GSP International

[CLT_sc]

55 minutes ago, distortedlogic said:

We're all well aware of how far Spartanburg is from CLT, as well as the fact that leakage will always be an issue. Minimizing the leakage is what we're looking at here. No matter how close Spartanburg is to CLT,  GSP  is much closer. So if it gets a comparable flight people will use GSP  instead, that's the whole point.

As for Frontier,  they work for me, glad to have them. Hopefully they'll add some more options!

I am not sure GSP will have many flights comparable to CLT.  Using the Denver market as an example, American has at least 6 direct flights each day all using a321 equipment with a seat pitch no smaller than 31”.  Not sure what other airlines offer from CLT to Denver, but for a lot of folks, an additional 20-30 minute drive to save layover time, having many flight options each day and No risk of missing a connection is worth it.  That issue won’t go away and will most likely become more acute.  GSP has done well to mitigate the issue, but as stated earlier by others, Having major airports which are expanding at incredible rates is a challenge.  If I still lived in the upstate, there would be very little chance I am getting on a CRJ at GSP to connect somewhere.  

As for Frontier, a seat pitch of 28” is way too small and I hate the charges for every little thing, it gets annoying.  Never flown Allegiant, so not sure about them.....but, they fly from Concord, not CLT.

[distortedlogic]

6 minutes ago, CLT_sc said:

I am not sure GSP will have many flights comparable to CLT.  Using the Denver market as an example, American has at least 6 direct flights each day all using a321 equipment with a seat pitch no smaller than 31”.  Not sure what other airlines offer from CLT to Denver, but for a lot of folks, an additional 20-30 minute drive to save layover time, having many flight options each day and No risk of missing a connection is worth it.  That issue won’t go away and will most likely become more acute.  GSP has done well to mitigate the issue, but as stated earlier by others, Having major airports which are expanding at incredible rates is a challenge.  If I still lived in the upstate, there would be very little chance I am getting on a CRJ at GSP to connect somewhere.  

As for Frontier, a seat pitch of 28” is way too small and I hate the charges for every little thing, it gets annoying.  Never flown Allegiant, so not sure about them.....but, they fly from Concord, not CLT.

Guess it's good for you that you live in Charlotte then.

As for us upstate peeps,  we're happy to see GSP adding options so we  can use our airport even more. A direct to Denver (with no layover) is a great addition (by both Frontier and United), and I'll be using it next Spring. As for seat room, I have pretty long legs, I wear a 34 length pant, and I felt I had more room than delta. Doesn't matter to you though since you'll be using CLT. 

Regardless, good year of growth for GSP, keep it up!

[johnpro318]

30 minutes ago, CLT_sc said:

I am not sure GSP will have many flights comparable to CLT.  Using the Denver market as an example, American has at least 6 direct flights each day all using a321 equipment with a seat pitch no smaller than 31”.  Not sure what other airlines offer from CLT to Denver, but for a lot of folks, an additional 20-30 minute drive to save layover time, having many flight options each day and No risk of missing a connection is worth it.  That issue won’t go away and will most likely become more acute.  GSP has done well to mitigate the issue, but as stated earlier by others, Having major airports which are expanding at incredible rates is a challenge.  If I still lived in the upstate, there would be very little chance I am getting on a CRJ at GSP to connect somewhere.  

As for Frontier, a seat pitch of 28” is way too small and I hate the charges for every little thing, it gets annoying.  Never flown Allegiant, so not sure about them.....but, they fly from Concord, not CLT.

The connecting flight from GSP is most advantageous when flying long distances and not wanting to drive back from Atlanta or Charlotte when you get back and are exhausted. Plus it’s just easier to get going (parking, finding your gate, etc.)

[motonenterprises]

I've used GSP every time I've flown this year. I love the convenience of not driving for hours to Atlanta.

