Richmond International Airport

[I miss RVA]

38 minutes ago, eandslee said:

My bad - I didn’t emphasize it, but you’re right - an airline probably won’t help pay for a parallel runway, but a new (additional) terminal?  ALL DAY LONG!  Airlines do this all the time when they invest in the hub airports.  RDU got a new terminal back in the day when American Airlines (I think it was AA) decided to put a small hub at RDU. JetBlue built a nice new terminal at JFK recently.  So, Terminal, yes…new runway, probably not. This is where RIC needs to get things moving so that we can say we are ready for an airline to come in and invest at RIC. 
 

Marketing?  Market the hell out of the place!!

Costs?  Costs have improved over the years at RIC and is getting better. Still could improve. 

So perhaps this gives us an indication of what and where the priorities need to be regarding investment in physical infrastructure and the order in which they need to take place. If an airline willing to drop a hub at RIC might be willing to invest significantly in either an expansion of the existing terminal or - probably a better investment - the construction of a SECOND terminal -- then OUR most pressing need is getting the parallel runways built. And THAT kind of money can certainly be found in federal and state appropriations. If additional legislation funding more infrastructure improvements comes to pass (and unfortunately, I don't see that happening over the next couple of years for obvious reasons) then perhaps federal funds could be applied to getting those parallels built. In looking at the RIC master plan, the full build out shows four runways - two sets of parallels - which is EXACTLY what is needed. Building one runway to parallel one of the existing runways (probably the longest one) is nice - but in truth we need the full buildout handled in one shot. Piecemealing something like this is just foolish and accomplishes very little. If RIC's runway layout needs reconfiguring to accommodate dual sets of parallels, then so be it - get the funding and build the damn things. Worry about the terminal later. That's of secondary importance than building the very thing -- parallels -- that make a hub possible.

So the point of "build the better mouse trap and they will come" -- then OUR portion (which would HAVE to come first) would be the runways. THEN perhaps we could land an airline and get their help to get a bigger/better terminal setup in place.

Edited December 12, 2022 by I miss RVA

[blopp1234]

9 hours ago, eandslee said:

RIC is currently served by 9 airlines (when you consider the newest passenger service provided by Sun Country Airlines starting in May '23), which is a lot (I think) considering our metro area size....but the question you want answered is what do we need to do to be competitive and grow at RIC.  I can think of a few things:

1) There should be a focused effort on drawing more flyers to RIC.  I think the airport could advertise more not only in the Richmond Metro Area, but also in the surrounding areas (Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Farmville, Williamsburg,...even NOVA, etc.).  I think the airport needs to cast a wider net to gain the customers it is capable of grabbing.  Some folks in the outlying areas may not even consider RIC an option and automatically think that the NOVA airports are the only/best option.  Advertising certain airlines/service in the Norfolk area (not currently served by ORF) should also be done to cast the widest net for riders on certain routes.  Why isn't this being done now?  I don't know.  I rarely, if ever hear/watch/see any ads for RIC, anywhere.  There's probably no/little money to advertise, but I think that needs to change.  Okay...that's one thing I think will help.

2) I believe in the "if you build it, they will come" idea.  I realize it's a huge risk though and it's not my money that would be used to do this, so, in that regard, it's easy for me to say.  I think the airport needs to be WAY ahead of any need for certain facilities (i.e. additional gates, runways, a new terminal, etc.) with the idea that an airline will see the vacancy and want to fill it.  The downside to doing this is that an airline, if it wanted to significantly expand at RIC, would probably pay for the expansion themselves (which the airport wouldn't have to do or foot the bill for).  So, it's very risky to do and is probably cost-prohibitive, but in my little fantasy world, that would be the thing to do.

3) I think the airport does a great job serving it passengers, but there's always room for improvement.  So, the airport just needs to make sure it is always improving the passenger experience at the airport.  Examples would be:  Improving the storefront/restaurant offerings in the airport, improve security (which I think they are planning to do by moving all security to one place so that passengers can walk between Concourse A and B), keep making parking easy, push and advocate for mass transit options to the airport to improve accessibility (better than just a bus that takes 30+ minutes to get from downtown to the airport), keep improving the facilities to keep the place looking new and up-to-date with the latest technology for an improved passenger experience, improve the time it take to get checked baggage from the aircraft to the baggage claim (that's been terrible the last few times I flew in and out of RIC...that HAS to get better), etc.

