Hello all. Just kinda looking for everyone's opinions. I'm thinking about opening up a second hub in the future. I'm not talking like today or tomorrow, but I'm definitely starting to draw up the plans. In your experiences, what's the best way to open a new hub? Do you take like half of the fleet you have based at your current hub, delete their schedules, and rebuild a schedule out of your new hub, then activate it 3 days delayed? Or do you save up a bunch of money and lease/buy a whole bunch of airplanes and send them all to the new hub, or do you lease/buy an airplane when you can afford it, send it to the new hub, and rinse and repeat? What are your thoughts?
Usually it would be option 2.
With the first one you reduce total traffic at your old hub, thereby reducing useful connections which is the exact opposite of what you want.
In some cases it can however be useful to go for option 1, but it takes lots of schedule coordination to keep the number of useful connections with less flights at each hub.
Why do you even consider reducing flights from your first hub? Then it might not be a useful and effective hub anymore.
I guess you don't want to switch from one hub to another, so if you want to start a new hub, start to slowly build connections with new aircraft and keep your main hub as it is (except of course if it's loss-making)
If you want to expand go for option 3.
If you have the money (or time to save it) and want to expand fast go for option 2.
If you want to weaken your primary hub by shifting flights to your new one go for option 1.
If you want to expand go for option 3.
If you have the money (or time to save it) and want to expand fast go for option 2.
If you want to weaken your primary hub by shifting flights to your new one go for option 1.
Start small. Make sure Hub 1 is sending enough aircraft to feed Hub 2.
If Hub 1-Hub 2 flights are at 100% capacity double it...until you're at 50% capacity (slightly below break even if you're doing it right)...that 50% empty space will fill up with feed. Expand as neccesary...or reduce if it doesn't fill up. Make sure you start secondary hub airports to Hub 2 flights before starting your Hub 2 operations to ensure feed.
Which country do you plan to do this in?
Which country do you plan to do this in?
This is the most important question:
if you are playing in a country without competition, option 1 may be a good way.
If you are playing in Europe or the USA or an investment open country and you are earning money, it would be a bad idea to delete existing flights.