"Cincinnati Airport: No commitment yet from low-cost airlines"

Saturday, July 11, 2004

No commitment yet from low-cost airlines 
The Cincinnati (OH) Post


Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport officials came away
from a conference with some two dozen low-cost air carriers last month
with no immediate plans to bring any new airlines here. 

"There's nothing imminent in the near future," William T. Robinson III,
chairman of the airport's board, said Friday. 

The airport consistently ranks among the most expensive in the country
-- mainly because of a lack of competition there. The airport is a Delta
hub, and that airline handles more than 90 percent of the passengers who
go through the complex. 

But with Delta posting more than $3.6 billion in losses over the past
three years, more low-fare carriers might be tempted to try to crack the
local market. 

The conference, convened by the Airports Council International North
America in Portland, Ore., June 28-29, drew representatives from
airports and airlines alike. 

Bryan Baldwin, spokesman for JetBlue, a low-fare airline based in New
York, said Cincinnati is one of about 38 cities his company is
considering for expansion. 

"Cincinnati is on our radar screen," he said. "But we don't have any
plans now regarding CVG." 

Baldwin said that JetBlue would be adding a second type of aircraft to
its fleet in 2005 and that would enhance its ability to expand. 

"And the Midwest would be a good focus for that aircraft," he said.


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