35 replies to this topic

[NCB]

Armstrong International is really beginning to move again, and airport officials are now saying that by 2009, passenger traffic at the airport could exceed pre-Katrina numbers. Airlines continue to add new flights, and new airline ExpressJet now has 6 flights coming into the city.

This thread will be for all things Armstrong Intl!  

[NCB]

Southwest Airlines adds over 1,000 daily seats to New Orleans market
More info

Beginning Nov. 4, 2007:

• Three new daily nonstop flights to Birmingham.
• Two additional daily nonstop flights to Houston Hobby (for a total of 11 daily).
• One additional daily nonstop flight to Dallas Love Field (for a total of 6 daily).
• One additional daily nonstop flight to Las Vegas (for a total of 2 daily).
• One additional daily nonstop flight to Orlando (for a total of 4 daily).

These additional flights will bring Armstrong International even closer to pre-Katrina levels, with 82% of flights and 75% of seats.

[NCB]

Here is the ExpressJet Airlines route map; through XJet, New Orleans has direct flights to Austin, San Antonio, Kansas City, Raleigh-Durham, Birmingham, and Jacksonville. NOLA will have connecting flights to at least 17 other cities through XJet as well.

[NCB]

Destinations seved by Armstrong International as of May '07. More cities will be added in the coming months. MSY also has a charter flight to Honduras, and airport officials are working to return the flight to Toronto, and to other Canadian and Mexican cities as well. Of course during Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, international flights seem to pop up from everywhere.  

[tombarnes]

I seem to recall much more international service from MSY.  I hope that the flights to Mexico and Central America will return soon.  I'd think that Mexico would be a lucrative market- especially the baeches.

[JPKneworleans]

tombarnes, on Jul 7 2007, 06:35 PM, said:

I seem to recall much more international service from MSY.  I hope that the flights to Mexico and Central America will return soon.  I'd think that Mexico would be a lucrative market- especially the baeches.

The only consistent service to central America was to either Guatamala or Honduras (maybe El Salvador).  Mexico City was discontinued several years ago by TWA.

I agree that Mexico should be added and would likely be successful.

I wish United would restart its nonstop to San Francisco, and I wish Southwest would restart its nonstop to Oakland.  I hate changing planes in Denver or LA.

[NCB]

There were many more international flights, but it still seemed to change every few years. I would expect to see the Toronto flight, the Mexican flights, and the other South American flights back on line within the next 4-5 years. Of course, during Mardi Gras, flights come from all over Europe and even Asia, I believe. And Jazz Fest is even getting international flights; I had family from Sweden come in a few years ago.  

[JPKneworleans]

NCB, on Jul 10 2007, 05:14 PM, said:

There were many more international flights, but it still seemed to change every few years. I would expect to see the Toronto flight, the Mexican flights, and the other South American flights back on line within the next 4-5 years. Of course, during Mardi Gras, flights come from all over Europe and even Asia, I believe. And Jazz Fest is even getting international flights; I had family from Sweden come in a few years ago.  

I forgot about the Toronto flight on Air Canada.  As for Europe, New Orleans hasn't had regular Europe service in more than 20 years.  It's hard to believe MSY was once the second busiest airport in the US behind Idlewild, (now JFK).

[NCB]

Yeah, when it comes to European flights, they pop up during Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, but there's nothing regular, as you pointed out. I believe Virgin Airlines had planes flying from London to New Orleans for Mardi Gras in 2004.

[northernbizzkit1]

Delta is starting up Saturday BOS-MSY service...it's a start...I still want JetBlue to run this with a daily flight.

[NCB]

Some news on new and additional flights that will be added at Armstrong Intl next month:

• One additional US Airways nonstop to Charlotte
  
• One additional US Airways nonstop to Washington/National
  
• One additional Northwest nonstop to Detroit
  
• New Saturday-only nonstop to Indianapolis on AirTran
  
• New Saturday-only nonstop to Boston on Delta

Also, an additional Southwest nonstop to Ft. Lauderdale will be added at Armstrong Intl in May. This news, along with the fact that Armstrong Intl saw its largest crowds since long before Katrina these past few days, and things are really looking good for the airport!

[JPKneworleans]

I wish United would bring back its daily nonstop to San Francisco.  SF is one of the few cities to which one can no longer travel nonstop from NOLA.

[NCB]

JPKneworleans, on Jan 26 2008, 12:34 AM, said:

I wish United would bring back its daily nonstop to San Francisco.  SF is one of the few cities to which one can no longer travel nonstop from NOLA.

