Gsoflyer From United States of America, joined May 2001, 1062 posts, RR: 1 Posted (11 years 1 week 5 days ago) and read 841 times:
This is something I have been pondering since riding a US Air flight and hearing the flight crew complain about the airport's lack of focus on passenger and goal of freight.
So, is there any hope of Greensboro's passenger service? We've lost alot of flights since Continental took their hub out a few years ago, and now seem to be down to around 100 flights a day. We have few budget flights (a handful with airtran, and a few shuttle america), only 4 NW flights, and just a handful of AA and UA.
So, does anyone know if any new airlines are looking to start service here? Southwest? Midway? Midwest Express? Vanguard? I read somwhere of a JetBlue, but I cannot find a website for them. Also, Air Canada was supposed to start service, but I have yet to see one.
It's just really sad to me to think that alot of passengers in this area drive to Charlotte and Raleigh for good flights.
Airwarrior From United States of America, joined May 2001, 123 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (11 years 1 week 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 721 times:
I was on a recent jetBlue flight to Orlando (BTW their website is www.jetblue.com) and the F/A said they were probably adding a Carolina city this year - rumors of CLT, GSO or RDU are floating around but nothing official yet. Keep your fingers crossed they fly to GSO as they are the best airline out there - but CLT or RDU would be worth the drive if thats where they chose to go.
Pe@rson From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 18345 posts, RR: 56 Reply 4, posted (11 years 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 710 times:
I don't know too much about American aviation (smaller airports), so what's the likelihood of a new low-fare airline establishing a base at GSO? If this did happen, which destinations, in your opinion, would be served?
"Everyone writing for the Telegraph knows that the way to grab eyeballs is with Ryanair and/or sex."
DCA-ROCguy From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 4379 posts, RR: 43 Reply 9, posted (11 years 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 676 times:
I don't know if there is hope for GSO to gain more passenger service, GSOflyer. It's sure a great airport--I flew through it in 1986 on a visit to our high school's yearbook publisher in Winston-Salem. The area, to my knowledge, is economically healthy. But Raleigh-Durham, with the big American hub in the early 1990's, and now the big Midway and Southwest oeprations, is IMO the main problem. I remember driving to Durham from Greensboro, and it was barely an hour.
GSO needs to ask, what can make us grow in light of RDU? That means numbers....has the airport authority hired an aviation consultant (someone like Mike Boyd's outfit) to examine traffic and economic trends? Where are the likely growth elements for GSO in its particular situation? Here's my two cents.
GSO should *not* look to the Big Six/ Six Families high-fare majors for additional service. They fly only, and exactly, that capacity at which they can make high profits on high fares, due to their high costs. The Six Families have pretty much figured out what they can extract at most medium size airports (a project that took them from about 1992-1996 to execute). At my home town, Rochester New York, which is slightly larger than GSO, the amount and distribution of Six Families seat capacity has remained almost unchanged since 1994. (Though the damn fares have kept soaring).
Of the low-fare carriers, I see no reason why Southwest could not be persuaded to come to GSO. Many have pointed out that they like to draw from a 150-mile radius, but they've recently flown to any number of medium-size cities closer together than that (eg Hartford, Providence, and Albany). IF Southwest thinks they can fill 10 flights a day at GSO, their stated minimum for new markets, it wouldn't matter if RDU was across the street. That's where someone like MIke Boyd comes in.
AirTran is already there of course so that one is covered. Greensboro is on JetBlue's list of 40 initial cities, I believe, so it would not be surprising to see them there in a few years, even if they do enter RDU and CLT. People Express served all three cities. Vanguard is unlikely, IMO: with their new refocus on Kansas City, even with a hub operation I don't see a GSO-MCI. Not enough O & D. Same for Frontier and Denver.
ATA should be approached, Chicago is a good O&D market and their hub operation should keep growing.
Eastwind failed because of their spectacularly bad business plan and planes too big for the markets they flew. A shame--I flew them once IAD-ROC--their service was good and planes clean and comfortable. GSO in my view holds no responsibility for Eastwind's failure.
Gsoflyer From United States of America, joined May 2001, 1062 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (11 years 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 669 times:
Yes, Continental light had a hub here up until they cut the "Peanuts Fair" program. If I remember right, they occupied the entire North concourse and served Reagan, NY, Hartford, Toledo, Cleveland, Greenville, Atlanta, Wilmington, Richmond, Philly, Pittsburgh, All Florida Cities, New Orleans and Texas..... it was packed every time I was there. To bad that ended.
Gsoflyer From United States of America, joined May 2001, 1062 posts, RR: 1 Reply 11, posted (11 years 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 670 times:
I agree. Jetblue has unreal ratings and I would fly them if they came here. The area (Greesboro/High Point/Winston-Salem) is growing pretty well. Its right around 2.5 million for an area, and Danville, VA is a draw for people flying too.
I definately think Southwest should be approached and Midway should start a connection. I am crossing my fingers with Jetblue.
Greensboro has one big thing ahead of it. CLT and RDU shoved away FedEx. And now FedEx wants the hub here in Greensboro. Adding an additional N/S Runway and extending the E/W runway to 10000 ft (which is already in progress). The FedEx deal should come through sometime soon. Every city has endorsed it except for High Point (which is under all the flight paths). If that comes, then the airport will grow, and hopefully be a draw for another hub of some sort. Tradewinds also has a cargo hub here, and has expanded their fleet of L10-11s, which sit off Market Street. And Timco still has their Repair operation here. Shuttle America also appears to be doing well with selling flights, as does Airtran.
