Richmond International Airport

[Icetera]

How is AirTran doing in RIC? Southwest to buy AirTran : http://www.msnbc.msn...ss-us_business/

RIC may finally see Southwest once the merger is completed. Like with all mergers, all AirTran cities will be reviewed.

How are the AirTran passenger numbers at RIC?

I usually see more room on on AirTran flights to ATL than I do in comparison to JetBlue to JFK, but I think AirTran flies larger birds.

[wrldcoupe4]

Good news as long as Southwest decides not to bag RIC...

[eandslee]

Good news as long as Southwest decides not to bag RIC...

I'm interested in seeing what Flack has to say about all this (interesting we haven't heard anything from RIC yet...probably waiting to see how things shake out, but I hope it's not the shocked "oh crap, we're going to loose a low-cost airline" reaction). I hope this bodes well for RIC. I never thought that the only way for RIC to get Southwest would be through a merger...if RIC gets Southwest at all! If it does mean that we get Southwest, I'm with Brent...I hope this means direct flights to cities in the west. Boy, it sure would be easier getting back home from, say LA on Southwest with a direct flight - I'd take that flight any day, however something tells me that this will be very unlikely. [sigh]...why can't RIC grow faster for goodness sakes so that I can get home easier from way out here?! Is that too much to ask?

Edited September 27, 2010 by eandslee

[burt]

It would appear from this story in today's RTD by Peter Bacque that local people in a position to know believe Southwest will be flying in and out of RIC after its purchase of AirTran.

http://www2.timesdis...rp28-ar-528631/

If the purchase is approved as expected early in 2011, and if Richmond is among cities selected, it will occur just in time to bring the hordes of visitors from all over the country expected to view the Picasso exhibit at VMFA between February 19th and May 15th, 2011.

The Museum is anticipating a $25 million to $30 million economic impact.

http://static.mgnetw...so/Picasso.html

Click "Introductory video."

Edited September 28, 2010 by burt

[MicoMiles]

It would appear from this story in today's RTD by Peter Bacque that local people in a position to know believe Southwest will be flying in and out of RIC after its purchase of AirTran.

http://www2.timesdis...rp28-ar-528631/

If the purchase is approved as expected early in 2011, and if Richmond is among cities selected, it will occur just in time to bring the hordes of visitors from all over the country expected to view the Picasso exhibit at VMFA between February 19th and May 15th, 2011.

The Museum is anticipating a $25 million to $30 million economic impact.

http://static.mgnetw...so/Picasso.html

Click "Introductory video."

Burt,

I highly doubt that RIC folks know what the decisions are made by Southwest Management. I believe Southwest will fly to and from RIC but don't expect any flights to the west coast anytime soon. As far as approval, I don't expect to see any Southwest flights into RIC until middle to late 2011. There are a lot of routes that need to be worked and repositioning of equipment. You also have to take into account what Southwest will do with Norfolk and Newport News/Williamsburg airports. Southwest flies to Baltimore, Chicago, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Las Vegas and Nashville out of Norfolk. Airtran flies to Atlanta, Orlando and Boston for NN/Williamsburg. IMO, NN/Williamsburg will be consolidated to Norfolk. Expect USAirways (I fly for this company) and Delta to heavily discount prices on competing routes.

[burt]

Passenger traffic was up 2.6% in August at RIC.

This is welcome news since figures have not been so encouraging for a long time.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdis...at28-ar-529933/

Edited September 28, 2010 by burt

[burt]

Passenger traffic was up 2.6% in August at RIC.

This is welcome news since figures have not been so encouraging for a long time.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdis...at28-ar-529933/

Here's a follow-up story on upbeat activity at RIC from today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/2010/sep/29/b-airp29-ar-530652/

Airport President and Manager, Jon Mathiasen who is flack's boss, wore a Southwest tie to a board meeting. It was given to him some time ago by Herb Kelleher, CEO of Southwest, who told him to wear it "when Southwest comes to RIC."

