Metro Jacksonville

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/04/12/la-mayor-supports-direct-flight-from.html (http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/04/12/la-mayor-supports-direct-flight-from.html)

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is joining the effort to establish a direct flight from Jacksonville to LA, Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown said.
The direct flight for Jacksonville International Airport was just one issue discussed by Brown and leaders from the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, the Jacksonville Port Authority, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, economic development advocates and top business executives at Thursday’s quarterly meeting of the Jacksonville International Business Coalition at City Hall. Other topics included international trade, foreign investment and strong local industries.
Villaraigosa said he would help Jacksonville get a direct flight and he was serious, Brown said.
“He said, 'Your airport needs these direct flights to LAX [Los Angeles International Airport].' "
The route is one of the aviation authority’s top targets and having the LA mayor’s support will help, said Rosa Beckett, director of marketing and business development for Cecil Airport. The challenge is fuel cost.
JAA is talking to several airlines, Barbara Halverstadt, manager of development and marketing for JAA, said in an earlier interview.
Jacksonville had nonstop service to Los Angeles from Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) for nearly a year until it was dropped in December 2007 because of a lack of demand, a Delta spokeswoman said at the time.

please lord Jesus let this happen.

Quote from: fsquid on April 13, 2012, 10:51:06 AM
please lord Jesus let this happen.

+1.

Shocking to me it didn't succeed in the first place. Basically THE airport for the west half of the US. Great hopping off point to Asia, as well. That being said, worst TSA agents I've ever met.

can't say I've ever had a problem with TSA agents at LAX.  Then again, I'm always hopping on the rd-eye from there, so maybe a different group.  My boss always talks about how nice it was to have that direct flight.  Says he'd get home right about the time that his kids got up for school.  Right now, I don't get home from a red-eye until about 10:15 in the morning.

I took the Delta direct LAX flight once ever 3-5 weeks when they had it.  I wasn't suprised when they stopped it.. it was never full. 

Can someone explains to me WHY a topic like a direct flight between Los Angeles and Jacksonville ended up one of the most important topics on Mayor Brown's agenda?

I just lost faith and trust in Mayor Brown now.

-Josh

Quote from: wsansewjs on April 13, 2012, 01:38:27 PM
Can someone explains to me WHY a topic like a direct flight between Los Angeles and Jacksonville ended up one of the most important topics on Mayor Brown's agenda?

I just lost faith and trust in Mayor Brown now.

-Josh

not sure its one of the more important topics on his agenda, but for JAA it is (which makes sense).

Mayor Brown and Mayor Villaraigosa have been talking quite a bit...Villaraigosa chairs the U.S. Conference of Mayors....our city and Mayor can learn a lot by talking to others about what they are doing!

Quote from: fieldafm on April 13, 2012, 12:57:11 PM
I took the Delta direct LAX flight once ever 3-5 weeks when they had it.  I wasn't suprised when they stopped it.. it was never full.

How empty were they?

Quote from: wsansewjs on April 13, 2012, 01:38:27 PM
Can someone explains to me WHY a topic like a direct flight between Los Angeles and Jacksonville ended up one of the most important topics on Mayor Brown's agenda?

I just lost faith and trust in Mayor Brown now.

-Josh

While I see what you're saying...not sure I see how that one item, out of allllll the things that go wrong with COJ, ticks you off so bad?

Quote from: tufsu1 on April 13, 2012, 01:41:06 PM

Quote from: wsansewjs on April 13, 2012, 01:38:27 PM
Can someone explains to me WHY a topic like a direct flight between Los Angeles and Jacksonville ended up one of the most important topics on Mayor Brown's agenda?

I just lost faith and trust in Mayor Brown now.

-Josh

not sure its one of the more important topics on his agenda, but for JAA it is (which makes sense).

Mayor Brown and Mayor Villaraigosa have been talking quite a bit...Villaraigosa chairs the U.S. Conference of Mayors....our city and Mayor can learn a lot by talking to others about what they are doing!

