Thanks for providing all of that factual information David. It is quite=20 evident that Baha got shortchanged in his college education at Istanbull U. Jose Prize Fan of Turkeys In a message dated 12/15/2003 7:17:36 PM Eastern Standard Time,=20 damiross2@xxxxxxxxxxx writes: > Subj: Re: NYTimes.com Article: US Airways; Stock Hurt By Southwest=20 > Date: 12/15/2003 7:17:36 PM Eastern Standard Time > From: damiross2@xxxxxxxxxxx > Reply-to: AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > To: AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > Sent from the Internet=20 >=20 > A commercial airline hub is not the same thing as an air traffic hub. It=20 > refers to an airport that serves as a major transfer point in a commercial= air=20 > carrier=E2=80=99s route system. This practice of routing flights through a= hub airport=20 > was adopted by most major air carriers following airline deregulation as a= =20 > way to increase passenger loads to and from airports serving smaller marke= ts. > (http://www.bts.gov/publications/transportation_statistics_annual_report/2= 000 > /chapter4/enplanements_at_major_us_airports_box.html) >=20 > Most of the 12 major U.S. passenger airlines in operation as of 2001 use a= =20 > hub-and-spoke network to route their plane traffic. The words "hub" and=20 > "spoke" create a pretty vivid image of how this system works. A hub is a c= entral=20 > airport that flights are routed through, and spokes are the routes that pl= anes=20 > take out of the hub airport. Most major airlines have multiple hubs. They=20 > claim that hubs allow them to offer more flights for passengers... > Not all airlines use the hub-and-spoke approach. For example, Southwest=20 > Airlines is one of the exceptions to the hub-and-spoke network system. It=20= uses=20 > the old-fashioned point-to-point system, hauling people short distances wi= th=20 > few connecting flights. However, Southwest offers very few non-stop flight= s on=20 > longer routes. At the end of 2000, Southwest served approximately 306=20 > one-way, non-stop city pairs. It's point-to-point system provides a more d= irect=20 > route than a hub-and-spoke airline can offer.=20 > (http://travel.howstuffworks.com/airline3.htm) >=20 > Southwest Airlines Co. ("Southwest") is a major domestic airline that > provides predominantly shorthaul, high-frequency, point-to-point, low-fare > service. Southwest was incorporated in Texas and commenced Customer Servic= e=20 > on > June 18, 1971 with three Boeing 737 aircraft serving three Texas cities - > Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. (WN annual report, available at Investor= s=20 > Relations on the WN web page) >=20 > Hubs, in my opinion, suck. While it may be good for the airline, in many=20 > cases it makes no sense for the passenger. Come on - look at a map. The L= A=20 > area is nearly due south of SEA. Yet, if you want to fly Delta, you need t= o go=20 > hundreds of miles out of the way and connect in SLC! Except for airline n= uts=20 > like myself, that makes no sense whatsoever. > David R >=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 > >>A hub is defined as a bank of flights that arrives at approximately the > >same time and departs at approximately the same >time. By this definitio= n, > >WN does not hub. They happen to have a lot of flights at a given airport > >that gives the pax a >good connection opportunity. > > > >Sorry, > >a hub is a hub because of people connecting through it. You set your hub > >according to the geographical location and the people go through it becua= se > >of exponential number of increases in destinations served from a spoke > >point. There are even mathmatical formulae that define the benefit of a=20 > hub. > > > >Southwest claims not to have hubs, but then again OAK, HOU, MDW, MDW, etc= . > >are all hubs. > > > >Some of the airlines that are claiming not to have hubs, they actually do= . > > > >Hubs are good.. Skipping some of the hubs and providing some point to poi= nt > >service like America West's JFK-LAX flights is better. Combining both is > >priceless :) > > > >BAHA > >Fan of hours spent transportation economics journal in college :) >=20