Those are just a few ideas I had that popped up at the top of my head.  I'm sure there's more, but these would be a great start!

1. Absolutely agree with this point. I’ve lived in Richmond all my life and haven’t seen a single RIC new service add outside of the airport itself. We could absolutely dominate the travel market of Central Virginia, getting travelers from Charlottesville, Williamsburg, Southern VA and even Fredericksburg (the drive to Reagan and Dulles SUCKS from Fredericksburg).

2. I also would love to see more terminal expansion but unless we start running into capacity problems with our current number of gates, I don’t think the airport could justify spending money when we still aren’t near peak capacity for the number of gates we have.

3. 100% agree. I know we don’t really have people laying over in RIC but it shocks me we don’t have a better selection of food and retail places. Places like Memphis, Louisville, Jacksonville seem to have much more and better options than RIC. Not many quick and fast places to get food in the airport (ie. Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, etc).

1 hour ago, I miss RVA said:

2.) BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME: Once again, we're in 100% lockstep agreement. I feel like I've been calling for an abandonment of traditional old-school Virginia "fiscal conservatism" when it comes to the airport since the time of Abraham -- and I'll keep calling for it until either I'm lowered into the grave or until the CRAC and other powers that be both at RIC and in local government actually get off the schneid and pony up the pennies, nickels and dimes to make it happen. All of your points on expansion and improvement need to come to pass - and I believe all of them are in the airports current master plan. Yes - building a bigger/better airport is gonna be bloody expensive. Now - to your point of an airline paying for airport expansion: I somehow don't see an airline willing to pay for parallel runways - and folks, we need two of 'em -- one set of parallels is nice - but we need two sets to realistically land us a hub. We need probably a complete second terminal (just expanding the current facility likely won't be sufficient)... we probably need a third and or fourth concourse - so we're talking about possibly doubling the number of gates we currently have.

By old-school (most would argue "realistic" thinking) - do we NEED this right now? Obviously - current traffic does not warrant this kind of expansion. HOWEVER - I'm 100% in lock step with you in that if we took the Nestea Plunge and built out the damn thing to the max - it won't sit idle. Will there be un/under used portions of such a huge facility for a while? Yeah - probably. But I don't think it will sit empty for more than a few years. If we build - AND MARKET - a MEGA airport (mind you, MEGA by "Richmond standards" - no one is talking about replicating DFW or ORD or ATL) - airlines will start showing up. I think they'd at least take a chance on the place and give it a shot. If they can't get the traffic - okay. That's one thing. But I think they'll show up - RVA's market size be damned - if for nothing else than the fact a new "super airport" just might attract travelers from out-of-market to come a fly out of this facility (particularly if indeed it helped increase direct service).

Admittedly different market dynamics altogether - but when it was first built in the '60s, how long did IAD sit empty? It wasn't all that long, if i remember my history correctly.