[Exile]

Well, FWIW, we've actually flown our far-flung kids into GSP and RDU on occasion (but, happenstance, not GSO). Now the GSP part of that is connected to the fact that we've got folks in Greenville, but we've got nobody in Raleigh-Durham. In any event, if more efficient jets means GSP will get more and more longer-distance nonstops, then I could see leakage in the other direction from points northeast of Gaffney.

Is there any leakage to ATL? Who would think it worthwhile to drive to south ATL to catch a plane? Doesn't GSP get a pretty good share of NE GA traffic? That's my recollection back as far as into the 80's.

[NewlyUpstate]

2 hours ago, Exile said:

Is there any leakage to ATL? Who would think it worthwhile to drive to south ATL to catch a plane? Doesn't GSP get a pretty good share of NE GA traffic? That's my recollection back as far as into the 80's.

I, for one, probably use ATL more than CLT.  Delta just trumps AA in basically every single way, plus they tend to have good deals fairly frequently.  The drive is longer, but the airport as a whole works much better IMO.

[johnpro318]

2 hours ago, NewlyUpstate said:

I, for one, probably use ATL more than CLT.  Delta just trumps AA in basically every single way, plus they tend to have good deals fairly frequently.  The drive is longer, but the airport as a whole works much better IMO.

This is very true. 

[gman430]

Where are my GSP-Boston flights? 

[Exile]

3 hours ago, NewlyUpstate said:

I, for one, probably use ATL more than CLT.  Delta just trumps AA in basically every single way, plus they tend to have good deals fairly frequently.  The drive is longer, but the airport as a whole works much better IMO.

 

1 hour ago, johnpro318 said:

This is very true. 

Wow. I haven't flown AA much--we use SW most of the time. Clearly, though, the difference is huge if you're willing to drive a longer distance to the far side of ATL than to the near side of CLT.

[CLT_sc]

4 hours ago, NewlyUpstate said:

I, for one, probably use ATL more than CLT.  Delta just trumps AA in basically every single way, plus they tend to have good deals fairly frequently.  The drive is longer, but the airport as a whole works much better IMO.

I love the CLT airport and having direct access to so many domestic and international markets. And, the availability of flights seems to grow almost monthly along with the airport itself.  Because of that, I fly AA almost everywhere with the exception of Lufthansa to Europe.   

But, given the choice, I wish we were a Delta hub.  They do  seem to have a nicer experience than AA.  Maybe AA will improve and get up to speed, who knows.  I don’t take SWA, Frontier, Spirit or the other airlines.  Allegiant seems to have a following, but the fly from Concord north of the city.

6 hours ago, Exile said:

Well, FWIW, we've actually flown our far-flung kids into GSP and RDU on occasion (but, happenstance, not GSO). Now the GSP part of that is connected to the fact that we've got folks in Greenville, but we've got nobody in Raleigh-Durham. In any event, if more efficient jets means GSP will get more and more longer-distance nonstops, then I could see leakage in the other direction from points northeast of Gaffney.

Is there any leakage to ATL? Who would think it worthwhile to drive to south ATL to catch a plane? Doesn't GSP get a pretty good share of NE GA traffic? That's my recollection back as far as into the 80's.

There are always outliers, but I don’t see a lot of people passing up  direct flights from CLT on larger aircraft to hop a CRJ out of GSP.  

[Exile]

21 minutes ago, CLT_sc said:

Allegiant seems to have a following, but the fly from Concord north of the city.

Allegiant's double-edged sword is its nickel-and-dime approach to fees. If you don't expect to be pampered and if you prepare well, you can save a lot of money, as long as your destination is a vacation spot. Otherwise, you'll likely hate it.

We lived in FL for a number of years and occasionally were able to use Allegiant in reverse. We once took a ski vacation in the Northeast and paid next to nothing for round-trip tickets.

[Westend11]

6 hours ago, CLT_sc said:

I love the CLT airport and having direct access to so many domestic and international markets. And, the availability of flights seems to grow almost monthly along with the airport itself.  Because of that, I fly AA almost everywhere with the exception of Lufthansa to Europe.   