Agreed, JPK. I'd really like to see a nonstop to San Francisco, along with a flight to Seattle. I have no idea if passenger interest warrants an annual to Seattle, but the Northwest is the only region not well represented by MSY, and it's either Seattle or Portland when it comes to flights going out there. Apart from that, and maybe Pittsburgh on the opposite side of the country, just about every city you would want has a flight out of MSY.

[NCB]

An update on MSY's post-Katrina recovery and revival:

The airport is at about 80% of its pre-Katrina operations, which is measured by daily seat counts. About 85% of all pre-Katrina daily roundtrip flights have been restored, and over 90%, near 93% actually, of all pre-Katrina domestic cities served by the airport are back on line.

So to sum up:

• Capacities of the flights in and out of New Orleans are at 80% of their pre-Katrina levels
  
• Nearly 85% of the pre-Katrina daily rountrip flights in and out of New Orleans are back on line
  
• Nearly 93% of all domestic cities served by MSY pre-Katrina are back on line

For anyone else who heard the horror stories directly after Katrina about Armstrong International permanently being the #2 airport in SE Louisiana, behind Baton Rouge's Metro Airport, the numbers you see above should be very good news. MSY was in a slump for a good bit of time after Katrina, but things are really moving now, and have been for over a year.

[JPKneworleans]

NCB, on Feb 16 2008, 01:06 PM, said:

For anyone else who heard the horror stories directly after Katrina about Armstrong International permanently being the #2 airport in SE Louisiana, behind Baton Rouge's Metro Airport, the numbers you see above should be very good news. MSY was in a slump for a good bit of time after Katrina, but things are really moving now, and have been for over a year.

What a joke!  As if BR's airport would every approach MSY.  Such a notion belongs in the same stack as that thought that the BR MSA would permanently be bigger than the NO MSA.

I know that sounded snooty, but those Post-Katrina days were some of the worst, and while MSA and airport size is silly when one considers all of the pain and angst that people experienced, statements like those weren't helping anything.

I did notice that Frontier Airlines is pulling out of BR after only six months.

Edited by JPKneworleans, 16 February 2008 - 09:45 PM.

[NCB]

$200M in GO Zone bonds could build rental car facility at N.O. airport
New Orleans CityBusiness Article

Quote

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Aviation Board members began the process of building a $142-million rental car facility at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport with its vote Monday authorizing a request for $200 million in Gulf Opportunity Zone bonds for the project.

Under a best case scenario, the new facility will take two years to design, putting a construction start date at around May 2010 and final completion during spring of 2012.

NOAB members spent nearly an hour debating the merits of a new consolidated rental car facility and funding strategies for the project, which involves building a four-story facility physically attached to the airport and expanding the total number of available rental car spaces from around 600 to just more than 2,600.

[djp4lsu]

NCB, on Feb 26 2008, 04:45 PM, said:

$200M in GO Zone bonds could build rental car facility at N.O. airport
New Orleans CityBusiness Article

Is it just me, or does $142 million seem like a lot of money for a rental car facility? I hope they'll be getting some of it back through leases with the rental companies, etc.

[tennreb]

djp4lsu, on Feb 26 2008, 09:43 PM, said:

Is it just me, or does $142 million seem like a lot of money for a rental car facility? I hope they'll be getting some of it back through leases with the rental companies, etc.

That is pretty ridiculous.  The airport looks like a dump.  They should spend $20 million to clean up the airport and $180 million to contribute to a light rail system connecting Kenner, Metarie, and downtown and eventually the North Shore.  The vast majority of visitors do not even need a rental car.  In my experience, a car is a hindrance to really enjoying the city if you are just visiting.

[JPKneworleans]

djp4lsu, on Feb 26 2008, 08:43 PM, said:

Is it just me, or does $142 million seem like a lot of money for a rental car facility? I hope they'll be getting some of it back through leases with the rental companies, etc.

It's not what you would think.  It's essentially a four floor parking garage with all rental companies housed in one building.  Several cities have them, including San Francisco.

Tennreb is right, though, about whether travelers really need one.  Why would someone really need a rental car in NOLA?  To visit Metairie?

Edited by JPKneworleans, 27 February 2008 - 09:55 PM.

[UptownNewOrleans]

Quote

Why would someone really need a rental car in NOLA? To visit Metairie?

Pretty much. You also need a car if you're going to NOE but even then you should be able to hop on a streetcar and go over that way.