Southwest vs: United: Airline war in Houston

You've got to be kidding me. Terminal E is one of the nicest in the country.

Have you ever flown out of IAH? You don't know what you're talking about.

The only dumpy part now is terminal B, which they're in the process of redoing.

 

If having international flights out of Hobby leads to more choices, better prices, and a remodeling of Hobby Airport, then I am all for it!

 

United is way out of their league challenging Southwest. UAL will end up loosing lots of money and SW will win. UAL has such an inferior business model that it cost them a lot more money to do anything as opposed to SW.

 

both looking out for self interest which i hate. in this case swa best interest seem to be better for the people of houston.

for me, i live way up north and would never drive to hobby for a business flight anyway.

 

The number of airports I've flown in and out of probably numbers in or close to triple digits. Although I probably prefer IAH to DME and I've had bad experiences at CDG, I stand by my remarks. IAH flat out sucks. Flying INTO it sucks even worse due to the crappy rent car setup. You sure as heck better not be in a hurry if you want to walk from E to baggage claim and THEN get a rent car. If you think it's one of the nicest in the country, you must be on crack.

 

It sounds like a couple of people here haven't flown out if IAH since the early 90s.

 

Let's see, we get to choose between (a) more competition, more service, lower prices, more jobs, and a big infrastructure investment from a private company by allowing a Texas company to do more business, or (b) use governmental regulatory power to protect the monopoly of a Chicago corporation (after they laid off a bunch of Houston workers), to constrict competition, curtail potential service, abet higher prices, prevent job creation, and refuse extra infrastructure investment.

Hmm, I just don't know which side of this deal I'm on. I'm really on the fence on this one.

 

I'll give you one thing though............as much as I hate Continental, IAH's terminal E does have a nice President's club.

 

United is just bluffing, they are trying to bully Houston into siding with them with the threat of taking away their investments.

The only reason United is making these investments at IAH is because they see an opportunity to make profit. SW Airlines will run a small international operation out of Hobby, with most flights just being to Latin America. United offers flights to all over the world, including Europe and Asia.

City of Houston should side with SW Airlines. Their business to Latin America out of Hobby will have little affect on United. And United will continue with its investment in IAH because there is profit to be made.

 

Some of you are equating "International Terminal" with a standard International terminal. This southwest gig out of Hobby is just for Mexico and the Caribbean. Also, terminal E in IAH is one of the best. If you don't know that, then you simply don't travel much.

 

exactly, the Southwest "international" plan out of Hobby is peanuts compared to the true European and Asian International destinations of Untied out of IAH

 

Oh, it's lovely if you've got all damn day. Some of us have things to do, and walking a mile to baggage claim (and no need to walk fast, because your luggage probably hasn't made it yet), waiting sometimes 15 minutes for a rent car shuttle, and then finally leaving the airport more than an hour after touchdown doesn't make my list of highlights.

 

Then you don't travel much.

 

I'm certain I've flown more than you. I'm currently a global services level on United.

I said in the US. And IAH is definitely very nice compared to other US airports. Terminal D at DFW is also very nice, as are some of the terminals at ATL and Detroit.

lol -- renting a car? Did you confuse me with a poor? I don't bother with that -- I have a towncar pick me up.

 

I no longer live here, but I have a beach house here. I'm not quite rich enough to have a town car drive me around for two weeks, but the last time I was here, I actually rented.........a town car.

Biggest piece of crap I've driven in a long time, and my back is still screaming about the experience.

 

my take is this -- do I want rail? Sure! If I had a limitless pot of gold, then I'd buy rail -- it's cool. But it's just not cost effective. Comparing it to highways is a bit silly considering our starting point and how they are necessary to connect people to places. If we were building the city from the ground up today, then maybe having a denser, rail focused city would make sense, but that's not reality.

 

what exactly are the numbers to build a interstate railway system?

 

I don't fly as much as others, but are there a lot of airports in nice neighborhoods?