Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
redrooster3 wrote:Aircraft #0127 finally scheduled to go in for new paint as flight 2746 IAH-AMA August 2nd. She desperately needed a new paint job.
redrooster3 wrote:Aircraft #0127 finally scheduled to go in for new paint as flight 2746 IAH-AMA August 2nd. She desperately needed a new paint job.
Midwestindy wrote:x1234 wrote:
It's a market UA has actively ignored for many years, and it's cost them business from passengers not in IAD, IAH, EWR, or ORD who want to fly nonstop or have an easy connection to vacation.
tphuang wrote:
I don't see how IAD can ever compete with ATL or CLT to Florida due to its high costs and not having as many gates. It has a lot of transcon and TATL demand from a top 5 domestic market. I think UA should add more flights to Caribbean from IAD. The number of year round destinations to Latin America from IAD is pretty small. People on east coast don't want to connect at IAH. There should also be a lot of natural demand there from DC and Northern Virginia.
LAXdude1023 wrote:tphuang wrote:
I don't see how IAD can ever compete with ATL or CLT to Florida due to its high costs and not having as many gates. It has a lot of transcon and TATL demand from a top 5 domestic market. I think UA should add more flights to Caribbean from IAD. The number of year round destinations to Latin America from IAD is pretty small. People on east coast don't want to connect at IAH. There should also be a lot of natural demand there from DC and Northern Virginia.
I dont know that is feasible.
UA already serves what it needs to in the Caribbean from EWR. As for Latin America, IAD was always a weaker link than IAH or EWR. IAD-GRU was the worst preforming Brazil route for UA pre-pandemic. Most of what UA has added to IAD was ethnic travel based (SAL and GUA). Same with LAX and EWR.
Thats not to say they cant add a few more spots from IAD but I dont see what it helps unless the local market can support it.
EssentialBusDC wrote:LAXdude1023 wrote:tphuang wrote:
I don't see how IAD can ever compete with ATL or CLT to Florida due to its high costs and not having as many gates. It has a lot of transcon and TATL demand from a top 5 domestic market. I think UA should add more flights to Caribbean from IAD. The number of year round destinations to Latin America from IAD is pretty small. People on east coast don't want to connect at IAH. There should also be a lot of natural demand there from DC and Northern Virginia.
I dont know that is feasible.
UA already serves what it needs to in the Caribbean from EWR. As for Latin America, IAD was always a weaker link than IAH or EWR. IAD-GRU was the worst preforming Brazil route for UA pre-pandemic. Most of what UA has added to IAD was ethnic travel based (SAL and GUA). Same with LAX and EWR.
Thats not to say they cant add a few more spots from IAD but I dont see what it helps unless the local market can support it.
One problem with IAD, in addition to local market size, is timing of the flights. In order to get flights back into Dulles for the 5-6pm primary Bank, that means the flights departing IAD need to leave early enough in the morning which does limit connections to only the first flight of the day from close outstations. And if they cant make the primary bank then its the 10pm bank to get home. So not ideal due to lack of frequency. And connections is what would make some of the smaller Carribbean destinations beyond what United traditionally serves work.
EssentialBusDC wrote:LAXdude1023 wrote:tphuang wrote:
I don't see how IAD can ever compete with ATL or CLT to Florida due to its high costs and not having as many gates. It has a lot of transcon and TATL demand from a top 5 domestic market. I think UA should add more flights to Caribbean from IAD. The number of year round destinations to Latin America from IAD is pretty small. People on east coast don't want to connect at IAH. There should also be a lot of natural demand there from DC and Northern Virginia.
I dont know that is feasible.
UA already serves what it needs to in the Caribbean from EWR. As for Latin America, IAD was always a weaker link than IAH or EWR. IAD-GRU was the worst preforming Brazil route for UA pre-pandemic. Most of what UA has added to IAD was ethnic travel based (SAL and GUA). Same with LAX and EWR.
Thats not to say they cant add a few more spots from IAD but I dont see what it helps unless the local market can support it.
One problem with IAD, in addition to local market size, is timing of the flights. In order to get flights back into Dulles for the 5-6pm primary Bank, that means the flights departing IAD need to leave early enough in the morning which does limit connections to only the first flight of the day from close outstations. And if they cant make the primary bank then its the 10pm bank to get home. So not ideal due to lack of frequency. And connections is what would make some of the smaller Carribbean destinations beyond what United traditionally serves work.
LAXdude1023 wrote:EssentialBusDC wrote:LAXdude1023 wrote:
I dont know that is feasible.