+1

We have plenty of LOCAL issues we need to resolve first before we go big and bold at the international / national levels.

That's why.

-Josh

^ that insular attitude is what has hurt Jacksonville for decades.....reaching out to other areas and bringing people here will make our city and region better!

Quote from: tufsu1 on April 13, 2012, 02:07:49 PM
^ that insular attitude is what has hurt Jacksonville for decades.....reaching out to other areas and bringing people here will make our city and region better!

Well said. I think being able to even GET to Jax via a nonstop flight is a "must have" for a city striving to get better.

Quote from: tufsu1 on April 13, 2012, 02:07:49 PM
^ that insular attitude is what has hurt Jacksonville for decades.....reaching out to other areas and bringing people here will make our city and region better!

Gotta invest money to make money.

I think the ability to fill seats to business destinations across a variety of areas is a sign of the health of a local business market.  JIA is a pure O&D airport, so its traffic is a reflection not just of vacationers (which in and of itself is an indicator of discretionary spending by the local populace and of tourist demand from visitors), but it is a reflection on business interactions between Jacksonville/NE FL and other areas of the country and the globe.

Frankly, the airport in SW FL is A LOT busier than JIA, and that is for the same population, less business and more travelers.  If we are filling seats to a connection like LAX, then that is a good sign that we are doing business in CA and potentially Asia, as well, obviously one of the fastest growing markets and the largest.

Perhaps, as Doug Skiles said on another thread, instead of planning to force a flight out to LAX when there really isn't demand and some sort of subsidy may be required, we should set a goal of promoting interstate business with CA and across the Pacific.  Then maybe implement a plan of economic incentives for the business rather than the flight.  Then maybe if the plan works and we have some expansions, relocations, and more business interactions out that way, we can actually fill a plane to LAX and Delta will come here on its own.

I don't think business relocating to Jacksonville is a case of the chicken or the egg :: direct flights or business first.  I think businesses relocate moreso based on tax reasons, quality of life for employees, overall access, synergies with existing companies, ease of move, and they definitely consider and weight heavily incentives, etc etc.

We would probably benefit more if JAA and the Mayor could come up with a killer incentive package to get a modest hub located here. Piedmont, a division of US Air comes to mind immediately. Even as a modest hub the connecting flights spawned would assure that the LAX, SFO, PDX, MDE or any other flights went out of here fairly full.

Airlines are strangling on the fuel costs and they consume tons of it hourly. Watch for a return of smaller narrow body jets, short range jets, and a whole new crop of turbo-prop aircraft. As the cost per gallon goes up, so does the cost per passenger and the potential for a decent fare structure falls apart.

For those who want to instantly jump on to tell me Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Miami are all 'hubs' presuming that we haven't a chance, I'd say that can only help us. Most airlines I worked for tried to hub out of busy regional airports rather then the Atlanta, Orlando's and Miami's of the world. It brings the cost of fixed base operations WAY WAY down... and right about now, trolling a dollar through an airline's home office will draw an instant crowd.

Talk up our half way (almost to the mile) between Atlanta and Miami position on the map. Draw some lines to Savannah, CLT, CHS, DCA, LGA, BNA, MSY, TPA, FLL, WPB, DAB, MCO, GNV, ORF, MEM, BHM... ETC and we don't look as unattractive as you might think. Hey, and when you've anchored these, a flight to LAX, SFO or PDX is likely to fill right up.

OCK

QuoteHow empty were they?

Not stellar.  At the time, Delta's break even was around 68-70% for a such a flight(it's a long route= $$fuel costs$$).  It was not shocking at all when they cancelled the route. 

PTP demand is pretty low for most any flight.  The number of flights in/out of JIA has less to do with business climate and more to do with the fact that it has relatively low codeshare business and is not a regional hub.  The fill rate is pretty high for connecting flights, something like 70ish% of flights originate from a fill, so in order to really get more flights out of JIA they will have to become a hub for a regional carrier(which would also increase codeshare volume).

