"SFO landing new business"

Monday, October 11, 2004

Opinion
SFO landing new business
The San Francisco (CA) Examiner


AFTER A LONG, dismal slide as post-Sept. 11 air travel plummeted, San
Francisco International Airport is showing hopeful signs of a comeback. And
any upturn in SFO business prospects is great news for San Francisco, San
Mateo County and the entire Bay Area.

More SFO flights filled with passengers will bring more local jobs, more
tourism, more tax revenue supporting Bay Area public services and more
business opportunities overall.

Just in October, three international airlines announced new routes out of
San Francisco International. Icelandair, long one of the most successful
low-cost carriers to Europe from the East Coast, will now offer SFO non-stop
flights to its hub in Reykjavik, Iceland, where passengers can easily
connect with Icelandair flights to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and
Scandinavia. Low-fare WestJet airlines is starting $160 round-trip service
between SFO and Calgary, Canada. The non-stop Friday and Monday flights are
targeted at Americans looking for an economic ski weekend and Canadians
escaping icy winters for a few days in San Francisco.

Northwest Airlines just began SFO-Tokyo non-stop flights on the brand-new
Airbus A330-200 jetliner. Northwest is the only domestic airline flying the
latest Airbus, which promises roomier seating and state-of-the-art
entertainment electronics. San Francisco International Airport fortunes may
have begun turning around this June, when maverick billionaire Richard
Branson chose to base his new Virgin USA airline here. SFO beat out rival
bids from Washington, D.C. and Boston.

All these recent advances must have played a part when Airport Revenue News,
a trade magazine covering airport finances, on Wednesday named SFO manager
John Martin the Airport Director of the Year. The magazine cited Martin's
"proactive steps to stimulate passenger growth, increase non-aviation
revenue, reduce operating costs and at the same time improve customer
service."

Despite all these positive signs, not everything is coming up roses again at
SFO. United Airlines, increasingly squeezed by discount carriers, announced
Thursday that it is cutting back its domestic routes by 12 percent and will
concentrate on more profitable international flights.

Still, United remains San Mateo County's largest employer and provides more
than 50 percent of SFO flights. And the good news from Icelandair, WestJet,
Northwest and Virgin USA is a positive sign that the worst may be over at
San Francisco International Airport.


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