UA already serves what it needs to in the Caribbean from EWR. As for Latin America, IAD was always a weaker link than IAH or EWR. IAD-GRU was the worst preforming Brazil route for UA pre-pandemic. Most of what UA has added to IAD was ethnic travel based (SAL and GUA). Same with LAX and EWR.
Thats not to say they cant add a few more spots from IAD but I dont see what it helps unless the local market can support it.
One problem with IAD, in addition to local market size, is timing of the flights. In order to get flights back into Dulles for the 5-6pm primary Bank, that means the flights departing IAD need to leave early enough in the morning which does limit connections to only the first flight of the day from close outstations. And if they cant make the primary bank then its the 10pm bank to get home. So not ideal due to lack of frequency. And connections is what would make some of the smaller Carribbean destinations beyond what United traditionally serves work.
I’m a huge proponent of UA doing more with IAD. I just don’t see that having anything to do with Latin America unless the DC market supports it on its own (SAL, GUA, etc.). I think some added points in the Caribbean is good but what really needs to happen is a beef up of the domestic network.
redrooster3 wrote:Aircraft #0127 finally scheduled to go in for new paint as flight 2746 IAH-AMA August 2nd. She desperately needed a new paint job.
sfojvjets wrote:redrooster3 wrote:Aircraft #0127 finally scheduled to go in for new paint as flight 2746 IAH-AMA August 2nd. She desperately needed a new paint job.
Awesome. Should be the first non-Her Art Here 752 in the new liv, am I right?
jayunited wrote:There is more information starting to leak out about what United is looking at doing with pilot bases later this year into next year, some of this I think we already knew.
Later this year the 756 bases at both LAX and SFO will reopen earlier than expected (this should mean more 757s back in service which is a good thing) and perhaps the return of lie flat seating on SFO-BOS-SFO route.
Starting in 2022 the 777 pilots will only be based out of SFO, IAH, EWR, and DCA. The plan for now calls for SFO being the largest 777 pilot base followed by EWR, IAH then finally DCA. United is still planning on returning the 77As to the Hawaii market at some point in 2022, it will be interesting to see the crew parring for flights like ORD-HNL, ORD-OGG, DEN-HNL, DEN-OGG, and LAX-HNL which are all expected to shift back to 77As at some point in 2022 once those frames return to service.
The 787s will have a pilot base all 7 domestic hubs. United for now is still planning on making SFO the largest 787 pilot based with ORD showing as the second largest 787 base in 2022. Looking at the 787 pilot base numbers it would appear as though both DEN and IAH's 787 bases will be slightly larger than they were pre-pandemic so perhaps that is some insight into future international flights from those hubs?? Who knows it is anyone's guess what a slight increase in bases number could mean.
The 767s are crewed from the 756 pilot base. The largest 756 base of course will be EWR, followed by DCA, ORD, then IAH. LAX, SFO, and DEN will all having the same number of 756 pilots based there at those hubs, and United intends to keep all 764s based out of EWR and IAD for 2022.
With United expecting SFO-Asia to basically remain flat for 2022 it will be interesting to see if SFO in 2022 maintains the largest 777 and 787 pilot bases (which is the plan now), or if UA reduces SFO's numbers while increasing base numbers at other hubs for potential international or even domestic flying.
GUM's 737 pilot base will see it numbers inch higher as United in 2022 looks to begin restoring flights out of GUM that were suspended as a result of the pandemic.
len90 wrote:sfojvjets wrote:redrooster3 wrote:Aircraft #0127 finally scheduled to go in for new paint as flight 2746 IAH-AMA August 2nd. She desperately needed a new paint job.
Awesome. Should be the first non-Her Art Here 752 in the new liv, am I right?
Correct.
Third 757 to be repainted and first to be in the regular Evo-blue. 753 and 764 are the last remaining fleets with nothing in the new scheme.
jayunited wrote:There is more information starting to leak out about what United is looking at doing with pilot bases later this year into next year, some of this I think we already knew.
Later this year the 756 bases at both LAX and SFO will reopen earlier than expected (this should mean more 757s back in service which is a good thing) and perhaps the return of lie flat seating on SFO-BOS-SFO route.
Starting in 2022 the 777 pilots will only be based out of SFO, IAH, EWR, and DCA. The plan for now calls for SFO being the largest 777 pilot base followed by EWR, IAH then finally DCA. United is still planning on returning the 77As to the Hawaii market at some point in 2022, it will be interesting to see the crew parring for flights like ORD-HNL, ORD-OGG, DEN-HNL, DEN-OGG, and LAX-HNL which are all expected to shift back to 77As at some point in 2022 once those frames return to service.
