AUSTIN | ABIA Updates

[masonh2479]

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

So it seems for the time being that there are no more announcements for major route additions. Seems like May was pretty active when it came to route announcements over the past few years. I assume it has to do with lack of gate space and that we will hear about a multitude of route announcements once the east pier is open.

I think the possibility of new route announcements this month is there. SAT and Frontier just announced several new routes this morning so maybe Frontier might announce something at AUS this month. There is still the ever elusive AMS service.

[austlar1]

If DFW, with it's huge volume of hub traffic, can't support year round flights to AMS, why on earth would Austin be likely to get such service?

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by austlar1

If DFW, with it's huge volume of hub traffic, can't support year round flights to AMS, why on earth would Austin be likely to get such service?

Maybe it's because of AA (OneWorld's) tie to LHR as the main European transfer point out of DFW?!?

IAH seems to be doing quite well with their AMS flights.

[We vs us]

Whatever happened to our Delta focus city status? Just a rumor, then?

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Whatever happened to our Delta focus city status? Just a rumor, then?

Patience, my friend.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

Patience, my friend.

*taps foot*

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

Maybe it's because of AA (OneWorld's) tie to LHR as the main European transfer point out of DFW?!?

IAH seems to be doing quite well with their AMS flights.

It is interesting. KLM originated service between IAH and Amsterdam back in the 1970s. I believe they operated a 747 that originated in Mexico City and continued on to Montreal and Amsterdam. It was a sight to behold at the new Intercontinental back in the day. The United/Continental service seems to do well since it has operated year round for a very long time now, and KLM also operates a non stop from Houston. It looks like Delta code shares on the KLM flight. That is TWO flights a day out of Houston, and I think both are year round.

KLM tried DFW-AMS back in 2015 and gave it up. Meanwhile it looks like AA resumed a summertime non stop again this year. AA is happy enough to fly to LHR, FRA, CDG, and MAD from DFW, sometimes more than once a day. They have flown to Rome and Zurich from DFW in the past. If they think they can get the business, they go for it. The lack of a flight to AMS until quite recently always puzzled me. With regards to Austin, I truly don't think we are ready for a year round (or even a summer only) flight to AMS. BA and now Norwegian both offer plenty of connecting service out of Heathrow and Gatwick respectively.

[khowaga]

Originally Posted by austlar1

It is interesting. KLM originated service between IAH and Amsterdam back in the 1970s. I believe they operated a 747 that originated in Mexico City and continued on to Montreal and Amsterdam. It was a sight to behold at the new Intercontinental back in the day. The United/Continental service seems to do well since it has operated year round for a very long time now, and KLM also operates a non stop from Houston. It looks like Delta code shares on the KLM flight. That is TWO flights a day out of Houston, and I think both are year round.

KLM tried DFW-AMS back in 2015 and gave it up. Meanwhile it looks like AA resumed a summertime non stop again this year. AA is happy enough to fly to LHR, FRA, CDG, and MAD from DFW, sometimes more than once a day. They have flown to Rome and Zurich from DFW in the past. If they think they can get the business, they go for it. The lack of a flight to AMS until quite recently always puzzled me. With regards to Austin, I truly don't think we are ready for a year round (or even a summer only) flight to AMS. BA and now Norwegian both offer plenty of connecting service out of Heathrow and Gatwick respectively.

Norwegian doesn't have much in the way of connecting service, actually (just a handful of destinations are available for purchase as connecting destinations from AUS). Of course, that's also assuming the flight is on time, which seems to be the exception rather than the rule, at least so far (four hours late today).

IIRC, KLM operated DFW-AMS for several years (I know the flight was around at least in 2010).

[austlar1]

Interesting (somewhat dated) article about which Asian hub airports are emerging as dominant players in the region. The winner is likely to be the airport that sees the first non stop service between Austin and Asia. I think it won't be long before there is enough business travel to justify a 787/9 flight from Austin to some Asian airport with great hub and spoke connections.

https://centreforaviation.com/insigh...traffic-208892

[khowaga]

Originally Posted by masonh2479

I think the possibility of new route announcements this month is there. SAT and Frontier just announced several new routes this morning so maybe Frontier might announce something at AUS this month. There is still the ever elusive AMS service.

Let's not take Frontier as an example of airline best practices

Seems like most of the summer service announcements are in - next round would be for fall/winter, I guess. I am wondering when DL will start cluing us in to what it plans to do with all them new gates they're leasing.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by khowaga

Norwegian doesn't have much in the way of connecting service, actually (just a handful of destinations are available for purchase as connecting destinations from AUS). Of course, that's also assuming the flight is on time, which seems to be the exception rather than the rule, at least so far (four hours late today).

IIRC, KLM operated DFW-AMS for several years (I know the flight was around at least in 2010).