Edited September 29, 2010 by burt

[burt]

Everything one reads in the local press extols the benefits for Richmond when (and if) Southwest replaces AirTran at RIC.

I wish someone knowledgeable like flack would come on here and explain it.

It seems logical that Southwest would offer a few new destinations (and/or transfer points) but is it the panacea everyone seems to be expecting? Norfolk has Southwest service and yet their passenger traffic count isn't overwhelmingly higher than Richmond's figures.

However, without AirTran and the possible loss of JetBlue (not unreasonable to think about since the line ends service in November from RIC to its biggest hub at JFK), Southwest's entry to the market would continue to keep ticket costs down.

Edited October 18, 2010 by burt

[burt]

The new limited access Airport Connector from Rt. 895 (Pocahontas Pkwy) is expected to open by March.

If they don't object to the toll, this should be a boon for travelers approaching the airport from Chippenham Pkwy, central and southwestern Chesterfield, Petersburg, Hopewell and Fort Lee -- as well as Williamsburg/Jamestown.

Edited October 18, 2010 by burt

[MicoMiles]

It seems logical that Southwest would offer a few new destinations (and/or transfer points) but is it the panacea everyone seems to be expecting? Norfolk has Southwest service and yet their passenger traffic count isn't overwhelmingly higher than Richmond's figures

Burt - ORF's passenger counts may not be overwhelmingly higher than RIC's but with only 6 airlines serving the Hampton Roads region it continues to be higher than RIC........ and you have to wonder why RIC is not in the lead with passenger counts, especially since RIC has 3 more airlines serving our region (JetBlue, AirTran and Air Jazz). IMO, I really don't see JetBlue staying in RIC especially since they will discontinue service to their "MAIN" hub, JFK. Southwest will eventually serve RIC once the merger with AirTran is complete though I don't think we will see immediate west coast service during the initial startup phase. I expect SW to serve (my guesses) the following cities from RIC : BWI, PHL, ATL, BNA, MDW.

[burt]

Burt - ORF's passenger counts may not be overwhelmingly higher than RIC's but with only 6 airlines serving the Hampton Roads region it continues to be higher than RIC........ and you have to wonder why RIC is not in the lead with passenger counts, especially since RIC has 3 more airlines serving our region (JetBlue, AirTran and Air Jazz). IMO, I really don't see JetBlue staying in RIC especially since they will discontinue service to their "MAIN" hub, JFK. Southwest will eventually serve RIC once the merger with AirTran is complete though I don't think we will see immediate west coast service during the initial startup phase. I expect SW to serve (my guesses) the following cities from RIC : BWI, PHL, ATL, BNA, MDW.

This time it looks as if both of us are equally pessimistic, MicoMiles, and for similar reasons.

Was Air Jazz once known as Air Canada? And is MDW the code for Midway Airport in Chicago?

I wish flack would come back and raise our spirits about service and growth at RIC.

[crashvt03]

Burt - ORF's passenger counts may not be overwhelmingly higher than RIC's but with only 6 airlines serving the Hampton Roads region it continues to be higher than RIC........ and you have to wonder why RIC is not in the lead with passenger counts, especially since RIC has 3 more airlines serving our region (JetBlue, AirTran and Air Jazz). IMO, I really don't see JetBlue staying in RIC especially since they will discontinue service to their "MAIN" hub, JFK. Southwest will eventually serve RIC once the merger with AirTran is complete though I don't think we will see immediate west coast service during the initial startup phase. I expect SW to serve (my guesses) the following cities from RIC : BWI, PHL, ATL, BNA, MDW.

I wouldn't be surprised if Southwest continues to fly to Orlando (AirTran already flies RIC-MCO). I also think Denver could be a possibility. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Any changes probably wouldn't happen until late next year, early 2012.

