My Apologies
Anthony asked me to take this blog over to keep it updated weekly, and I have failed him. I feel terrible that I allowed this site to go without updates for over 2.5 months on my watch. I have been focusing a lot more on my political blog: www.mvred.com that I forgot to post here.
I have had little to post though in my own defense. I will try to have a post up later this week on some things I missed out on.
Again, sorry!
Wake Up YNG - Here Is Another !!
Jet America Targets Smaller Markets
Clearwater, Fla.-based JetAmerica said 34 nonstop passenger flights a week will start July 13 at Toledo, Ohio; South Bend, Ind.; Melbourne, Fla.; Newark, N.J.; Minneapolis and Lansing, Mich. Twenty-eight flights start or end at Newark Liberty International Airport. The carrier will add six more flights — from Toledo to Minneapolis — starting Aug. 14.
JetAmerica is targeting small and midsize cities like Lansing, which has seen the number of daily flights at its Capital Region International Airport fall from 35 to 12 the past five years. The decline is part of a national trend that has seen airfares increase at those airports as daily flights have decreased.
Robert Selig, head of the Capital Region Airport Authority, said JetAmerica will give Lansing business travelers direct access to New York City and carry leisure travelers to central Florida.
“We don’t have access to either one right now,” Selig said. “So, this is going to fill a major void in our schedule.”
Filling that void won’t be cheap.
The Lansing, South Bend, Melbourne and Toledo airports are subsidizing JetAmerica with $1.4 million in grants in its first year, along with about $867,000 in waived airport fees and $1.1 million in marketing and advertising assistance.
South Bend, Toledo and Melbourne received their grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development Program, which has awarded $104 million to 223 recipients since 2002 in an effort to restore lost service and bring air fares down.
Newark and Minneapolis, each of which serve more than 20 million passengers a year, are not offering assistance to JetAmerica.
John Weikle, chief executive of JetAmerica, said the subsidies will help insulate the new carrier from spikes in jet fuel prices. Higher fuel prices have contributed to the failures of at least four major airlines since 9/11. Smaller carriers have also been hurt.
Surging fuel prices helped bankrupt ultra-discounter Skybus Inc. last year. Weikle founded that Columbus, Ohio-based airline known for its $10 fares. The bankruptcy cost 450 employees their jobs.
JetAmerica’s pricing scheme will share some Skybus characteristics.
Prices will start at $9 a seat and top out at $199. The $9 price will apply to the first nine to 19 seats on each plane. Passengers will pay $15 to check a bag. Food, drinks and in-flight TV will also come at a cost.
The carrier is starting out with one leased Boeing 737-800, expects to add a second in the first month, and have as many as four by July of next year. Weikle’s business plans calls for an additional 189-seat jet to be leased every four months.
Each Boeing 737-800 can fly to four cities a day, Weikle said.
Weikle estimated JetAmerica’s revenue at more than $50 million in the first year and about $150 million in the second. He compares his business model to that of Wal-Mart Inc., which started out by serving cities of less than 50,000 people because competitors were not interested in them.
JetAmerica plans to serve Melbourne, Fla., with at least six flights a week. Richard Ennis, executive director of Melbourne International Airport, said JetAmerica’s planes and nonstop routes persuaded him to support the carrier. Melbourne, a coastal community about 70 miles southeast of Orlando, recorded a 45 percent decline in passenger traffic at its airport from 2000 to 2008.
Ennis said carriers with larger jets like the Boeing 737-800 charge less per seat, which is an advantage enjoyed by Orlando International Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport.
“It’s the only way I can beat them out,” Ennis said of the neighboring airports.
Another Airline For YNG To Reach For
Porter Air which operates out of Toronto City Centre Airport and uses economical turboprop aircraft I believe could be another airline for YNG to consider. The writeup below describes the fact that they are constructing a new $45 Million Dollar terminal for the island airport and will double the size of their fleet to 20 aircraft by the end of the year. I think it could be said that in light of these facts they are ripe for expansion and we know without looking that they don’t serve CLE, CAK, or PIT.
I think its time the YNG administration gave them a call in addition to all the other air service suggestions that have been mentioned here in the last few months.
Courtesy: Toronto Globe & Mail
Porter Unveils Plans For New Island Air Terminal
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090428.PORTER28ART2352/TPStory/?query=Porter
Live Blog #10 to be held Tuesday Night at 9pm/et
As a sports fan, I would like to lay back and watch the NCAA National Championship tonight instead of doing the weekly chat. BUT I do plan on having the chat tomorrow night at 9pm/et. I want to talk about Facebook-Twitter-Blogs and how YNG can use it to get more of the community involved.