KLM flight bit the dust or became a seasonal service during the economic slowdown. They started flying the route in 2008, the year of the financial meltdown, and the service was never very well established. They withdrew probably because AA was toying with the idea of a peak season nonstop of their own.

You could not pay me to fly Norwegian, but you are correct that they don't seem to fly Gatwick to Amsterdam. BA, however, has hourly flights from LHR to AMS. I suspect that a portion of their current passenger load to London transfers at LHR for AMS.

[khowaga]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Interesting (somewhat dated) article about which Asian hub airports are emerging as dominant players in the region. The winner is likely to be the airport that sees the first non stop service between Austin and Asia. I think it won't be long before there is enough business travel to justify a 787/9 flight from Austin to some Asian airport with great hub and spoke connections.

https://centreforaviation.com/insigh...traffic-208892

The city has been courting Korean hard core for a while, but given that KE got burned in IAH, they might be a bit shy about opening a new station in Texas so soon.

[khowaga]

Originally Posted by austlar1

KLM flight bit the dust during the economic slowdown, and the service was never very well established. They tried again in 2015 and quickly withdrew probably because AA was toying with the idea of a peak season nonstop of their own.

You could not pay me to fly Norwegian, but BA has hourly flights from LHR to AMS. I suspect that a portion of their current passenger load to London transfers at LHR for AMS.

I have $5. That will almost buy you headphones on Norwegian

[ATCZERO]

If anyone was interested to see where the arrivals fly over the city, here ya go.

Here are the arrivals in a South flow:
LAIKS
SEWZY

North flow:
LAIKS
SEWZY

They stay on the arrivals more often on a North flow. There's a higher chance of arrivals being vectored off the SEWZY or LAIKS over the Round Rock area in a South flow.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by ATCZERO

Just dropping by to offer some tidbits from the alternative terminal options for the master plan. 😊


New FAA tower because of taxiway/terminal proximity.

Have a nice weekend.

Do keep us posted on the tower replacement. Do you know if the design has been mulled yet? Will it be as generic as the current tower or something different? I know the current tower design has been replicated at multiple airports. I guess it's functional and economical.

[ATCZERO]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Do keep us posted on the tower replacement. Do you know if the design has been mulled yet? Will it be as generic as the current tower or something different? I know the current tower design has been replicated at multiple airports. I guess it's functional and economical.

I don't have a timeline or any idea of how it might look. I only know that one of the risks identified with the alternative terminal options was poor sight lines from the current tower. There would be too many blind spots. Specifically, the tower is too short.

[khowaga]

On the weekly OAG update thread on airliners.net, it says that the Aeromexico flight is going down to 4 weekly in September.

AM AUS-MEX SEP 0.9>0.7

(he uses a weird system where 1 is daily and the fractions are less-than-daily; I *think* this is 4x/week, might be 5. This is in comparison with the frequency operated last year in September).

I'd heard it was doing pretty well and there was a possibility of it going mainline next year -- anyone know what's going on there?

[masonh2479]

Originally Posted by khowaga

On the weekly OAG update thread on airliners.net, it says that the Aeromexico flight is going down to 4 weekly in September.


(he uses a weird system where 1 is daily and the fractions are less-than-daily; I *think* this is 4x/week, might be 5. This is in comparison with the frequency operated last year in September).

I'd heard it was doing pretty well and there was a possibility of it going mainline next year -- anyone know what's going on there?

His list has been wrong multiple times. I just did some dummy bookings and it shows that Aeroméxico flies to AUS everyday except Tuesday and Saturday in late September. The aircraft is still an E190 so I just think they scaled back a little for the slow season.

[mumu]

Originally Posted by khowaga

The city has been courting Korean hard core for a while, but given that KE got burned in IAH, they might be a bit shy about opening a new station in Texas so soon.

Lack of codeshare hurt Korean Air in IAH and hurts them in DFW too.

Asiana has codeshare with United, so it's possible they might step into the gap at IAH.

The interesting thing here is that Korean Air has codeshare with Delta. If Delta makes a large enough expansion in Austin, Korean Air might bite with an A330-200. That only needs 218 passengers to fill.

Korean Air already had a lot competition in IAH->E. Asia traffic that didn't terminate in Seoul- Air China, ANA, EVA Air, and United (Which are all codeshares with United too, btw.)

In sum, there's reason for cautious optimism on Austin->Seoul non-stop, if Delta goes big enough with Austin.

[khowaga]

Originally Posted by masonh2479

His list has been wrong multiple times. I just did some dummy bookings and it shows that Aeroméxico flies to AUS everyday except Tuesday and Saturday in late September. The aircraft is still an E190 so I just think they scaled back a little for the slow season.

OK, so it is 5x week (I know he uses a spreadsheet to calculate the decimals based on a data dump but...seriously, it’s very confusing. 0.7 flights per day is not intuitive...).