United DIA hub in peril?

United Airlines' operation at Denver International Airport is considered
by some to be vulnerable should the bankrupt carrier eliminate or down-
size one of its five hubs.

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,...247904,00.html

"Casey" wrote in message
ink.net...
United Airlines' operation at Denver International Airport is considered
by some to be vulnerable should the bankrupt carrier eliminate or down-
size one of its five hubs.

It would seem to me that the main savior for IAD and DEN would be the
relative saturation at ORD. Can ORD really accomodate the additional
flights that could be required?

What fraction of UA's pax traffic at DEN is connecting and what fraction is
originating/destination. If it's primarily a hub-and-spoke connecting
point, DEN may be in trouble.

OTOH, UA has substantial training facilities in the Denver area, so they
aren't likely to vanish.

"R J Carpenter" wrote in message
...

"Casey" wrote in message
ink.net...
United Airlines' operation at Denver International Airport is considered
by some to be vulnerable should the bankrupt carrier eliminate or down-
size one of its five hubs.

It would seem to me that the main savior for IAD and DEN would be the
relative saturation at ORD. Can ORD really accomodate the additional
flights that could be required?


I believe the fees at Denver are pretty high. I'll bet that United is
floating this story to renegotiate those fees. I can't imagine United giving
up Denver. It is a fantastic facility in a pretty decent location. I can see
them dumping IAD.

What fraction of UA's pax traffic at DEN is connecting and what fraction
is
originating/destination. If it's primarily a hub-and-spoke connecting
point, DEN may be in trouble.

The only statistic I was able to find is pretty old, but as of the late
1990s connecting passengers made up a tad bit more than 60% of the traffic.