Richmond International Airport

[JSI]

Damn it! This is the kind of stuff that doesn't need to happen. Somehow RIC has to do a better job on checking prices and being competitive. Sorry you're going to have to fly to Raleigh. You should have booked it when the prices were good!

eandslee: If it makes you feel better me and the better half have booked flights from RIC for 4 separate trips this year. On every occasion RIC was the cheapest for the entire region (including DC, Williamsburg, Norfolk, etc.). Fairs are very good compared to other cities.

[eandslee]

eandslee: If it makes you feel better me and the better half have booked flights from RIC for 4 separate trips this year. On every occasion RIC was the cheapest for the entire region (including DC, Williamsburg, Norfolk, etc.). Fairs are very good compared to other cities.

Thanks for the reassurance JSI. I know that RIC is very competitive nowadays, but just like any business, it's not a good thing to loose even one customer. Sure, some will fall through the cracks, but it should be RIC's charge to minimize that as much as possible. I just hope mpar1's situation was a very isolated case.

[burt]

Here's the story that broke today in the Times Dispatch about Air Canada's Richmond/Toronto flights beginning May 1st:

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-co...01-26-0027.html

And thanks to crashvt03 for scooping this story Jan. 24th on this page.

Edited January 26, 2008 by burt

[burt]

Snooping around other sites, I discovered that Birmingham (BHM) handled a record breaking 3,222,689 passengers during 2007. Greater B'ham is about the same size as Metro Richmond. We can assume that RIC has exceeded BHM's figure by about 400,000 -- that is, if the figures are ever released!

[burt]

Perhaps a profitable year will spur JetBlue's expansion at RIC. This piece from today's inRich:

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-co...01-29-0170.html

[wrldcoupe4]

3.63 million passengers came through RIC in 2007.... up over 10% from the prior year

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-co...01-29-0220.html

[burt]

Here's an inRich elaboration on the upswing at RIC:

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/busines...01-30-0045.html

[Lexy]

Well congratulations on the new service to the Great White North!!! Here's to it's success!

[crashvt03]

JetBlue is making the RIC-FLL route year-round instead of seasonal.

http://investor.jetblue.com/phoenix.zhtml?...6&highlight=

[eandslee]

JetBlue is making the RIC-FLL route year-round instead of seasonal.

http://investor.jetblue.com/phoenix.zhtml?...6&highlight=

Thanks for the link Crashvt03. This is very good news! This means that there is enough ridership coming to and from FLL to warrant year round service. RIC is graduating folks!

[burt]

Thanks for the link Crashvt03. This is very good news! This means that there is enough ridership coming to and from FLL to warrant year round service. RIC is graduating folks!

For anyone not familiar with airline codes, FLL is Ft. Lauderdale.

Now that FLL will become a year-round destination for RIC, will Jet Blue restore the 4th daily flight between Richmond and Kennedy in NYCity? When selecting seats for my mid-march trip to and from RIC, according to the diagrams, both flights were at least three/quarters full...Monday southbound, and Sunday north.

[Shakman]

I have recently been to RIC during the night and have noticed that the Delta 752 is no longer there. Has Delta's night flight from Atlanta reverted back to an MD-88?

[burt]

Here's today's inRich story about Jet Blue's Ft. Lauderdale flight:

http://www.inrich.com/content/cva/ric/news...02-07-0071.html

[asace8888]

I have recently been to RIC during the night and have noticed that the Delta 752 is no longer there. Has Delta's night flight from Atlanta reverted back to an MD-88?

I checked the Delta website and it looks like they are back to having only one 757 flight out of Richmond now instead of the two or three they had been doing recently. They are using it for the mid-afternoon flight that departs at 3:25. As it stands now, Delta (excluding the regional partners) has 4 MD-88 flights, 3 CRJ-700 flights, and 1 757 daily.

[jbjust]

I see the Delta/Northwest merger rumors are back and in full force? How do people think that would affect RIC?

By the way, I had a 7:30 a.m. flight out of RIC to LGA Wednesday morning and very nearly couldn't find a parking place anywhere. Unbelievable. When I was flying semi-regularly a few months ago I never had that happen. The new garage can't be built soon enough. I wouldn't be surprised if they went ahead and added the additional height on the new garage that they were contemplating adding in the future.

[Shakman]

For those of you who have not noticed, inbound Airport Dr. has been re-routed to the west. This re-alignment will allow work to continue roadway improvements and fly-overs in and around Airport Drive.

