"Virginia business leaders still trying to land discount airline"

Wednesday, June 9, 2004  
 
Roanoke business leaders still trying to land discount airline 
A deal with Independence Air crashed, but officials are still trying to flag
AirTran, JetBlue or another low-fare carrier to link Roanoke with a major
hub. 
By Lois Caliri 
The Roanoke (VA) Times


While efforts to lure a discount airline to Roanoke have been in a holding
pattern, business leaders have not given up. 

Business executives have surpassed their $2 million goal, promising
specified amounts of air travel in one year in an attempt to lure AirTran
Airways. 

But AirTran told The Roanoke Times it is not adding more cities to its
lineup this year. The airline's spokesman, Tad Hutcheson, said it's cheaper
for the airline to add flights to cities it already serves than to add new
cities. The budget carrier added five cities last year, including
Washington, D.C., Denver and San Francisco. 

Roanoke officials thought they had a chance with Independence Air, an
offshoot of Atlantic Coast Airlines, a regional carrier that flew under the
United Express and Delta Connection banners until recently. But Roanoke
failed to make the airline's first cut. 

Norfolk and Richmond, instead, have the attention of low-fare airlines. 

Independence has high expectations for Norfolk with eight daily flights from
Norfolk to Washington Dulles International, Independence Air's hub,
according to published reports. 

And JetBlue Airways' chief executive told the Richmond Times-Dispatch he
wants to bring his low-fare carrier to Richmond before Gov. Mark Warner
leaves office in early 2006. JetBlue said it does not have immediate plans
to expand to Roanoke, but that could change once it expands its fleet in the
fall of 2005. 

"We're optimistic we can work with AirTran and Independence," said Beth
Doughty, president of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce. "They're two
airlines that make the most sense for us." 

She said the business community must prove to the airlines that serving this
market could be profitable. 

The chamber surveyed almost 400 businesses, asking how often their employees
travel to Washington, D.C. The majority of the 380 responses said they make
more than 700 total trips a month to the nation's capital. 

They usually drive. 

Why? 

Cost and convenience. 

When Independence considered providing service to Roanoke, it contemplated
six flights a day between Roanoke and Dulles, said Roanoke Mayor Ralph
Smith. But the carrier never arrived. 

Independence spokesman Rick DeLisi said Roanoke remains on its list. 

"At this point our entire summer launch schedule through September and any
discussions for launch beyond this point" are complete, he said. The new
low-fare airline has a four-point strategy when deciding to serve a new
city. It looks at the potential to draw nonstop traffic to Dulles; the
potential to attract connecting passengers to cities in the Northeast,
Midwest and West Coast; the overall economic vitality of the region and the
willingness of local airport officials to develop a cooperative marketing
program to attract more passengers. 

Unlike AirTran, Independence and JetBlue do not participate in travel banks
or other similar plans to guarantee business. Those plans are only as good
as the time period they cover, DeLisi said. However, a cooperative marketing
program promotes travel through the airport for the long-term. 

Intense competition among cities to recruit discount airlines adds to the
importance of courting the airlines, Doughty said. 

Smith said, "I'm convinced the best money local government can spend is to
persuade a low-fare carrier to connect Roanoke with a major city airport." 

Earlier, consultant Barry DuVal coordinated efforts to attract AirTran. He
had successfully convinced the carrier to begin serving Newport News. 

While complimenting DuVal, Smith said DuVal "was convinced he was going to
make an AirTran connection" for Roanoke. 

"I think he just put all his eggs in one basket," Smith said. DuVal could
not be reached for comment Tuesday. 

The rapid expansion of budget carriers such as Southwest, JetBlue and
AirTran account for about one-fourth of all domestic flights, according to
The Associated Press. 


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************