For referance, there aren't direct or non-stop flights from LAX to Tampa either.
 

This is great news. That means all the Jaguars fans will be able to get to home games!

Edit: in case you can't tell, I am joking.

   
Jacksonville International Airport Posts Uptick in Passenger Traffic
JAA Issues Tips for Air Travelers as Busy Thanksgiving Travel Season Nears

JACKSONVILLE, November 22, 2010 â€"The Jacksonville Aviation Authority today announced that October passenger traffic at Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) was up for the second consecutive month.

During the month of October, JAX recorded a total of 483,403 passengers, a slight increase over the 476,984 passengers in October 2009. In September this year, the passenger count inched up 2.85% over the same month last year.

“The back-to-back monthly passenger gains at JAX are encouraging signs that the commercial aviation industry continues to show improvement,” said JAA Executive Director/CEO Steve Grossman. “These positive indicators coupled with our recent announcements of increased flight schedules from JetBlue, Southwest and Delta all bode well for the coming year.”

JetBlue announced service from Jacksonville to San Juan, Puerto Rico, while Delta Air Lines announced added flights from Jacksonville to Miami and Southwest announced a new non-stop flight from Jacksonville to Denver.

Meanwhile, JAA officials suggest travelers departing JAX this busy Thanksgiving holiday season should plan to arrive at the airport at least 1½ hours before their scheduled departure time. JAA has also introduced lower parking rates for the Special Events Economy 3 Lot during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Travelers are encouraged to call their airlines for flight information. Travelers can also get information about the airport and flights at JAA’s new, enhanced website at www.flyjacksonville.com.


LAY THIS BESIDE FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

For information about passenger security screening and restricted carryon items, visit the TSA website at www.tsa.gov.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
January 2012 Traffic Recap



Total traffic for January 2012 was 2,042,122, down 1.2% compared to January 2011. Domestic
traffic was up slightly, .5% and international traffic was down 9.8%. Spirit’s international capacity
was down 18.2% and had a significant impact in overall international activity.

January commercial operations totaled 20,000, down 2.4%. General Aviation totaled 3,871, also
down 2.4%. Total aircraft movements for the period were 23,871, down 2.4% over last year.

Airlines leading the way in traffic growth were:
Virgin +37.3%
Continental +14.1%
American +13.7%
JetBlue +12.3%

Carriers on the negative side included:
Spirit -12.4%
AirTran -9.4%
Southwest -6.2%
Delta down -5.4%

Traffic for February should show a slight improvement due to the addition of February 29th.
However, overall traffic will continue to improve with the addition of new service by several
carriers:

JetBlue to Kingston, Jamaica in April and Bogota, Colombia in May
Spirit to Denver starting in May
Air Tran to San Juan, Puerto Rico in May
A new airline for us, Alaska Airlines will begin service to Seattle in July

The outlook for 2012 remains optimistic. The addition of the new service mentioned above will
have a positive impact on overall capacity.
Month % Change
Feb 2.2%
Mar 1.4%
Apr -1.3%
May 0.0%
Jun 1.8%
Jul 1.9%


Two wild cards that could affect traffic growth are the price of fuel and Spirit’s commitment to
return capacity to FLL by mid-year. Spirit’s addition of Denver service and future schedules
indicate that they will begin to add capacity gradually over the next few months. Regarding the
price of fuel, jet fuel is presently $3.33 per gallon, up 9.2% over the same time last year. Several
carriers have added a fuel surcharge to the price of their tickets.





January market share data for the top 10 carriers are listed below.

Spirit 357,980 17.5%
JetBlue 350,484 17.2%
Southwest 311,526 15.3%
Delta 254,482 12.5%
US Airways 158,367 7.8%
Continental 139,473 6.8%
American 116,977 5.7%
AirTran 92,302 4.5%
Air Canada 65,622 3.2%
Virgin 40,392 2.0%

Quote from: tufsu1 on April 13, 2012, 02:07:49 PM
^ that insular attitude is what has hurt Jacksonville for decades.....reaching out to other areas and bringing people here will make our city and region better!

