Originally Posted by
PDR1
Well a very brief chat with Mr Google reveals the large number of smaller GA airports around Chicago which have a lot of short-term charter companies available (and I'm only looking at anthying King Air or above). Were I the risk manager at an airline I'd be looking to have a call-off contract with many of these
This is the USA. There are a number of such executive charter operators operating out of O'Hare itself.
Someone above says that the USA "doesn't do this". Not sure why. Even Ryanair on their disparate network across Europe have three executive aircraft (dedicated, not charter) used to move both crews and parts/engineers around as required.
Regarding this being "inevitable" as people demand for the lowest fares, I have to say that over a longer term I find that US airfares have escalated more than elsewhere in the world, and more than general inflation.
Anyone knowing the industry would expect that Chicago O'Hare to Louisville in nowadays going to be an oligopoly, which it is, just American and United from their Chicago hub. Louisville is not a hub so nothing else from there. Both offer comparable, ever lower, standards of service. Both have progressively downsized, so such a route, which once had mainstream aircraft, is now wholly operated by commuter franchise operators. Both give some attention to their (higher spending) frequent fliers and to those connecting to their own trunk routes; little attention is given to others. Load factors go ever upwards - the passengers bumped were not going to be flown until the following afternoon, several flights later (and doubtless not mentioned at the time).