The 787s will have a pilot base all 7 domestic hubs. United for now is still planning on making SFO the largest 787 pilot based with ORD showing as the second largest 787 base in 2022. Looking at the 787 pilot base numbers it would appear as though both DEN and IAH's 787 bases will be slightly larger than they were pre-pandemic so perhaps that is some insight into future international flights from those hubs?? Who knows it is anyone's guess what a slight increase in bases number could mean.
The 767s are crewed from the 756 pilot base. The largest 756 base of course will be EWR, followed by DCA, ORD, then IAH. LAX, SFO, and DEN will all having the same number of 756 pilots based there at those hubs, and United intends to keep all 764s based out of EWR and IAD for 2022.
With United expecting SFO-Asia to basically remain flat for 2022 it will be interesting to see if SFO in 2022 maintains the largest 777 and 787 pilot bases (which is the plan now), or if UA reduces SFO's numbers while increasing base numbers at other hubs for potential international or even domestic flying.
GUM's 737 pilot base will see it numbers inch higher as United in 2022 looks to begin restoring flights out of GUM that were suspended as a result of the pandemic.
TrafficCop wrote:len90 wrote:sfojvjets wrote:Awesome. Should be the first non-Her Art Here 752 in the new liv, am I right?
Correct.
Third 757 to be repainted and first to be in the regular Evo-blue. 753 and 764 are the last remaining fleets with nothing in the new scheme.
Don’t believe any of the 788’s have been painted yet either. Could be wrong though.
ILikeTrains wrote:It looks like ORD is losing a lot of widebody capacity based on this, or am I interpreting this wrong?
jayunited wrote:ILikeTrains wrote:It looks like ORD is losing a lot of widebody capacity based on this, or am I interpreting this wrong?
The post covers the pilot bases and where United plans to base pilots for each specific widebody fleet type, not where the aircraft themselves will fly from. To the best of my knowledge since the merger ORD has never had the largest pilot base for any widebody fleet type. In fact since the closure of ORD's 744 pilot base ORD has been a 756 and 777 pilot base only, the 787 base opened during the pandemic but ORD will loose its 777 pilot base, however that doesn't mean ORD will not see any 777 widebody aircraft cycling through the hub. Although the 788 will once again operate ORD-HNL route this coming fall taking over from the 77W currently on the route we know the 77A will return to both ORD-HNL and ORD-OGG. Once the 77As return to service we know United will resume flying 77As on hub to hub routes like SFO-ORD-SFO, DEN-ORD-SFO, and perhaps LAX-ORD-LAX. So the closure of the base doesn't mean the complete removal of a particular aircraft type from a hub and on hub to hub route it is easy for United to cover 777 flying without an ORD or DEN 777 pilot base you can have a SFO based pilot operate for example SFO-DEN-ORD (layover) ORD-SFO (end of trip). On d some of the longer routes like ORD-Hawaii and DEN-Hawaii crew scheduling will have to use pilots from other bases to cover those routes. So for example ORD-HNL, an example of a crew pairing might be something like this SFO-HNL(layover), HNL-ORD (layover), ORD-SFO (end of trip), or IAH-HNL (layover), HNL-ORD (layover), ORD-HNL (layover), HNL-IAH (end of trip).
The issue I have with this is with the closure of the 777 base at ORD if there is a 6 or 7 hour maintenance delay on ORD-HNL or ORD-OGG (it has happened in the past) now UA either has to cancel the flight or tech stop at SFO for a complete crew change because the original crew on 6 or 7 hour delay would not be legal to operate a nearly 9 hour flight to Hawaii and crew scheduling has lost the ability to recrew the flight with ORD based pilots.
jayunited wrote:There is more information starting to leak out about what United is looking at doing with pilot bases later this year into next year, some of this I think we already knew.
.
masseybrown wrote:jayunited wrote:There is more information starting to leak out about what United is looking at doing with pilot bases later this year into next year, some of this I think we already knew.
.
Minor matter, but is there still a CLE 737 base?
jayunited wrote:ILikeTrains wrote:It looks like ORD is losing a lot of widebody capacity based on this, or am I interpreting this wrong?
