
At Boston Logan, Many Flyers Choose One-Stop Flights Despite JetBlue Hub
Boston Logan International Airport leads the country in an unusual category: the number of passengers who fly one-stop on routes that also have non-stop service, according to a new report.
The statistic reflects Boston's location in a corner of the United States, said John Grant, OAG senior analyst and author of the report titled "Underserved, Uncovered," which lists the top 25 U.S. markets in terms of one-stop bookings in 2015.
Of the top six markets for one-stop service, five involve Boston, while one is between Orlando and Seattle.
"Boston has a geographic challenge," Grant said. "It is very Northeast in the U.S. (and) there are many hub airports between Boston and the ultimate destinations."
The top route for one-stop bookings in 2015 was Boston-Orlando, with 209,558 bookings. It is followed by Boston-Las Vegas, Orlando-Seattle, Boston-San Francisco and Boston-Los Angeles. Ranking sixth was Boston-Tampa with 168,627 one-stop bookings in 2015.
All of the Boston routes have non-stop flights on JetBlue (JBLU) - Get Report , which has a Boston hub with about 150 daily departures to 61 destinations.
In fact, five different airlines -- American, Delta, JetBlue, United and Virgin America -- fly non-stop between Boston and Los Angeles, which is No. 5 on the list. Yet 168,790 passengers chose to fly one-stop.
A JetBlue spokesman said Tuesday that the carrier couldn't immediately comment on the report.
The report seems to show that even when non-stop options are offered, passengers may choose one-stop routes, most likely due to a lower price but also because a departure time may be more convenient.
Grant noted that in some cases "there is more opportunity for non-stop service than is being provided." Perhaps JetBlue could add service. Grant said service additions by other carriers are unlikely, given the general reluctance to boost capacity in today's airline economy or to take on JetBlue in its hub.
"JetBlue has a very strong position," Grant said. "A carrier coming to compete would need to match the level of frequencies which they offer, which becomes a large investment." It is, however, possible that an ultra-low-fare carrier could find the routes attractive.
Aviation consultant Bob Mann said the report shows that "traffic will flow by indirect routes as long as there are time preferences or low fare seats that cause connecting flights to be more attractive."
The Boston markets are not necessarily underserved, Mann said, but "a lot of time channels are supplied by connecting service."
For an airline and for many passengers "it's more attractive to carry traffic non-stop," Mann said. "But that usually has to come at a premium."
This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.