Join us Tuesday! Thank You!
YNGAir.com Live Blog #9 Tonight at 9pm/et
I plan to talk about the website I have put together, some ideas to get the youth in our area interested in the airport, and anything else on your minds.
Join us tonight at 9pm/et.
YNGAir.com Live Blog #8
On Monday Night’s Live Blog we will discuss the latest port authority meeting article from the Business Journal about the Stimulus funding as well as the SCASD funding. We will also have a few other things to talk about such as a website and a route idea that I want to hear your thoughts on.
Be there at 9pm/et Monday.
Port Authority Meeting Notes
From the Business Journal
VIENNA TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport is seeking more than $40 million for improvements from the state’s share of the federal stimulus program.
The requests include $25 million for intermodal rail development, $15.75 million for a commercial maintenance and storage hangar, $6.5 million for corporate and general aviation development on the south side of the airport property and $650,000 for a combined sewer separator, said Steve Bowser, director of aviation.
Many of the projects are already included in the airport’s updated master plan, Bowser said. Airport officials have worked with its aviation consultant, R.W. Armstrong of Cleveland, on the applications.
According to the master plan, the goal is to move the general aviation activity to the south side of the airport, said Mark Heckroth, an Armstrong project manager. The large aircraft maintenance hangar would be available for an aircraft maintenance firm interested in establishing operations there, he said.
Even if the projects aren’t funded in the initial round of stimulus funding, they could be eligible for subsequent awards, Bowser said.
In his report Wednesday at the monthly meeting of the Western Reserve Port Authority, which overseas the airport’s operations, Bowser also informed the authority’s board that Allegiant Air continues to carry loads on its Youngstown flights of 95%, compared with the airline’s 90% average systemwide. The bottom line, he said, is “our numbers are where they need to be.” Scheduled flights will expand to four per week to accommodate Spring Break traffic in April and will be offered three days per week over the summer, with no break in service expected in the fall, he said.
The port authority’s chairman, John Masternick, said he has had discussions with Robert Ashcroft, an Allegiant vice president, regarding the possibility of converting a $570,000 Small Community Air Services Development grant the airport received to use to support a possible second destination the airline is considering for Youngstown.
The grant was awarded to help Youngstown attract a carrier connecting it to a hub airport. However, the state of the economy has dimmed prospects for landing such a service, and the grant will expire in 2011. The port authority would have to petition the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for the change of use.
“If we don’t use it, we’re going to lose it anyways, so it would be best to use it“’ Masternick said.
Bowser also informed the board members that the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, which operates a branch campus at the airport, might need to add classroom space to accommodate perhaps as many as 60 students this fall. Since opening about two years ago, classes at the branch have ranged from 10 to 18 students, with two classes running now. Virtually all graduates of the avionics and aircraft maintenance program receive multiple job offers upon graduation, with the majority of them remaining in the area, and the positions pay in excess of $40,000 typically, Masternick said.
Michael Stanko, owner of Youngstown Elser Metro Airport and Gemco Aviation Services Inc. in North Lima, asked for the port authority’s assistance in making improvements to his facility, including extending the airport‘s runway from its current 4,000-foot length to 5,000 feet. Elser said he has acquired land to extend his runway, but has been unable to secure public money for improvements to the private airfield. Gemco, he said, has been getting into maintenance of larger Cessna Citation aircraft but some pilots are uncomfortable landing on the smaller airstrip.
He also wants to acquire an automated weather observation system, and was interested in whatever assistance the authority could provide to an outside entity such as his.
Following the meeting, Masternick said the port authority‘s role with airports did not extend beyond the Vienna Township airport. He said he was surprised by Stanko’s appearance at the meeting.
Heckroth was also unsure what help the port authority could provide. “They don’t have any of their own money and they can’t use FAA money,” he said.
Masternick also said after the meeting that the port authority had put out its request for proposals to find a consulting firm to use in its search for an economic development director. The newly created position is being funded by governments in Mahoning and Trumbull counties over a three-year period.
From the Gary Papers
Link to Story: http://www.post-trib.com/news/1452032,gairport.article
When he gets there, he plans to use a new approach: Looking for other airports with which to split a route.
“Say Youngstown (Ohio) wanted to fly to Atlanta, and so did we, and AirTran had one plane for four flights a day. We could set it up to where two flights would go to Gary and back, and two to Youngstown and back. We would each take on half of the mitigation, and AirTran would have the opportunity to see if the routes are good investments,” he said.
Wonder if something like this would ever work? I am sorry about the chat last night. We’ll shoot for 9pm again next week. I’ve been real busy with things..
Loading ...