[flack4ric]

All I can say is, "Stay Tuned." The acquisition announcement will change the air service dynamics in many communities, including the principle city in this forum. I would expect the next few weeks to be a quiet period as the acquistion proposal undergoes normal and customary federal reviews. Following the airlines' lead, I will not speculate on future SWA cities from Richmond beyond those currently offered by AirTran, but it's enjoyable to read the banter. Someone should start a pool.

Burt, wish I could add a "Blue Skies" remark to brighten your day. I can suggest, though, that you'll like the passenger (and cargo & operations) activity report to be issued by RIC next week.

If I seem MIA here, please note that I monitor RIC's Twitter & Facebook activity daily:

https://twitter.com/Flack4RIC

http://www.facebook.com/FlyRichmond

Flack4RIC

[Oaktowntwinz]

MicoMiles, on 19 October 2010 - 01:30 PM, said:

Burt - ORF's passenger counts may not be overwhelmingly higher than RIC's but with only 6 airlines serving the Hampton Roads region it continues to be higher than RIC........ and you have to wonder why RIC is not in the lead with passenger counts, especially since RIC has 3 more airlines serving our region (JetBlue, AirTran and Air Jazz). IMO, I really don't see JetBlue staying in RIC especially since they will discontinue service to their "MAIN" hub, JFK. Southwest will eventually serve RIC once the merger with AirTran is complete though I don't think we will see immediate west coast service during the initial startup phase. I expect SW to serve (my guesses) the following cities from RIC : BWI, PHL, ATL, BNA, MDW.

I share your concerns re Jetblue's service, however, I don't feel as pessimistic about them discontinuing RIC service. BOS has become a major hub for them and their RIC flights are consistently full. I have flown standby on those flights and had to wait for the next one because the flight was sold out. I hate to see them stop the JFK service because I've flown them also. Those flights were full also but Jetblue wants business people to fly more and that wasn't happening on the JFK flights. If they were going to completely pull out of RIC they would have done so. Thats what they did in Atlanta, Nashville and Columbus. Their flights do well between RIC and Boston, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando.

Also, the comparison between RIC and Norfolk isn't completely fair or accurate. Hampton Roads, with a larger population, actually has two airports, Norfolk and Newport News. The number of airlines is not the best way to compare the situations, Its actually the number of seats. The size of aircraft impacts this. RIC has grown tremendously in the last few years and, I believe, its rate of growth is what should be looked at. Having more airlines is not a fair indicator because, for example, look at the size of aircraft AirCanada uses. Granted, it is an additional airline but the plane doesn't hold many people. Because this is my first post, I probably screwed up in my attempt to paste the above quote. Sorry if its confusing.

[burt]

Oaktown, I was pleasantly surprised to read of sold-out JetBlue flights between RIC and Boston. This story supports your theory of JetBlue's investment in the Boston market.

Perhaps with that airline's prosperity and plans for expanded service, RIC will benefit in some way.

From yesterday's RTD:

http://www2.timesdis...at21-ar-577271/

And is this story about AirTran significant?

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/2010/oct/22/airgat22-ar-579721/

Edited October 22, 2010 by burt

[Oaktowntwinz]

Thanks for the supportive article Burt. I wouldn't be surprised to see them add another Boston flight in the future. I also hope they eventually return RIC flights to the New York market. Businesspeople tend to want to fly into LaGuardia or Newark. Jetblue serves both so, who knows? The Southwest acquisition of AirTran is going to be interesting. I think they will stay in Richmond, which would also be great. Mike Boyd, a well known airline consultant, says he doesn't expect Southwest to pull out of Richmond because they need the feeder traffic.

[burt]

flack was right when he said to stay tuned for some encouraging news.

Air traffic was up in September by about 14,000 flyers -- or 5.4%.