Firstly, I don’t think we need a parallel runway to be a busy airport. Some of the worlds busiest (London Heathrow, Dubai, LaGuardia, Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, Vienna, etc. all have 2 or 1 runway and handle far more traffic than RIC, as well as most hubs in the US. The reason some hubs (ie. Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Detroit) have so many runways is largely due to which airlines have hubs at those airports and how those hubs are run. Charlotte for example, operates as a banked hub, where almost all of their flights via American (the hub operator) arrive and depart at roughly the same time. Outside of the bank times, traffic in the airport is relatively moderate, similar to what would be found during peak times at RIC. There are really only 3 airlines in the US that operate this style of hub (American, Delta, United) and all 3 have no intention of opening a hub due to having hubs within a 1 hour flight (American and United) or are trying to recover existing hubs and have no intention of expansion outside of those hubs (Delta). That would really be the only reason we would need a 3rd runway is if we landed a banked hub, otherwise we can make due with 2 as other larger cities have (ie. Austin, San Jose, San Diego, San Antonio, Columbus, New Orleans). Unless a new airline that operates banked hubs comes along (almost impossible as without a large amount of resources, banked hubs are nearly impossible to operate) we likely won’t see a terminal the size of Charlottes anytime soon without unprecedented levels of passenger growth (ie. upwards of 15-20 million per year). This doesn’t mean we won’t see expansion anytime soon. Austin is adding to their terminal without being a hub as they have large demand and a fast growing business market (as does Richmond).  I don’t see a focus city out of the realm of possibility, especially if an airline wants to use RIC as a sort of back door opening to NOVA (similar to what Newburgh airport is to NYC). I feel like some transatlantic budget carriers (ie. North Atlantic, WOW or any future upstarts) could have success as fares are likely cheaper than DC with far less competition and RIC is within range of the UK and Ireland on the 737-7 Max, which RIC could support a few days a week if connections were provided to cities beyond.

[I miss RVA]

53 minutes ago, blopp1234 said:

1. Absolutely agree with this point. I’ve lived in Richmond all my life and haven’t seen a single RIC new service add outside of the airport itself. We could absolutely dominate the travel market of Central Virginia, getting travelers from Charlottesville, Williamsburg, Southern VA and even Fredericksburg (the drive to Reagan and Dulles SUCKS from Fredericksburg).

2. I also would love to see more terminal expansion but unless we start running into capacity problems with our current number of gates, I don’t think the airport could justify spending money when we still aren’t near peak capacity for the number of gates we have.

3. 100% agree. I know we don’t really have people laying over in RIC but it shocks me we don’t have a better selection of food and retail places. Places like Memphis, Louisville, Jacksonville seem to have much more and better options than RIC. Not many quick and fast places to get food in the airport (ie. Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, etc).

Firstly, I don’t think we need a parallel runway to be a busy airport. Some of the worlds busiest (London Heathrow, Dubai, LaGuardia, Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, Vienna, etc. all have 2 or 1 runway and handle far more traffic than RIC, as well as most hubs in the US. The reason some hubs (ie. Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Detroit) have so many runways is largely due to which airlines have hubs at those airports and how those hubs are run. Charlotte for example, operates as a banked hub, where almost all of their flights via American (the hub operator) arrive and depart at roughly the same time. Outside of the bank times, traffic in the airport is relatively moderate, similar to what would be found during peak times at RIC. There are really only 3 airlines in the US that operate this style of hub (American, Delta, United) and all 3 have no intention of opening a hub due to having hubs within a 1 hour flight (American and United) or are trying to recover existing hubs and have no intention of expansion outside of those hubs (Delta). That would really be the only reason we would need a 3rd runway is if we landed a banked hub, otherwise we can make due with 2 as other larger cities have (ie. Austin, San Jose, San Diego, San Antonio, Columbus, New Orleans). Unless a new airline that operates banked hubs comes along (almost impossible as without a large amount of resources, banked hubs are nearly impossible to operate) we likely won’t see a terminal the size of Charlottes anytime soon without unprecedented levels of passenger growth (ie. upwards of 15-20 million per year). This doesn’t mean we won’t see expansion anytime soon. Austin is adding to their terminal without being a hub as they have large demand and a fast growing business market (as does Richmond).  I don’t see a focus city out of the realm of possibility, especially if an airline wants to use RIC as a sort of back door opening to NOVA (similar to what Newburgh airport is to NYC). I feel like some transatlantic budget carriers (ie. North Atlantic, WOW or any future upstarts) could have success as fares are likely cheaper than DC with far less competition and RIC is within range of the UK and Ireland on the 737-7 Max, which RIC could support a few days a week if connections were provided to cities beyond.

Interesting in looking at the RIC master plan - they are envisioning four runways - three running parallel to each other from NW to SE and the fourth (much shorter) running almost due north-to-south, parallel to the layout of the terminal.