It is good to have "insular" attitude like I "possess" it because I wanted to ensure that Jacksonville has everything as possibly as it can to be set as a "MUST-VISIT" city before we even ask any innovative ideas / solutions that like this direct flight to Jacksonville from anywhere.

If you don't have any hot dogs in your business, and then advertise your business in selling hot dogs, you just shot yourself in the foot. This is exactly what the Mayor is doing. We need to make and bring more hot dogs before we even promote the notion that we are selling hot dogs metaphorically-speaking.

And for your information, I haven't been around Jacksonville even for decades, only 9 years. There are simple, common sense solutions we can DO in this very city in order to make it thrive. This would allow the city to be very appealing to others, then the attitude will change eventually.

-Josh

Anyone taken the JetBlue to Puerto Rico out of JAX yet? Wonder if that one is getting filled up...

Quote from: ben says on April 13, 2012, 07:29:14 PM
Anyone taken the JetBlue to Puerto Rico out of JAX yet? Wonder if that one is getting filled up...

The lakelander might have, but I'm not sure. I personally think if we want to sell the 'International' part of the airport, we need to look at British Airways to London, continuing on to Tampa (their res. center is in Jax). The other city that comes to mind INSTANTLY is Panama City, Panama... which has become the 'Chicago-Atlanta' of Latin America. COPA fly's the 737's which are not huge, and in Panama City you can literally connect to the entire Spanish/Portuguese speaking world.

This place will knock your socks off... VERY impressive. http://www.tocumenpanama.aero/

CARRIERS AND DESTINATIONS : TOCUMEN PANAMA CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

• Air Transat - Seasonal: Edmonton, Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, Winnipeg
  
  American Airlines - Miami, Seasonal: Dallas/Fort Worth
  
  Avianca - Bogotá
  
  Cayman Airways - Grand Cayman [begins May 31, 2012]
  
  Condor Flugdienst - Frankfurt, Santo Domingo
  
  Copa Airlines - Aruba, Asunción, Barranquilla, Belo Horizonte-Confins, Bogotá, Brasilia, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cali, Cancún, Caracas, Cartagena de Indias, Chicago-O'Hare, Córdoba, Curaçao [begins June 10, 2012], Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Havana, Iquitos [begins July 14th, 2012], Kingston, Las Vegas [begins June 27, 2012], Liberia (Costa Rica) [begins June 24, 2012], Lima, Los Angeles, Managua, Manaus, Maracaibo, Medellín-Córdova, Mexico City, Miami, Montego Bay, Monterrey, Montevideo, Nassau, New York-JFK, Orlando, Port-au-Prince, Port of Spain, Porto Alegre, Punta Cana, Quito, Recife [begins 23 June 2012], Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, San Andrés Island, San José de Costa Rica, San Juan, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santa Cruz de la Sierra-Viru Viru, Santiago de Chile, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, São Paulo-Guarulhos, St. Marteen, Tegucigalpa, Toronto-Pearson, Valencia (Venezuela), Washington-Dulles.
  
  Copa Airlines Colombia - Barranquilla, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena de Indias, Cúcuta, Guatemala City, Medellín-Córdova - Pereira, San José de Costa Rica, San Pedro Sula
  
  Delta Air Lines - Atlanta
  
  Dutch Antilles Express - Curaçao
  
  Iberia - Madrid
  
  KLM - Amsterdam
  
  Lacsa - Medellín-Córdova, San José de Costa Rica
  
  SBA Airlines - Caracas
  
  Spirit Airlines - Fort Lauderdale
  
  Sunwing Airlines - Toronto-Pearson  Seasonal: Montréal-Trudeau
  
  TACA Airlines - San Salvador
  
  TAME - Guayaquil, Quito
  
  United Airlines - Houston-Intercontinental, Newark
  
  Venezolana - Caracas, Maracaibo

I still think the first step is regional hub status, then we'll be off the ground.