But, given the choice, I wish we were a Delta hub.  They do  seem to have a nicer experience than AA.  Maybe AA will improve and get up to speed, who knows.  I don’t take SWA, Frontier, Spirit or the other airlines.  Allegiant seems to have a following, but the fly from Concord north of the city.

There are always outliers, but I don’t see a lot of people passing up  direct flights from CLT on larger aircraft to hop a CRJ out of GSP.  

I fly 4x a month for work. I can’t tell you how much less stressful it is taking a 45 minute connecting flight from GSP-CLT. Than dealing with morning traffic coming into CLT and parking.

Beyond that, most who travel often will take the connecting flights for additional segments. Much easier to earn status quickly. I have EP through AA that way.

I generally get home 15-30 minutes later if I connect rather than drive. Plus I can work the entire time.

your theory might be true for casual travelers looking to save $50. 

 

 

[CLT_sc]

52 minutes ago, Westend11 said:

I fly 4x a month for work. I can’t tell you how much less stressful it is taking a 45 minute connecting flight from GSP-CLT. Than dealing with morning traffic coming into CLT and parking.

Beyond that, most who travel often will take the connecting flights for additional segments. Much easier to earn status quickly. I have EP through AA that way.

I generally get home 15-30 minutes later if I connect rather than drive. Plus I can work the entire time.

your theory might be true for casual travelers looking to save $50. 

 

 

The post you quoted was a response to someone who suggested people from Charlotte will drive to GSP.  There may be outliers, but I don’t see a lot people at BofA, Wells etc.... leaving CLT and driving to GSP.  Charlotte is a very attractive business city for many reasons, one being direct flights to over 170 cities.  So, no, I don’t see people leaving Charlotte to catch a CRJ just to pick up a segment or any other reason.  Someone looking for a cheap seat may be enticed to make the drive, not a business traveler who needs to be in SFO, NYC or any other city served by CLT.  Charlotte has well over 700 departures each day and serves 50mm people each year, GSP has about 50 and roughly 2mm,  so, no, I don’t see a lot of CLT travelers going to GSP.  

I do see many more business and recreational fliers from the upstate coming to CLT.  

[Exile]

23 minutes ago, CLT_sc said:

The post you quoted was a response to someone who suggested people from Charlotte will drive to GSP.  There may be outliers, but I don’t see a lot people at BofA, Wells etc.... leaving CLT and driving to GSP.  Charlotte is a very attractive business city for many reasons, one being direct flights to over 170 cities.  So, no, I don’t see people leaving Charlotte to catch a CRJ just to pick up a segment or any other reason.  Someone looking for a cheap seat may be enticed to make the drive, not a business traveler who needs to be in SFO, NYC or any other city served by CLT.  Charlotte has well over 700 departures each day and serves 50mm people each year, GSP has about 50 and roughly 2mm,  so, no, I don’t see a lot of CLT travelers going to GSP.  

I do see many more business and recreational fliers from the upstate coming to CLT.  

Actually, I didn't suggest that people from Charlotte would drive to GSP. My words were "I could see leakage in the other direction from points northeast of Gaffney." Now while Charlotte does technically fall into that general description, I thought it was pretty clear that I meant travelers on the margins who are closer to CLT but inclined to avoid it if possible.

So, no, I never thought that banking executives would drive to GSP. LOL.

[CLT_sc]

9 hours ago, Exile said:

Actually, I didn't suggest that people from Charlotte would drive to GSP. My words were "I could see leakage in the other direction from points northeast of Gaffney." Now while Charlotte does technically fall into that general description, I thought it was pretty clear that I meant travelers on the margins who are closer to CLT but inclined to avoid it if possible.

So, no, I never thought that banking executives would drive to GSP. LOL.

That’s cool, I thought your reference to places north east of Gaffney was specifically Charlotte, there really isn’t much between Gastonia and Gaffney.  

And, GSP is doing well considering being wedged between two really large airports.  I’m not a fan of the newer airlines, but that is just a preference.

