would assume - They get enough business traffic on this route that it's still profitable. I flew this route once recently on a government contract ticket, and it seemed like most of the travelers knew each other.

plinth857 wrote:

N766UA wrote:

jco613 wrote:

one positive...it looks like BDL-PIT could still be successful. Don't know why DL hasn't jumped in there like they did to CLE-BDL.

I’m still not sure why DL even continues to fly CLE-BDL. A quick glance at this week, for example, shows a 38% load factor on its best day, and an average of more like 25%.

$$$, I would assume - They get enough business traffic on this route that it's still profitable. I flew this route once recently on a government contract ticket, and it seemed like most of the travelers knew each other.

This. ^^^ I highly doubt that a smart airline like Delta would continue a route where it is 100% O&D if it wasn't making money for them. Delta has been on this route for almost 5 years now and continues to be a boggle to most ANetters, yes it is an unusual route but time to give it a rest in questioning Delta's business practices.