I'd love to see us get into that 15-20 million annual traffic-load. That's right about where RDU is right now (I believe pre-pandemic they were clocking in at 14 million and change). CLT is already in excess of 50 million annually and that figure continues to climb. 

Re: the number of parallels: In looking at the RIC master plan, I stand corrected - I thought the plan called for building TWO of them - it calls for just the one - and that makes sense. My mistake on misreading how the master plan was categorizing runways! 

I'll agree with you that we could snag a focus-city operation and that perhaps one or more of the trans-Atlantic budget carriers could be ripe for the picking if we try hard enough. Boy wouldn't THAT be a win!

HOWEVER... we'll have to agree to disagree on whether RIC should build out a third/parallel runway (even through your analysis on how some of the hubs operate is fantastic and very enlightening!).  Respectfully, saying RVA doesn't "need" something (and thereby bypassing on a potentially HUGELY successful opportunity) is, unfortunately, a hallmark of the rather traditional risk-averse mindset to which RVA has -- to her own detriment - adhered for all of my lifetime. I'd like -- just for once -- for her to think outside the box. That the CRAC/RIC/powers that be are actually penciling in a third/parallel runway into the airport's official master plan shows that we ABSOLUTELY ARE capable of thinking outside the box. We need MORE of that - not less. The powers that be have determined that it would be a worthwhile investment - otherwise, why would they plan for it?

Mind you - I'm always looking to go WAY outside the box. Don't wait for the "need" to arrive (we'll all be dead and gone by that time). Build the bloody thing and CREATE the need! Who knows how many airlines might take a serious look at coming to RIC if they see we have over-and-above capacity to handle however many flights they decide to drop in? As you said - perhaps we become (in part) a feeder for DC (I'll give you another NYC example - Newark!!) - plenty of opportunities abound.

I'll conclude by asking the exact same questions I ask regarding progressive/large-scale development vs preservation or supercharged growth vs slow/incremental/organic growth: WHY think small and hold ourselves back? WHY NOT think BIG and at least give ourselves a chance that something extraordinarily great could happen?

Edited December 12, 2022 by I miss RVA

[I miss RVA]

12 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Interesting in looking at the RIC master plan - they are envisioning four runways - three running parallel to each other from NW to SE and the fourth (much shorter) running almost due north-to-south, parallel to the layout of the terminal.

I'd love to see us get into that 15-20 million annual traffic-load. That's right about where RDU is right now (I believe pre-pandemic they were clocking in at 14 million and change). CLT is already in excess of 50 million annually and that figure continues to climb. 

Re: the number of parallels: In looking at the RIC master plan, I stand corrected - I thought the plan called for building TWO of them - it calls for just the one - and that makes sense. My mistake on misreading how the master plan was categorizing runways! 

I'll agree with you that we could snag a focus-city operation and that perhaps one or more of the trans-Atlantic budget carriers could be ripe for the picking if we try hard enough. Boy wouldn't THAT be a win!

HOWEVER... we'll have to agree to disagree on whether RIC should build out a third/parallel runway (even through your analysis on how some of the hubs operate is fantastic and very enlightening! It's good and quite educational to learn how these things work in other places!).  Respectfully, saying RVA doesn't "need" something (and thereby bypassing on a potentially HUGELY successful opportunity) is, unfortunately, a hallmark of the rather traditional risk-averse mindset to which RVA has -- to her own detriment - adhered for all of my lifetime. I'd like -- just for once -- for her to think outside the box. That the CRAC/RIC/powers that be are actually penciling in a third/parallel runway into the airport's official master plan shows that we ABSOLUTELY ARE capable of thinking outside the box. We need MORE of that - not less. The powers that be have determined that it would be a worthwhile investment - otherwise, why would they plan for it?

Mind you - I'm always looking to go WAY outside the box. Don't wait for the "need" to arrive (we'll all be dead and gone by that time). Build the bloody thing and CREATE the need! Who knows how many airlines might take a serious look at coming to RIC if they see we have over-and-above capacity to handle however many flights they decide to drop in? As you said - perhaps we become (in part) a feeder for DC (I'll give you another NYC example - Newark!!) - plenty of opportunities abound.

