marcal

Its not JB we’re worried about. It’s AA and their partnership with JB. AA flies 777s all day long out of JFK worldwide filled with JB customers. That’s who we need to keep an eye on. They’re doing it out of Boston too. JB is putting a few 321s into London to distract from the fact they have a full blown international operation via AA.

UtahGetMe2

I have CJO's with AA and DL, and my main goal is to be BOS-based. I know no one has a crystal ball, but can anyone attempt to quantify their confidence in DL opening BOS this summer-ish?

For example, I've read that there's construction at Terminal A, that they've ID'd staff and the Chief Pilot, etc. Are there any other clues or indications?

I would like to go with DL, but unless DL makes BOS 'official,' I'd feel compelled to go with AA. The thought of telling DL 'TBNT' potentially only mere months from them announcing BOS is a bit nauseating.

Thanks in advance to anyone who's got some info/advice.

nene

Well as stated above it was spoken by the head of crew scheduling that it would be a base after next summer. As we commented on, there’s a lot that can happen.

I suspect it will become a base as they don’t seem inclined to cede any market share from there and it’s a competitive focus not to mention jfk is almost back to full capacity so additional pond crossings may be supportable.

That being said choosing any airline solely on an adjunct base is generally risky. BOS will always be up the road from JFK so any disturbance to the force in the future could cause any airline to retreat to jfk with ample connectivity to Bos.

FangsF15

Free advice is worth what you pay, so take FWIW.

I’d say it is extremely likely. They were no-kidding going to do it before Covid, and had actually hired the Chief Pilot and leased space at BOS for lounge/CPO. The ONLY reason it didn’t happen was Covid. Now, the delay is due to the rebuilding of the staffing after Covid (whole other story), and not disturbing that until conversions start right after summer ‘23. As further evidence, the brand new 321-NEO’s have been heavily put on BOS routes for a reason…

It is so much more than just a desired outcome.There is a ton of revenue there, and the widget is going after it. BOS will happen, barring some new, unforeseen black swan like WWIII.

And as someone said, even if you have to drive to NYC for a short time, it will be worth it. Over a career, bases can and do shift, but I absolutely would not go to AA as a hedge for a BOS base at DL. Just my 2cents. Good luck.

TED74

I don’t know the timeline to fix the mess, but Delta passengers transitioning between our domestic and international gates in BOS know it’s awful. HVC neighbor friend recently making the connection there says he’ll never book that itinerary ever again.

So, they can only do so much in the current configuration and if they want to open a base there now, my hunch is it’ll be pretty persistent and unlikely to close once the operation is eventually smoothed out.

crewdawg

At this point, baring any near term black swans, I'd say it's fairly likely. There seems to be lots of people champing at the bit for that base to open. Either way, that username is awesome! I have a shirt with that on it.

Goodluck with your decision.

gloopy

JB's international aspirations have nothing to do with this IMO.

There is and has been far more flying than needed to justify a base there for a while now. The problem has been too many redundant fleet types force multiplied by marketing's absolute dominance over flight ops. Every flight operated in or out of BOS has to be from a different equipment or different bases. That dilutes it so severely that bases easily as big as JB's bases there become radically less efficient.

But despite all that, its finally getting to critical mass where it justifies it despite the overlapping inefficiencies of a million BES's.

JB cleaned DL's clock in BOS for a long time. We gave them an entire terminal by building the billion dolalr Taj Mullin and abandoning the old one. That's the real reason JB initially pulled their red eye trans cons out of ATL; it was never DL and AirTran's subcontracted fre wars. It was JB seeing an opportunity to pounce and absolutely dominate one of the best domestic markets in the world while their competitors were collapsing on the Chapter 11 courthouse steps.

IMO DL's actual presence in BOS is far more important than any small ball hotel cost saving crew base. That said, it seems very likely it will be a crew base for pilots.

Rcordeiro122592

Anything new going on with opening a BOS base?

MJP27

No. filler

Baradium

surprise opening obviously incoming