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Last week, American Airlines announced it was suspending service at MacArthur Airport in Long Island. The weak excuse for his departure was a lack of pilots. Perhaps more bluntly, the decision portends that the once-vaunted industry leader is destined to crash in the place of its history alongside defunct carriers like TWA, Braniff, Eastern and Pan American.
American Airlines was once highly regarded for its ability to adapt, change its business model and succeed in a turbulent industry. And now we’re supposed to believe that his future is unraveling because of decisions in the HR department? If true, how embarrassing for this corporate giant who boldly seized the opportunity in 1978 when most of the industry feared the federal government’s deregulation of our air transportation system. At the time, American Airlines was the first carrier to upgrade to the hub-and-spoke travel system. Unlike standard point-to-point flight models, AA’s new model brought flights from less well-served airports to major city terminals and allowed for fuller flights and greater revenue.
Last year, the airline made a strategic decision to move away from the hub-and-spoke model that had brought it so much success. The deliberate shift to focus on point-to-point routes, travel between major airports, is probably a more accurate explanation for why Long Islanders have been left out of the flight plan. Blaming the presence of pilots is probably disingenuous at best.
Ironically, if the airline had retained its original emphasis on its innovative hub and spoke system, Long Island should have been one of its biggest revenue generators. Long Island is geographically larger than Rhode Island and more populous than 38 states (if we include Brooklyn and Queens). Nassau County’s per capita income ranks third in New York State; Suffolk trail in fifth. Imagine the mega airline using some of its marketing dollars to promote easy access to its Philadelphia hub, which can take passengers anywhere they want while allowing Long Islanders to avoid the hassles of traffic and parking. LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Parking at MacArthur is easy, and checking bags and going through security is a breeze compared to major regional airports.
The misstep also nullified the airline’s historic relationship with MacArthur. Alleghany Airlines scheduled the first passenger flight from the airport in 1960. Alleghany was the predecessor of USAir, which eventually merged with American Airlines. What was launched as the promise and future of air travel is unfortunately set for a crash landing.
Mark Herbst is the executive director of the Long Island Entrepreneurs Association and serves on the Islip Airport Advisory Committee.
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