Aren't they reading our forum in Chicago?

SN30952 · Post by **SN30952** » 21 Jul 2006, 16:03

Low-cost airlines will "never" fly long-distance routes to China nor short hops to smaller cities because those flights don't fit with their economic model, said United Airlines Chief Executive Glenn Tilton in the Chicago Tribune.

The only domestic airlines that can offer such comprehensive service, Tilton said in a speech at a Chicago aviation conference Thursday, are the majors, such as United, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

Some in the aviation industry beg to differ with Tilton is the (wise) remark of the CT.

Are they reading our forum in Chicago?
Even James Bond said "Never say never again"

Or are these people living in a aviation-fiction? Do they ignore what is happening out there? Did they close the fourth wall? Are they ignoring the Chinese are ready to come on stage in the US.
Is it not time to send these airlines bobos off to a health spa before it is too late. Not like Commander Bond's chief did with James, after a lovely captive slipped a knife into 007's ribs.

Is it realistic to ignore new players are ready to enter the American aviation scene?

chunk · Post by **chunk** » 21 Jul 2006, 16:29

Yes it probably is because as you know the market will be protected artificially by preventing lower cost operaztors in if they are foreign.

Besides - the likes of fly Zoom seem to be quite successful, suggesting that you can get the model right and Mr Tilton is talking out of his arse!

SN30952 · Post by **SN30952** » 21 Jul 2006, 17:35

chunk wrote:Yes it probably is because as you know the market will be protected artificially by preventing lower cost operaztors in if they are foreign. Besides - the likes of fly Zoom seem to be quite successful, suggesting that you can get the model right and Mr Tilton is talking out of his arse!

Yaah, I noticed an accent that I did not recognised immediately.

Not surprising in fact as UA was known to have managers with German names, but the (real) Germans meanwhile coop very well with foreign competitors. LH is doing well in Asian markets and in de American market LH is a big player as well.
After WW II LH has been long time very limited in its movements, but that did not seem to hinder them to develop an intensive worldwide network, that covers with German speaking partner carriers, SWISS and Austrian all continents.
Is it a fact that a succesful airline has to be based on a culture?
British in the English and Iberia in the Spanish culture. And would it be why there is a natural customer opposition to alliances.

If this is true, that China and India as big culture blocsk might be the next success stories in aviation?

And was the counter-natural alliance history of Sabena a factor of its vanishing?

n5528p · Post by **n5528p** » 23 Jul 2006, 17:37

SN30952 wrote:After WW II LH has been long time very limited in its movements, but that did not seem to hinder them to develop an intensive worldwide network, that covers with German speaking partner carriers, SWISS and Austrian all continents.
Is it a fact that a succesful airline has to be based on a culture?

I absolutely do not think so - just have a look at Thai and SAS - totally different cultures on which Thai was built.

As a matter of fact, there are lots of differences between LH, OS and LX - LH is not always seen as a partner, but as the big guy on the block which will swallow you in order to grow. O focurse it is easier to cooperate if you have the same language and oerhaps if your countries share certain things on the legal level.

I would agree there should be some kind of culture in every company, not necessarily bound to terms like language and nationalities, but more in terms of how you work, how you talk to your customers and employees...

Regards, Bernhard