I'll conclude by asking the exact same questions I ask regarding progressive/large-scale development vs preservation or supercharged growth vs organic growth: WHY think small and hold ourselves back? WHY NOT think BIG and at least give ourselves a chance that something extraordinarily great could happen?

 

[upzoningisgood]

On 12/11/2022 at 11:02 AM, eandslee said:

Yeah, I think there needs to be a more frequent option for flights between BNA and RIC.  How are those flights...full?

Sorry, just saw this. Reasonably, full I think? Honestly I’ve never thought about it. I don’t remember being crushed like a sardine but I don’t remember a bunch of empty seats either.

[Ward Wood]

Does anyone know what is going on here? It looked like crews pouring a bunch of concrete. Maybe just re-paving.

This is looking out from gate B14 at RIC today.

[eandslee]

12 hours ago, Ward Wood said:

Does anyone know what is going on here? It looked like crews pouring a bunch of concrete. Maybe just re-paving.

This is looking out from gate B14 at RIC today.

Yes, this is the apron expansion southward that's been going on for the past year or so.  It's being done in phases...I think they're in phase 2 (maybe 3).  The purpose is to "have a place to de-ice aircraft," which it will be used for that, but long term, all of that is just "code" for making way for future Concourse B  expansion and a new terminal on that side of the airport one day.  Supposedly, the cargo facility in the background of the photo is to move to the northeast side of the airport...also to make way for passenger service facility expansion.  If I can find the documentation that includes the details, I'll post them here.

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by eandslee

[I miss RVA]

22 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Yes, this is the apron expansion southward that's been going on for the past year or so.  It's being done in phases...I think they're in phase 2 (maybe 3).  The purpose is to "have a place to de-ice aircraft," but all of that is just "code" for making way for future Concourse B  expansion and a new terminal on that side of the airport one day.  Supposedly, the cargo facility in the background of the photo is to move to the northeast side of the airport...also to make way for passenger service facility expansion.  If I can find the documentation that includes the details, I'll post them here.

 

Right - that makes sense - we can see this listed in the current master plan - and that it's under way is SO cool because we can actually now translate plan into action as it's happening.

Now - since this is related ultimately to both concourse and terminal expansion: am I reading the master plan correctly in that - as both Concourses A & B are currently configured - they are BOTH due to be expanded FURTHER out (both concourses) one more time (this is regardless of the buildout of a second terminal building and a Concourse C)

 

[eandslee]

20 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Right - that makes sense - we can see this listed in the current master plan - and that it's under way is SO cool because we can actually now translate plan into action as it's happening.

Now - since this is related ultimately to both concourse and terminal expansion: am I reading the master plan correctly in that - as both Concourses A & B are currently configured - they are BOTH due to be expanded FURTHER out (both concourses) one more time (this is regardless of the buildout of a second terminal building and a Concourse C)

 

Yes, that's the way I read it too.

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, eandslee said:

Yes, this is the apron expansion southward that's been going on for the past year or so.  It's being done in phases...I think they're in phase 2 (maybe 3).  The purpose is to "have a place to de-ice aircraft," but all of that is just "code" for making way for future Concourse B  expansion and a new terminal on that side of the airport one day.  Supposedly, the cargo facility in the background of the photo is to move to the northeast side of the airport...also to make way for passenger service facility expansion.  If I can find the documentation that includes the details, I'll post them here.

 

Found it.  This document tells you all the details...everything you'd want to know about this project.  See attached.

RIC Apron Expansion.pdf

[I miss RVA]

31 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Found it.  This document tells you all the details...everything you'd want to know about this project.  See attached.

RIC Apron Expansion.pdf 4.91 MB · 5 downloads

Glad this one is underway. It's a necessary stepping stone toward other -- bigger fish - in the master plan that we'd like to see. I'm guessing that barring something quite miraculous regarding passenger traffic and an airline suddenly having an overwhelming compulsion to drop a hub at RIC, it will take some time before we see the additional expansions of Concourses A & B (much less anything else). 

