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Billion-dollar airline routes

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Re: Billion-dollar airline routes

#41

Post by dllthomas »

caymanjim wrote: post #22
blakesterz wrote: post #7

> I like to board last. I’ve never understood the appeal of being on the plane any longer than I need too (I’m yet to travel in business class). I don't understand that opening at all. We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we? Maybe he just never has a bag, but the reason should be obvious regardless.

I've flown over 100 times and only once had to gate-check my bag due to insufficient space. I was thankful for the chance because it's free, you get your bag faster on landing, and you don't have to wrangle it down the aisle. I always board as late as possible. Why sit in a hot/cold/stuffy plane while people jostle all around you?

> Why sit in a hot/cold/stuffy plane while people jostle all around you?

Because I can get lost in my book and not worry about missing anything. YMMV (mine does).

Re: Billion-dollar airline routes

#42

Post by rtkwe »

enahs-sf wrote: post #28

I wonder how route profitability comes into play with those airlines running older planes (old 737's, etc) that may break more frequently. AOG (airplane on ground) is essentially a broken plane stuck at a gate getting fined massively by the airport because it is blocking a gate. In this situation, usually price elasticity of demand goes out the window with respect to airplane parts because what you'll pay in markup p…

Broken at a gate should be extremely rare. In the outside case a plane can't move under it's own power there's still tons of tugs available to move the plane around.

Re: Billion-dollar airline routes

#43

Post by sokoloff »

cududa wrote: post #15
blakesterz wrote: post #7

> I like to board last. I’ve never understood the appeal of being on the plane any longer than I need too (I’m yet to travel in business class). I don't understand that opening at all. We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we? Maybe he just never has a bag, but the reason should be obvious regardless.

I do the same - I try and minimize my time in airports and on the plane as much as possible. If you're flying international the checked bag will be waiting for you when you get through customs. Domestically, if I'm the last one on, and my carry on is the last thing loaded, it's the first thing off. I get off the plane, go have a cigarette, and when I'm done it's the first thing off the belt.

Internationally, it’s waiting for you after immigration and before customs in most places. (If you’re trying to smuggle something past customs, the case is much stronger if you’re caught with the bag, plus it's easier to do the inspections if they give you the bag before customs.)

Re: Billion-dollar airline routes

#44

Post by rtkwe »

thecopy wrote: post #37
ncallaway wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we? No. Overhead bins are terrible and bad. It baffles me that anyone would want to fight for overhead bin space. It's a terrible game, and the winning move is not to play. I always gate-check my luggage if it won't fit under the seat in front of me.

When checking luggage you lose significant time upon arrival, at least in Europe. From gate i can be on the train to the city in 10 minutes without checked luggade. With it is probably 30minutes.

Gate checked luggage comes to you on the skyway not at the luggage claim. Takes a little bit there but it's faster than normal checked luggage.

Re: Billion-dollar airline routes

#45

Post by mithr »

ncallaway wrote: post #31
blakesterz wrote: post #7

> I like to board last. I’ve never understood the appeal of being on the plane any longer than I need too (I’m yet to travel in business class). I don't understand that opening at all. We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we? Maybe he just never has a bag, but the reason should be obvious regardless.

> We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we? No. Overhead bins are terrible and bad. It baffles me that anyone would want to fight for overhead bin space. It's a terrible game, and the winning move is not to play. I always gate-check my luggage if it won't fit under the seat in front of me.

Overhead bins are a bit annoying, but for me, less annoying than having to stick around waiting for the luggage to be unloaded. If you're lucky it's quick, but there have been enough times where that hasn't been the case to make me only check bags when I have to. Just walking straight out of the plane and then the airport is a great feeling.

Obviously the easiest is if you've only got a small bag and can fit it under the seat, in which case this question becomes moot -- but when you do need a bigger piece of luggage for whatever reason, gate-checking isn't such an obvious win.

Re: Billion-dollar airline routes

#46

Post by hfjkdh790sn »

The author doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Business class revenue is far more than economy revenue. Both by square footage and total absolute $. Then there’s cargo revenue.

The reason economy passengers get treated like crap is because economy passengers provide crap revenue.

Re: Billion-dollar airline routes

#47

Post by AaronM »

ncallaway wrote: post #31
blakesterz wrote: post #7

> I like to board last. I’ve never understood the appeal of being on the plane any longer than I need too (I’m yet to travel in business class). I don't understand that opening at all. We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we? Maybe he just never has a bag, but the reason should be obvious regardless.

> We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we? No. Overhead bins are terrible and bad. It baffles me that anyone would want to fight for overhead bin space. It's a terrible game, and the winning move is not to play. I always gate-check my luggage if it won't fit under the seat in front of me.

I like the idea of having some stuff (clothes, necessities) that I carried onto the plane. I don't trust the airline not to lose my bags.

Re: Billion-dollar airline routes

#48

Post by ballenf »

cstejerean wrote: post #29
zz865 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate US-sized hand luggage. Boarding an American plane is like being in a storage locker where people carrying these suitcases fight for bin space.

I remember a time before the last recession when none of the major airlines charged for checked bags. The major US airlines added those fees around 2008 IIRC to pad their bottom line and predictably people started cramming more into carry on bags, making the whole process more miserable.

I don't see it as padding so much as simply hiding price increases by misleading the customer. And it's easy to see why it's a race to the bottom sorely in need of regulation: you can't compete against the airline that charges extra for bags because people will filter out your flight before they realize the games being played.

Which is the same thing that happens with shrinkflation in packaging: the "half gallon" of ice cream that is actually missing 20% can be priced lower than the full half gallon. You don't have to fool everyone but just enough to raise your market share a little with your deceptively "lower" prices.

Re: Billion-dollar airline routes

#49

Post by splonk »

Not a particularly deep analysis. Note that while I'm not necessarily vouching for OAG's data, they are big players in the travel space and I trust them a lot more than this blog.

Here's the OAG report that's sketchily linked to a paywall in the article: https://www.oag.com/hubfs/Free_Reports/Busiest%20Routes/OAG%...

A more current snapshot from OAG: https://www.oag.com/busiest-routes-right-now

And finally, OAG's own blog post on billion dollar routes: https://www.oag.com/blog/billion-dollar-route-jewels-in-the-...

Basically it was only JFK-LHR before the pandemic. Most of the other high revenue routes are probably what you should expect, although I didn't expect SYD-MEL to be quite that high. I think maybe it's because the ranking is by airline and route and Qantas might dominate that route more than other airlines would dominate international routes.

Re: Billion-dollar airline routes

#50

Post by mithr »

rtkwe wrote: post #44
thecopy wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When checking luggage you lose significant time upon arrival, at least in Europe. From gate i can be on the train to the city in 10 minutes without checked luggade. With it is probably 30minutes.

Gate checked luggage comes to you on the skyway not at the luggage claim. Takes a little bit there but it's faster than normal checked luggage.

> Gate checked luggage comes to you on the skyway not at the luggage claim

That's not a given. At least as many times as not, I've gate-checked luggage and had to pick it up at baggage claim with everyone else.

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