The issue I have with this is with the closure of the 777 base at ORD if there is a 6 or 7 hour maintenance delay on ORD-HNL or ORD-OGG (it has happened in the past) now UA either has to cancel the flight or tech stop at SFO for a complete crew change because the original crew on 6 or 7 hour delay would not be legal to operate a nearly 9 hour flight to Hawaii and crew scheduling has lost the ability to recrew the flight with ORD based pilots.
sldispatcher wrote:What role, if any, can IAD play in the route network over next 12-24 months? It always seems underutilized to me.
IFLYUA767 wrote:It looks like they are still planning to start BOS-LHR. They just haven’t set a date yet.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/unite ... feedburner
chrisnh wrote:IFLYUA767 wrote:It looks like they are still planning to start BOS-LHR. They just haven’t set a date yet.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/unite ... feedburner
Only a hunch on my part, but it seems as though it makes sense for them to start this in March 2022 rather than try to shoehorn it in sometime this year.
IFLYUA767 wrote:chrisnh wrote:IFLYUA767 wrote:It looks like they are still planning to start BOS-LHR. They just haven’t set a date yet.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/unite ... feedburner
Only a hunch on my part, but it seems as though it makes sense for them to start this in March 2022 rather than try to shoehorn it in sometime this year.
I feel like March would make a lot more sense. The UK seems kind of unpredictable. I still wonder what made UA want to start BOS-LHR. Some people say that it was to hit back at B6. If that’s the case then I wonder if UA has thought about JFK-LHR because seems like that would really be hitting back at B6.
KLMatSJC wrote:TrafficCop wrote:len90 wrote:Correct.
Third 757 to be repainted and first to be in the regular Evo-blue. 753 and 764 are the last remaining fleets with nothing in the new scheme.
Don’t believe any of the 788’s have been painted yet either. Could be wrong though.
Yup, you're right.
Mainline: non-ER 739, 753, 764, 788.
Express: ERJ-170, ERJ-145LR
len90 wrote:KLMatSJC wrote:TrafficCop wrote:
Don’t believe any of the 788’s have been painted yet either. Could be wrong though.
Yup, you're right.
Mainline: non-ER 739, 753, 764, 788.
Express: ERJ-170, ERJ-145LR
That is correct. I totally forget about the 788 as I barely ever see them being that I live near EWR.
As for the 737 non ER; a part of me wonders if those 20 year old frames are actually done for good with UA. With the max fully in service and nearly all the ER 900s back, United right now is operating a fleet comparable in size for the 170-180 passenger capacity. We have seen every other fleet type emerge from hibernation.
jbs2886 wrote:IFLYUA767 wrote:chrisnh wrote:
Only a hunch on my part, but it seems as though it makes sense for them to start this in March 2022 rather than try to shoehorn it in sometime this year.
I feel like March would make a lot more sense. The UK seems kind of unpredictable. I still wonder what made UA want to start BOS-LHR. Some people say that it was to hit back at B6. If that’s the case then I wonder if UA has thought about JFK-LHR because seems like that would really be hitting back at B6.
UA's BOS-LHR is a way to hit back at JetBlue, but also fill a gap in the LHR network for UA (moreso than JFK that is mostly covered by EWR). BOS is likely to generate more new UA passengers versus just moving them from other flights. I am surprised, however, we haven't seen a flight shift from EWR to JFK though for that reason.
IFLYUA767 wrote:jbs2886 wrote:IFLYUA767 wrote:
I feel like March would make a lot more sense. The UK seems kind of unpredictable. I still wonder what made UA want to start BOS-LHR. Some people say that it was to hit back at B6. If that’s the case then I wonder if UA has thought about JFK-LHR because seems like that would really be hitting back at B6.
UA's BOS-LHR is a way to hit back at JetBlue, but also fill a gap in the LHR network for UA (moreso than JFK that is mostly covered by EWR). BOS is likely to generate more new UA passengers versus just moving them from other flights. I am surprised, however, we haven't seen a flight shift from EWR to JFK though for that reason.
I’m curious as to how BOS-LHR will generate more passengers rather than moving from other flights. On the matter of JFK-LHR, I think that if they ever launched that they should move two LHR flights from EWR to JFK. This would obviously depend on whether UA can get slots.
jbs2886 wrote:IFLYUA767 wrote:
I’m curious as to how BOS-LHR will generate more passengers rather than moving from other flights. On the matter of JFK-LHR, I think that if they ever launched that they should move two LHR flights from EWR to JFK. This would obviously depend on whether UA can get slots.