OCKLAWAHA

well as a selfish person, I hope it happens.

Quote from: ben says on April 13, 2012, 07:29:14 PM
Anyone taken the JetBlue to Puerto Rico out of JAX yet? Wonder if that one is getting filled up...

I will be making that trip in 3 weeks

Quote from: tufsu1 on April 14, 2012, 12:11:32 PM

Quote from: ben says on April 13, 2012, 07:29:14 PM
Anyone taken the JetBlue to Puerto Rico out of JAX yet? Wonder if that one is getting filled up...

I will be making that trip in 3 weeks

Lucky you!

Quote from: tufsu1 on April 13, 2012, 02:07:49 PM
^ that insular attitude is what has hurt Jacksonville for decades.....reaching out to other areas and bringing people here will make our city and region better!

That reminds me... when doing an internship at the JEDC several years ago, I participated on the draft of an international development plan.

My suggestion was to see which foreign companies were already present in Duval / the area or alternatively check which foreigners with ties to the Jacksonville area may help bring in investors (e.g. through sister cities). Other cities in the US had already done so successfully (forgot which ones - wish I still had a copy of the report).

This seemed like a good way to e.g. get them to expand, get suppliers to move to the area, plus CEOs know other CEOs....

The first problem was - no one seemed to know which foreign owned businesses operated in the area... checked around, even with the chamber of commerce but they all had no idea.....

Quote
The lakelander might have, but I'm not sure. I personally think if we want to sell the 'International' part of the airport, we need to look at British Airways to London, continuing on to Tampa (their res. center is in Jax).

Well, I'd welcome direct flight from London to Jax. I fly home a minimum of once a year and have taken to flying directly to Orlando (on Virgin) because it's easier and quicker just to drive the extra bit at the end. Otherwise flights home end up having a minimum of one transfer (if I can afford the flight with only one transfer).

I know we've had international carriers flying directly to JAX in the past (I remember IcelandAir did it in the 90s, if I'm correct). It's awesome, though, that JetBlue is flying out of JAX. The one time I flew with them (to NYC), I had to go to Orlando.

Quote from: Adam W on April 19, 2012, 03:28:29 PM

Quote
The lakelander might have, but I'm not sure. I personally think if we want to sell the 'International' part of the airport, we need to look at British Airways to London, continuing on to Tampa (their res. center is in Jax).

Well, I'd welcome direct flight from London to Jax. I fly home a minimum of once a year and have taken to flying directly to Orlando (on Virgin) because it's easier and quicker just to drive the extra bit at the end. Otherwise flights home end up having a minimum of one transfer (if I can afford the flight with only one transfer).

I know we've had international carriers flying directly to JAX in the past (I remember IcelandAir did it in the 90s, if I'm correct). It's awesome, though, that JetBlue is flying out of JAX. The one time I flew with them (to NYC), I had to go to Orlando.

That Virgin flight from MCO to Heathrow or Gatwick (don't remember...think Heathrow) is one of the most enjoyable flights/routes I've flown. Really something else. I remember even in the late 90's, they were one of the first planes that had TVs for each coach passenger, with decent food and free liquor.

Moreover, never had a problem flying internationally out of Jax. I'm one of the few (except my fiance) people who actually not only don't mind layovers, but enjoy them. It breaks up the monotony of travel days. Anywhere in the world is essentially one layover away. Just went to Tokyo...one quick flight to ATL, another to Narita. End of story.

So, yeah, it sucks we don't have international...but a lot of other cities our size don't either. Not excusing it, just pointing out the obvious. Could be worse (Charleston, Asheville, Savannah, Charlotesville, etc)...

Interesting that JAX is now a layover for many New Yorkers traveling JetBlue between JFK & San Juan, PR.  Why there is still no flight to Nassau blows my mind - even seasonal flights would be fantastic.