Eastwind.... that was a bad situation. From what I can tell, that was poor management. Plain and simple. It was painful to see our local airline fold like that. But, poor management cannot be helped.
The new plans for the airport with FedEx are on the Airport website at www.ptia.org. The sumary for the FedEx and PTIA improvements are:
http://www.ptia.org/EISStuff/EXSUM.PDF
Airwarrior From United States of America, joined May 2001, 123 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (11 years 1 week 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 653 times:
Hi GSOFlyer
What gates are avail and where is there open counter space? I remember everything in the west wing already taken, unless 45 is still vacant. Since USAirways has cut back or switched to RJ's do they have too many gates now? I imagine there is possibly room for new entrants on the east wing but I havent been there since the CALite days. Just curious and would love to know how the gates are allocated at PTIA these days.
Airwarrior From United States of America, joined May 2001, 123 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (11 years 1 week 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 650 times:
What is the available gate space like at GSO. I remember 45 was vacant for years - did anyone ever take that space? What abou the cutbacks at USAirways - have they given up some of their gate space also. I imagine there is still space over on the east concourse - what do you know about this GSOFlyer?
Gsoflyer From United States of America, joined May 2001, 1062 posts, RR: 1 Reply 14, posted (11 years 1 week 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 651 times:
Well.... there is counter space on the North wing by Northwest. Possibly between Airtran and Shuttle America on the North wing too. Not sure where Air Canada is going to set up. I would imagine it'd be near United because of the Star Alliance?
Continental currently has 5 gates, but every time I am there, I rarely see Continentals at the gates. I could see them being able to squeeze 2 maybe 3 more in there possibly.
RyeFly From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 1370 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (11 years 1 week 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 651 times:
GSO is a nice sized airport. I am sure traffic will pick up once Fed Ex arrives. I used to fly out of GSO before I moved to Raleigh, but my parents still live in Winston Salem, so occasionally I still get to fly out of there.
I doubt Midway itself would offer service there because it is pretty close to RDU. It's about 90 miles from airport to airport on interstate 40. I believe Continental has a flight that goes from GSO to RDU. I think it then continues on to IAH or maybe its EWR, I'm not sure. Maybe Midway's commuter partner Corporate Airlines might take up the route. They fly 19 seat Jetstream 31's.
Jet Blue is a possiblity, although the A320 is pretty big for GSO. I am guessing they will go for CLT since RDU is pretty competitive, although the JFK service here is terrible.
What about American Eagle? I don't know much about them, but I know they started service to GSO. It might make a pretty sweet hub for them. I wouldn't count out Continental again since they did pretty well with Continental Lite. But it would take the Fed Ex hub to get them again I'm sure.
I didn't know Shuttle America was still in business. I heard they were gone, I guess not.
I'm sure eventually somone will make a move there. The triad (Winston Salem, Greensboro, and Hightpoint) are indeed getting large. 2.5 million sounds about right. Wachovia merging with First Union and headed to Charolotte isn't good news though for Winston Salem or for PTIA. Someone will fill the void there and the airport will grow.
Gsoflyer From United States of America, joined May 2001, 1062 posts, RR: 1 Reply 16, posted (11 years 1 week 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 644 times:
Shuttle America filed for for Ch 11, and is under reorganiszation right now. They have a new investor to get them Jets so they'll stop using the Dash-8's so much. I see them take off every day on my way home from work.
First Union/Wachovia isn't a done deal. Reports in the paper yesterday say that SunTrust (or something like that) is bidding higher than First Union and wants to keep Winston-Salem operations. You also have the National Home Furnishings Market in High Point (good luck getting a flight during that time). NCAA Sports. Eight Colleges. Plus RJ Reynolds. So I think there is a draw of some sort.
It would be nice to get JetBlue, but I am sure Raleigh and Charlotte would get it before us. Raleigh is too big of a draw because of the Triangle (though very comparable in size to GSO) and Charlotte is just a commerce center. I doubt Southwest will come either, since they have close and heavy operations in Raleigh.
Does anyone know when there is supposed to be a decision on the FedEx hub?
Gsoflyer From United States of America, joined May 2001, 1062 posts, RR: 1 Reply 17, posted (11 years 1 week 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 631 times:
Last Question:
I read an article from 2 years ago online tonight about the Airport Authority and Greensboro wanting to expand the passenger terminal by 6 gates because all the gates are currently leased out. Does anyone know if this is going to happen?
I don't see this in the expansion of the extra runway..... or any of that proposal. But is seems, that if they are possibly having to turn down airlines, that they would expand the passenger terminal.
DCA-ROCguy From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 4379 posts, RR: 43 Reply 18, posted (11 years 1 week 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 623 times:
I doubt that GSO is turning down airlines due to a lack of terminal space...they accomodated CALite without building more gates, they can probably accomodate current comers. The only problem would be if a low-fare carrier could not get a gate because none of the majors would sublet one. Then the airport might build a temporary wing for awhile to accomodate the new airline temporarily, and permanent expansion later.
When People Express arrived in Rochester, New York in February 1985 (a month after they arrived at GSO, as a matter of fact), the one-level 1950's terminal was packed to the gills and didn't have space for them. So--and I swear, like Dave Barry, that I am not making this up--the county built a *wooden shed* on the end of the building to accomodate PE. The shed contained the boarding area and a drop-chute baggage claim. An old customs office in the main building served as the ticketing area.
Not elegant, to be sure, but it got the job done....traffic in Rochester rose *38 percent* that year due to People Express' effect on fares.
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