Edited February 12, 2008 by Shakman

[asace8888]

Does anyone know what kind of effect the Rolls Royce plant in Prince George County will have on RIC once it opens in 2009? I know that our plant is producing general aviation jet engines so I was wondering how often we might have cargo planes shipping them out or if they would be transported to Dulles or something to be taken on a larger international cargo plane. Case in point, I know that Glasgow, Scotland has a Rolls Royce engine factory right next to the main passenger airport, yet sometimes when they ship out the engines they will use Prestwick Airport (a cargo center) which is about 30 miles from the city center. Do you think we will see any heavy cargo airplanes roll in occasionally with the opening of the plant?

Edited February 13, 2008 by asace8888

[Shakman]

Does anyone know what kind of effect the Rolls Royce plant in Prince George County will have on RIC once it opens in 2009? I know that our plant is producing general aviation jet engines so I was wondering how often we might have cargo planes shipping them out or if they would be transported to Dulles or something to be taken on a larger international cargo plane. Case in point, I know that Glasgow, Scotland has a Rolls Royce engine factory right next to the main passenger airport, yet sometimes when they ship out the engines they will use Prestwick Airport (a cargo center) which is about 30 miles from the city center. Do you think we will see any heavy cargo airplanes roll in occasionally with the opening of the plant?

If the parts and /or products ship on rail, then probably not.

My understanding is that the PG plant will only manufacture the turbine fans of the engines. Correct?

Edited February 13, 2008 by Shakman

[eandslee]

If the parts and /or products ship on rail, then probably not.

My understanding is that the PG plant will only manufacture the turbine fans of the engines. Correct?

I thought that they were going to build full engines, but smaller engines you might see on corporate jets, etc. Either way, the airport (RIC) can accommodate the largest of the cargo airplanes, so I think that's a non-issue. I'm still not sure whether we'll see more cargo planes or not, but if I had to guess (being that RR is a European company), we will see parts coming here from Europe using cargo planes landing at RIC.

[jbjust]

Is there really any benefit to more cargo planes at RIC? If it can be transported by rail, wouldn't that just avoid airspace-clogging cargo planes and associated heavy-jet noise?

[asace8888]

No there is not really any major benefit to having more cargo planes, but I am just the kind of person that enjoys seeing anything new and different come through RIC (like the 757).

[Lexy]

No there is not really any major benefit to having more cargo planes, but I am just the kind of person that enjoys seeing anything new and different come through RIC (like the 757).

There's alot of advantages like shipping possibilities for other companies in the region, connections to other cargo markets, and landing fees, fuel sales etc. The jet noise isn't that bad either with today's technology.

They have to have a third party handler though for the engine cargo. Like here in Nashville, we have a computer company that has a daily 747 (China Airlines) bring in parts for their factory, but Metro Air Inc. is contracted to be the third party cargo handler. In other words, they see that the parts are unloaded, stored, and transported to their destination. Otherwise, it will just come in on passenger flights and FedEx/UPS flights.

[crashvt03]

Skybus is adding a flight from Richmond to St. Augustine, FL beginning June 1. http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-co...03-19-0166.html

[MicoMiles]

Skybus is adding a flight from Richmond to St. Augustine, FL beginning June 1. http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-co...03-19-0166.html

From the RTD article:

"Skybus will be offering limited $10, one-way tickets for flights on Aug. 1 to Sept. 2 starting at 6 a.m. today.

Citing the high price of fuel, the airline will discontinue service from Columbus to Niagara Falls, N.Y., and a second daily flight to Milwaukee, as of April 1.

Skybus also will end service from Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point to Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss., on April 15, while the number of flights from Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point to Gary, Ind., Wilmington, Del., Punta Gorda, Fla., and Newburgh, N.Y., will be reduced from two daily nonstops to one.

Service between Columbus and Chattanooga, Tenn., will stop, and service between Columbus and Newburgh and Columbus and Chicopee, Mass., will be reduced from two flights to one on April 15."

I can hardly say this is exciting news for RIC....... What I find troublesome is that Skybus discontinues or reduces service to other cities due to high fuel prices yet they continue to offer $10.00 one-way fares. I don't expect them to be in business for another year.......I'll be surprised if they do!

[eandslee]

I can hardly say this is exciting news for RIC....... What I find troublesome is that Skybus discontinues or reduces service to other cities due to high fuel prices yet they continue to offer $10.00 one-way fares. I don't expect them to be in business for another year.......I'll be surprised if they do!

Yeah, I was actually very surprised to hear this announcment especially considering all of the reduced flights they are having to do across the nation because of increasing fuel prices...and Richmond?...of all places, Skybus is expanding service in Richmond? Apparently, Skybus is doing better in Richmond than what I see online on their web site. I hope that is the case, but their website, to me, shows that they are only holding their own here. I'd be interested to see how their service to Jacksonville does. Interesting...just interesting.