Direct flights to LAX again??

[ben says]

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.

[fsquid]

please lord Jesus let this happen.

[ben says]

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.

[fsquid]

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.

[Ocklawaha]

Bring on the Bombardier C-Series, Narrow body, generally 135 seat or less, coast to coast jetliner. Embraer and Boeing need to get their acts together as this is what the future looks like for whatever jet liners are left in say 10 years or so, unless the price of fuel crashes.

OCK

[fieldafm]

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. 

[wsansewjs]

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

[tufsu1]

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!

[ben says]

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?

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?

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

[wsansewjs]

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

[tufsu1]

^ 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!

[ben says]

^ 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.

[JFman00]

^ 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.

[simms3]

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.

[Ocklawaha]

SILVER AIRWAYS


PIEDMONT AIRLINES


ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST AIRLINES

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