This is from today's RTD, but I'm sure tomorrow's follow-up will be more complete and show cargo figures as well.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/2010/oct/26/passenger-traffic-richmond-international-ar-588038/

[Oaktowntwinz]

This is good news; the article also mentions that Jetblue saw a 17% increase in passengers @ RIC. This is another reason I feel things aren't that bleak. Also, the transformation of Richmond International was featured in an article in Airports magazine earlier this year. This is an international publication that is based in London. The author was extremely complimentary of the new terminal. Unfortunately, I think this was in January. You can access the table of contents online but I don't think you can read the article without a subscription. Perhaps flack4ric has the magazine since the airport's director was interviewed for the article.

[burt]

Highlighted below is Peter Bacque's follow-up story about the upswing in passenger and cargo traffic at RIC during September.

And, Oaktown, thanks for your comments.

I'm anxious to see the story about RIC in Airlines Magazine. Since we cannot access the story, I hope that flack will post it for us.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdis...rp27-ar-588881/

Click the Related Links box to read "Market Shares."

Edited October 27, 2010 by burt

[flack4ric]

Also, the transformation of Richmond International was featured in an article in Airports magazine earlier this year. This is an international publication that is based in London. The author was extremely complimentary of the new terminal. Unfortunately, I think this was in January. You can access the table of contents online but I don't think you can read the article without a subscription. Perhaps flack4ric has the magazine since the airport's director was interviewed for the article.

Oaktowntwinz, several astute observations. The article "Terminal Revolution" written by Thom Jungermann appeared in the JAN/FEB 2010 edition of Airports of the World. The story is a very well researched six-page snapshot of RIC, detailing infrastructural and air service changes at RIC. I will say it is one of the best articles about RIC I've ever had the pleasure of reading. However, as this is a subscription-based publication, I cannot post its content in this forum. If you wish to contact Key Publishing toll-free at 1-800-676-4049 or via the web www.airportsworld.com to try to pick up a copy, look for this cover.

Flack4RIC

[flack4ric]

This is from today's RTD, but I'm sure tomorrow's follow-up will be more complete and show cargo figures as well.

Burt, the airport posts a one-page recap (Aviation Activity Report) each month on its website: http://www.flyrichmond.com/Load.php?Content=Statistics. The report usually goes up on the day of the monthly meeting of the Capital Region Airport Commission. The September 2010 report is posted, and provides data for the month, year to date, and fiscal year to date for passenger traffic, cargo, and operations.

Flack4RIC

[Oaktowntwinz]

flack, Thanks for posting the magazine cover. I agree that the article re RIC was excellent. The author heaped a lot of praise on the terminal's transformation. Hope you're able to read it Burt.

[flack4ric]

flack, Thanks for posting the magazine cover. I agree that the article re RIC was excellent. The author heaped a lot of praise on the terminal's transformation. Hope you're able to read it Burt.

Mr. Jungermann was kind enough to make sure the airport received copies of the edition. I appreciated the article's tone, sometimes it's great to hear the story from someone with a fresh perspective. Burt, when you're next in town stop by (or ask the Visitor Info Center to call me) and I'll gladly bring the "Terminal Revolution" article around.

Flack4RIC

Edited October 29, 2010 by flack4ric

[burt]

Mr. Jungermann was kind enough to make sure the airport received copies of the edition. I appreciated the article's tone, sometimes it's great to hear the story from someone with a fresh perspective. Burt, when you're next in town stop by (or ask the Visitor Info Center to call me) and I'll gladly bring the "Terminal Revolution" article around.

Flack4RIC

Thanks, flack. While my next trip to Richmond will be via rail I'll definitely visit RIC.

Also thanks for the reminder to visit the website for statistics.

I read yesterday that Delta is pulling out of Lynchburg Regional, leaving only USAir as the sole carrier.

[flack4ric]

Thanks, flack. While my next trip to Richmond will be via rail I'll definitely visit RIC.

Also thanks for the reminder to visit the website for statistics.

I read yesterday that Delta is pulling out of Lynchburg Regional, leaving only USAir as the sole carrier.

Rail??? Oh Burt.

Saw the Lynchburg news as well, wish the community luck with their quest for better access to the north.

Flack4RIC