This summer American Airlines gained access to 15 new gates in terminal E satellite at Dallas Fort-Worth airport. That’s the biggest change that allowed them to grow from 800 flights a day to 900 flights.
In order to make that work they hired more employees in customer care, maintenance and flight service. They had to buy new bag tractors, belt loaders, and bag carts.
American Airlines re-timed DFW airport flights so that instead of each flight leaving at five minute intervals (flights at :05, :10, :15, etc.) they leave at exact minutes so that there aren’t as many planes pushing back at the exact same time.
Even with the changes they made to prepare, their operation didn’t perform well over the summer with more delayed and cancelled flights than they’d planned or expected. Weather doesn’t help either — DFW airport is colloquially known as “Doesn’t Function Wet.”
For one day though the airline is going to grow to 1000 departures nearing the scale of Delta’s Atlanta hub. They’re doing this by adding a flex bank to their flying in the early morning hours of the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
As Vasu Raja, American’s Vice President of Planning, explained to employees at an internal town hall meeting a tape of which I’ve reviewed,
The Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving are the two highest demand days in the airline business period. We generate I think close to 10% of our profitability from the weekend after Thanksgiving. Needless to say in our biggest hub DFW that is our best day.
There will be one 24 hour period from midnight Saturday after Thanksgiving to the wee hours of Monday where in that 24 hour period DFW pushes something right around 1000 departures.
Flying in the middle of the night on the morning of the Sunday after Thanksgiving – the ultimate ‘amateur day’ – is going to be an experience.
So you’re saying stay away from DFW that day?
Lord I am bad at timing 🙂 Not DFW, but I am flying LHR-BOS then hope to catch the last AA flight to DCA that Sunday evening. HA! One Thanksgiving getaway millage run in BIZ to Barcelona had me going DCA-ORD-JFK on the Wednesday B4 Thanksgiving – no problems. Then after booking one Round the World Trip, I realized/remembered that I was getting back a day before Hubby’s Birthday. Safe landings
So if ramp workers come to work that Sunday they won’t be allowed to go home ???
Per a “judge” in Ft Worth ?
So if ramp workers go to work that Sunday they won’t be allowed go home per a judge in Ft Worth ???
Not sure if they have done 1,000 flights before, but the flex bank is not new in and of itself. For instance, for the past couple of years, they’ve had a flight on that Sunday to DC that leaves at like 2a.
Update to my Sunday after Thanksgiving – AUH-IAD award seat opened up, so I’ll be home Sunday evening. Will there be a Uber at IAD? Plan on using AmEx Platinum Dec credit for part of the cost 🙂
BTW. Emirates First Class Lounge at DXB serving Turkey and trimmings today only