Cola is in a really tough spot with CLT to the north 90 miles and Charleston to the south with its ever expanding list of flights.  I thought SWA would have been smart enough to go in there with 3-5 flights each day by now.  The midlands is well over 1mm in population and growing at similar rates to the upstate.  But, as a result, I think their leakage to CLT is way higher than GSP. 

[gman430]

Does this mean we’re getting JetBlue?  

[distortedlogic]

26 minutes ago, gman430 said:

Does this mean we’re getting JetBlue?  

No, just a rumor. 

[vicupstate]

Quote

 I thought SWA would have been smart enough to go in there with 3-5 flights each day by now.  

SWA was not about to add three cities within 200 miles of each other at essentially the same time.  They didn't keep all the flights out of GSP as it was. 

[gman430]

1 minute ago, distortedlogic said:

No, just a rumor. 

Well, I guess I’ll have to pitch a tent in front of the airport and protest until I get it then.  

Edited June 28, 2019 by gman430

[distortedlogic]

1 minute ago, vicupstate said:

SWA was not about to add three cities within 200 miles of each other at essentially the same time.  They didn't keep all the flights out of GSP as it was. 

Agreed. And btw, on the latest comission report, I noticed SW has the smallest load factor (about 68%) out of GSP - but I'm not really surprised since it's just Atlanta. But then that surprises me that they are adding back Baltimore. 

3 minutes ago, gman430 said:

Well, I guess I’ll have to pitch a tent in front of the airport and protest until I get it then.  

Let me know how that works! If it does, maybe I'll pitch one for a CA direct! 

[CLT_sc]

1 hour ago, vicupstate said:

SWA was not about to add three cities within 200 miles of each other at essentially the same time.  They didn't keep all the flights out of GSP as it was. 

I’m not saying simultaneously,  but today, yes. SWA is just a fourth airline today, Delta, American and United serve all airports, no reason SWA couldn’t go in there.

Or, Jet Blue has an opportunity to own a large part of the Cola market and not have to worry about fighting for market share from SWA or Frontier.  Wouldn’t be a bad idea for Jet Blue in Cola.

[distortedlogic]

The airport that is impressing me is AVL. For the first third of the year, their passenger increase has been 45%! January was + 36%, Feb was +38%,  March was + 59%, and April was +45%.  They have added tons of new destinations and additional legs over the past year and hugely increased the number of seats they offer. For those that don't think tourism has a big impact (in case MYB doesn't give you enough evidence)  AVL may be the fastest growing airport in the southeast  (by percentage) and its metro is only 450K. This is almost all driven by tourism, IMO.  I'm afraid AVL is going to start drawing away from GSP,  if it isn't already. 

[motonenterprises]

2 hours ago, distortedlogic said:

The airport that is impressing me is AVL. For the first third of the year, their passenger increase has been 45%! January was + 36%, Feb was +38%,  March was + 59%, and April was +45%.  They have added tons of new destinations and additional legs over the past year and hugely increased the number of seats they offer. For those that don't think tourism has a big impact (in case MYB doesn't give you enough evidence)  AVL may be the fastest growing airport in the southeast  (by percentage) and its metro is only 450K. This is almost all driven by tourism, IMO.  I'm afraid AVL is going to start drawing away from GSP,  if it isn't already. 

Actually I had someone sitting besides me that drove from Asheville. GSP was cheaper for her flight.

[GvilleSC]

3 hours ago, motonenterprises said:

Actually I had someone sitting besides me that drove from Asheville. GSP was cheaper for her flight.

I’ve experienced that often. Locations ranging from Asheville proper, Hendersonville, and other Western NC towns all flying in and out of GSP. 

[apaladin]

Heard a lot of this too. I talked to a lady in the Denver Airport who used to live in Asheville and still has friends in Western NC and she said both her and her friends always fly in and out of Greenville.  Know some people that work for companies in WNC and they fly a lot in and out of Greenville.