Also why do they need slots if they are “moving” flights from EWR? They have the slots.
jetblastdubai wrote:jbs2886 wrote:IFLYUA767 wrote:
I’m curious as to how BOS-LHR will generate more passengers rather than moving from other flights. On the matter of JFK-LHR, I think that if they ever launched that they should move two LHR flights from EWR to JFK. This would obviously depend on whether UA can get slots.
Also why do they need slots if they are “moving” flights from EWR? They have the slots.
I think he was referring to JFK slots...not LHR.
jbs2886 wrote:UA's BOS-LHR is a way to hit back at JetBlue, but also fill a gap in the LHR network for UA (moreso than JFK that is mostly covered by EWR). BOS is likely to generate more new UA passengers versus just moving them from other flights. I am surprised, however, we haven't seen a flight shift from EWR to JFK though for that reason.
CRJ200flyer wrote:https://thepointsguy.com/news/opt-out-united-middle-seat/
Once again, United taking 4 years to catch up to Delta - finally offering the ability to say if you’d like an upgrade if it was to a middle seat.
adamblang wrote:CRJ200flyer wrote:https://thepointsguy.com/news/opt-out-united-middle-seat/
Once again, United taking 4 years to catch up to Delta - finally offering the ability to say if you’d like an upgrade if it was to a middle seat.
That's not what this is.
United doesn't treat Economy Plus as an upgradable cabin like Delta does Comfort Plus. There's no "upgrade" to waitlist for. There's no automatic reseating of people from regular economy to Economy Plus. If you have a seat benefit, you just pick your seat.
What's new here is
- United has been letting standby passengers enter their seat preferences so when the seating bot automatically seats standbys they get the seat they want and don't have to change it
- United added an option that to tell the bot that if the bot has an Economy Plus middle or a regular economy aisle/window give me the regular economy rather than the Economy Plus aisle
CRJ200flyer wrote:Thank you for clarifying as the headline and discussion is misleading. So is this for revenue or non-revenue standby passengers? Does United have a lot of revenue standby passengers that this system would be necessary?
adamblang wrote:CRJ200flyer wrote:Thank you for clarifying as the headline and discussion is misleading. So is this for revenue or non-revenue standby passengers? Does United have a lot of revenue standby passengers that this system would be necessary?
It’s for both revenue and non revenue standbys.
Revenue standbys can be
- Premiers changing to another flight that doesn’t have seat availability
- Any traveler who arrived at the airport early and asked to fly on an earlier flight
- Any traveler added to a standby list because of an irregular operations recovery situation
- Any traveler using the flat tire rule
jayunited wrote:jbs2886 wrote:UA's BOS-LHR is a way to hit back at JetBlue, but also fill a gap in the LHR network for UA (moreso than JFK that is mostly covered by EWR). BOS is likely to generate more new UA passengers versus just moving them from other flights. I am surprised, however, we haven't seen a flight shift from EWR to JFK though for that reason.
United's upcoming BOS-LHR slot has nothing to do with JetBlue at all, United has had this in the works for some time long before JetBlue push into EWR as a result of COVID. United and Air New Zealand did a secret LHR slot swap in 2019 which was to take effect in October of 2020 at the time that was the date when NZ was scheduled to end their service to LHR. United gave NZ our 23:00 arrival and 22:40 departure slots (slot UA was not using) in exchanged for NZ's 10:50 arrival 15:20 departure slots. United already had acquired an extra seasonal slot from a different carrier and they were planning on using the seasonal slot starting in the summer of 2020 out of EWR which would have increase UA's EWR-LHR daily operation from 6x daily to 7x daily for the entire IATA summer reverting back to 6x daily for IATA winter.
United never intended on making LAX-LHR daily double those plans had been tabled with United saying a singular LAX-LHR flight was enough for us instead choosing to launch DEN-LHR.
So it is entirely possible that back in 2019 when United was negotiating this deal with Air New Zealand to swap slots the end goal for United was to launch BOS-LHR and the time slot works perfectly for a BOS-LHR-BOS flight. And that is assuming the negotiations with NZ started in 2019 we only found out about the slot swap in 2019 but who know negotiations could have begun in 2018. Who knows when NZ internally decided they were leaving LHR and when or how UA found out about NZ plans and began hatch plans of their own to acquire NZ's LHR slot. To boil this down and say this about hitting back at JetBlue is not true at all when you look at how long UA has been working on getting more LHR slots and not just NZ's slot but also the season slot we aquired as well.
As far as JFK I don't see UA moving slots from EWR to JFK, but I do think UA will try to find and purchase 2 additional year around slots (if any are available) to launch 2x daily JFK-LHR flights.