Quote from: ben says on April 19, 2012, 04:42:39 PM

Quote from: Adam W on April 19, 2012, 03:28:29 PM

Quote
The lakelander might have, but I'm not sure. I personally think if we want to sell the 'International' part of the airport, we need to look at British Airways to London, continuing on to Tampa (their res. center is in Jax).

Well, I'd welcome direct flight from London to Jax. I fly home a minimum of once a year and have taken to flying directly to Orlando (on Virgin) because it's easier and quicker just to drive the extra bit at the end. Otherwise flights home end up having a minimum of one transfer (if I can afford the flight with only one transfer).

I know we've had international carriers flying directly to JAX in the past (I remember IcelandAir did it in the 90s, if I'm correct). It's awesome, though, that JetBlue is flying out of JAX. The one time I flew with them (to NYC), I had to go to Orlando.

That Virgin flight from MCO to Heathrow or Gatwick (don't remember...think Heathrow) is one of the most enjoyable flights/routes I've flown. Really something else. I remember even in the late 90's, they were one of the first planes that had TVs for each coach passenger, with decent food and free liquor.

Moreover, never had a problem flying internationally out of Jax. I'm one of the few (except my fiance) people who actually not only don't mind layovers, but enjoy them. It breaks up the monotony of travel days. Anywhere in the world is essentially one layover away. Just went to Tokyo...one quick flight to ATL, another to Narita. End of story.

So, yeah, it sucks we don't have international...but a lot of other cities our size don't either. Not excusing it, just pointing out the obvious. Could be worse (Charleston, Asheville, Savannah, Charlotesville, etc)...

I'm 6'6" so I like to get it over as soon as possible. Plus, Virgin allows you to pay an extra £70 and get one of the seats by the door or bulkhead. Score!

Quote from: blizz01 on April 19, 2012, 04:49:09 PM
Why there is still no flight to Nassau blows my mind - even seasonal flights would be fantastic.

+1.

I think one of the reasons we don't really have international flights is because there's no US Customs unit at JAX. This could be remedied, sure....but so could a lot of things here.

Completely anecdotal, no evidence whatsoever, just a gut instinct: I think JAX could handle a twice or three times a week London flight better than it could the LAX flight everyone wants.

Quote from: ben says on April 19, 2012, 05:06:32 PM

Quote from: blizz01 on April 19, 2012, 04:49:09 PM
Why there is still no flight to Nassau blows my mind - even seasonal flights would be fantastic.

+1.

I think one of the reasons we don't really have international flights is because there's no US Customs unit at JAX. This could be remedied, sure....but so could a lot of things here.

Completely anecdotal, no evidence whatsoever, just a gut instinct: I think JAX could handle a twice or three times a week London flight better than it could the LAX flight everyone wants.

With JAX being a feeder for ATL, and ATL doing 3-4 flights to London a day, I'm not sure there's enough demand on their side (LHR slots at such a premium) to justify direct flights to such a low-volume airport.

^^^^And that raises another great point.  Delta operates the largest share of passengers at JIA, I believe.  While operations at JIA are a very insignificant portion of Delta's annual investment in routes, it still may be a less profitable or duplicative investment to its hub at ATL.  Delta is basically a financial partner in ATL, and so whatever happens at that airport really affects the financial performance of the company, which as an airline is often on the brink.

I would think that the company is too large to make a switch to an O&D operation like Southwest, and it strives to improve its margin on connections and routes through its hubs.  Having the LA flight probably is not profitable for Delta, but even with incentives it has to weigh the profitability of duplicating a route from Jax with one it has through its hubs.

I would think JIA's best chance at increasing direct flights is to continue advertising gates and routes to discount/regional/O&D operators.  And I highly doubt Jacksonville could support a flight to London - highly doubt that.  Raleigh-Durham can hardly support a 2-3 times a week flight to Gatwick and it has RTP and a lot more international/European business than Jacksonville does (and a larger airport and a larger metro).

Southwest has the largest volume in Jax. 

Jetblue's service to San Juan has had very good passenger volume(they are starting to raise seat fares).

London to Jax is pure pie in the sky talk.