I've personally enjoyed Lufthansa service myself, but what growing Austin really needs is more efficient surface infrastructure and more affordable housing. That would help a lot more than these silly vanity flights through a tiny and constricted airport to cities already well served by other intrastate hubs in Houston and Dallas. In a more rational market the taxes recovered from long distance flights might help to pay for better local infrastructure, but thanks to tax giveaways and other deferments these vanity routes will pay little if anything into local coffers and simply vanish with the next market implosion. I hear Austin residents complain about their poor local infrastructure every single time I visit, but I've yet to hear my first complaint about the lack of a nonstop flight to Frankfurt.
I respectfully disagree. The continuing race to the bottom, fanned by the likes of Ryan/Spirit/Norwegian, is a big part of why flying sucks so bad today. I already have to upgrade nearly every flight to premium economy just to fit my adult sized legs between the child sized rows. Soon I'll be forced to upgrade to First Class just to duplicate the experience of my first coach class flight.
I'm sure Lufthansa thought about the housing market and other transportation infrastructure before making the decision to serve the market.
Nowhere in my post did I criticize Lufthansa. I'm sure this is a great deal for them, and their shareholders, but it's not even close to being better for everyone. On my last flight to AUS we were stuck with an extended off-terminal wait for a gate to open up. When we were finally able to approach the terminal our gate area was so packed we had to wait for a dense crowd of outbound passengers to make a tiny little bit of room just so we could physically enter the terminal. This experience was not limited to our gate but persisted throughout the whole terminal. I realize that I don't fly nearly as often as you do, but out of the sixty odd airports I've visited this was by far the worst crowding I've ever seen. Bringing in more vanity flights isn't going to help the people who are already fighting crowds just to use the airport they have now. If there's not enough O&D traffic to maintain a new route during bust cycle years then maybe it shouldn't be offered tax funded incentives or given tax deferred status.I'm sure Lufthansa thought about the housing market and other transportation infrastructure before making the decision to serve the market.As with a downturn in the economy, lots of flights go away, domestic and international. Then they come back when things get better. As with connections I'm sure many Austinites will enjoy a one or two seat ride to Europe. More choices and more connectivity is better for everyone.
