BOS Crew base future
10-19-2014, 09:36 AM
#22
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2010
Posts: 220
On the US side, the few non-hub, non-Shuttle cities that are served from BOS are all on the regionals.
Even PIT.
10-19-2014, 10:37 AM
#23
Gets Summer Off
Joined APC: May 2009
Position: AA
Posts: 667
A look at Parker's track record with regard to crew bases might be worthwhile when pondering the fate of BOS.
Since taking over the combined US/AW almost a decade ago, he has closed four crew bases; PIT, LGA, LAS, and US BOS.
Parker doesn't like multiple crew bases.
He has cut the number of US/AW bases from eight to four.
Parker doesn't like small crew bases.
AA BOS is now a small crew base; a skeleton of what it once was. Like US BOS, it has cut way back on its point-to-point flights. Like US, most BOS departures are now just to AA hubs (PHL, CLT, and PHX, plus the Shuttle to LGA and DCA for US; DFW, ORD, MIA, and LAX for AA). Like US, AA has abandoned most of its international flying out of BOS, handing LHR to BA and SJU and the Caribbean to B6 (but maintaining the seasonal CDG flight).
Parker doesn't like redundant crew bases near other crew bases.
PIT, BOS, and LGA were too close to PHL and DCA; LAS was too close to PHX. AA BOS is right up the street from a much bigger AA NYC base than US had, and again, just an hour's flight time from PHL.
Parker doesn't like expensive crew bases.
Employee parking at PHL is $15 a month per head. At BOS it's somewhere around $100. And apparently, LUS management found it less expensive to RON dozens of crews a night in BOS hotels, many of them long RON's to protect the early morning Shuttle and hub departures, than to pay Massport the rent for office space and employee parking. (AA does now reimburse US pilots for out-of-base parking, but only up to a maximum of $65 a month.)
This is not to speculate as to the fate of the AA BOS base; rather just to reflect back upon Parker's disposition of several US/AW crew bases since becoming CEO of the combined companies.
Since taking over the combined US/AW almost a decade ago, he has closed four crew bases; PIT, LGA, LAS, and US BOS.
Parker doesn't like multiple crew bases.
He has cut the number of US/AW bases from eight to four.
Parker doesn't like small crew bases.
AA BOS is now a small crew base; a skeleton of what it once was. Like US BOS, it has cut way back on its point-to-point flights. Like US, most BOS departures are now just to AA hubs (PHL, CLT, and PHX, plus the Shuttle to LGA and DCA for US; DFW, ORD, MIA, and LAX for AA). Like US, AA has abandoned most of its international flying out of BOS, handing LHR to BA and SJU and the Caribbean to B6 (but maintaining the seasonal CDG flight).
Parker doesn't like redundant crew bases near other crew bases.
PIT, BOS, and LGA were too close to PHL and DCA; LAS was too close to PHX. AA BOS is right up the street from a much bigger AA NYC base than US had, and again, just an hour's flight time from PHL.
Parker doesn't like expensive crew bases.
Employee parking at PHL is $15 a month per head. At BOS it's somewhere around $100. And apparently, LUS management found it less expensive to RON dozens of crews a night in BOS hotels, many of them long RON's to protect the early morning Shuttle and hub departures, than to pay Massport the rent for office space and employee parking. (AA does now reimburse US pilots for out-of-base parking, but only up to a maximum of $65 a month.)
This is not to speculate as to the fate of the AA BOS base; rather just to reflect back upon Parker's disposition of several US/AW crew bases since becoming CEO of the combined companies.
I know it might sound silly, but I think the iPad fundamentally changes the way we operate as pilots. I mean really, why do we even need domiciles anymore? Obviously the hubs see most of our flying and are logical places to begin and end trips. But some cities -- Boston among them -- see enough flying to justify a "domicile". The savings in hotel costs should justify the minor scheduling complications which a computer should be able to solve.
American already realized this in a way, since they have co-domiciles or satellite domiciles at LAX, NYC, and DC. Thanks to the iPad, we don't really need the overhead of the traditional domicile and I think multiple small domiciles will make sense for the company going forward.
Of course, as I mentioned previously, it probably won't happen. Because it makes sense.
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