![]() In this process, they didn’t lose a single O&D market. Years ago, when USAirways was the largest airline at DCA, USAirways went though bankruptcy and shrunk from over 400 aircraft to about 270. The cost to American is that the connections in DCA, to some extent, cannibalize traffic that might more efficiently connect through American hubs in Philadelphia (PHL) and Charlotte (CLT). This makes sense, but comes at a cost to American and to the airport as well. By booking more connections through DCA, American can fill seats that have gone empty by the loss of local-to-D.C. That’s because the slots they hold at the airport have a “use it or lose it” rule, and thus if they fail to operate as many flights they would lose a valuable asset in their slot portfolio. How American Has Been Forced To ReactĪmerican Airlines has converted DCA airport into a connecting facility, because they had to. But that’s because of what the airport’s largest carrier, American Airlines, has done. ![]() According to Cirium, DCA’s total traffic today is not far off the rest of the country. The combination or traffic losses as put DCA on a slower trajectory for recovery. While a few busses have returned from closer-in districts, most of the flights have yet to return. ![]() School trips have historically created a lot of traffic into DCA for the annual visits to D.C. This loss of business traffic has hit DCA airport especially hard. Airline business traffic has been linked to a return to offices, and with fewer people to visit, fewer are flying in also. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has called for end to telework because this is affecting all business in D.C., not just the airport. Reportedly, almost half of all Federal workers still are working from home, and there is no updated sense as to when they might return to their offices. The biggest loss for DCA is visits to government offices.
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