SO much work to be done to drive passenger volume up. It HAS to happen. And while a certain amount is dependent upon market size, we really have to stretch the envelope to get volume up at a quicker rate.

To three solid points that  @blopp1234 mentioned the other day - all three of which appear to be 100% attainable as part of a serious, concentrated path of growth to significantly boost traffic at RIC:

1.) Focus City/flight operations -- there HAS to be an airline we could convince to set up shop at RIC. So we are currently served by nine carriers - GREAT! If none of them are interested in establishing focus city/flight ops at RIC - what other airlines are out there that might be attracted here? (I keep thinking about the fact that RDU is currently served by 14 carriers - but how many of them are non-domestic, international carriers? That might be a tougher nut for us to crack.)

2.) Trans-Atlantic budget carriers -- that's a good call. Once we have re-established our international service infrastructure - it makes sense to really go after these kinds of carriers and see if if there is someone who will bite. Particularly once LEGO's big factory is up and running (and even more so if somehow we were able to pry their U.S. HQ away from Connecticut.)

3.) Back-door feeder to D.C. It's something that has the potential to give us a nice bump-up in traffic and it's definitely something I hope we can pursue.

Edited December 15, 2022 by I miss RVA

[Niccckk]

22 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

Glad this one is underway. It's a necessary stepping stone toward other -- bigger fish - in the master plan that we'd like to see. I'm guessing that barring something quite miraculous regarding passenger traffic and an airline suddenly having an overwhelming compulsion to drop a hub at RIC, it will take some time before we see the additional expansions of Concourses A & B (much less anything else). 

SO much work to be done to drive passenger volume up. It HAS to happen. And while a certain amount is dependent upon market size, we really have to stretch the envelope to get volume up at a quicker rate.

To three solid points that  @blopp1234 mentioned the other day - all three of which appear to be 100% attainable as part of a serious, concentrated path of growth to significantly boost traffic at RIC:

1.) Focus City/flight operations -- there HAS to be an airline we could convince to set up shop at RIC. So we are currently served by nine carriers - GREAT! If none of them are interested in establishing focus city/flight ops at RIC - what other airlines are out there that might be attracted here? (I keep thinking about the fact that RDU is currently served by 14 carriers - but how many of them are non-domestic, international carriers? That might be a tougher nut for us to crack.)

2.) Trans-Atlantic budget carriers -- that's a good call. Once we have re-established our international service infrastructure - it makes sense to really go after these kinds of carriers and see if if there is someone who will bite. Particularly once LEGO's big factory is up and running (and even more so if somehow we were able to pry their U.S. HQ away from Connecticut.)

3.) Back-door feeder to D.C. It's something that has the potential to give us a nice bump-up in traffic and it's definitely something I hope we can pursue.

I feel like our best chance at a focus city with any airline right now is Breeze... but I have a hard time seeing Breeze do that since they have base at Norfolk already (still pissed about that...), but at the same time, they seem to have no trouble adding destinations from here and increasing their frequencies unlike our coastal neighbor... 

For Trans-Atlantic flights in the future (obviously after the new international infrastructure like you said), I can see Delta, Breeze, or jetBlue putting their hat in for a trans-atlantic flight out of here. Maybe Concourse C would be an international terminal? That project is far enough down the road that it kind of makes sense.

JetBlue has been growing their trans-atlantic flights rapidly in the US, and Breeze supposedly has plans for that down the road as well, so I feel like those 3 are our best chances. One day.

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Niccckk said:

I feel like our best chance at a focus city with any airline right now is Breeze... but I have a hard time seeing Breeze do that since they have base at Norfolk already (still pissed about that...), but at the same time, they seem to have no trouble adding destinations from here and increasing their frequencies unlike our coastal neighbor... 

For Trans-Atlantic flights in the future (obviously after the new international infrastructure like you said), I can see Delta, Breeze, or jetBlue putting their hat in for a trans-atlantic flight out of here. Maybe Concourse C would be an international terminal? That project is far enough down the road that it kind of makes sense.

JetBlue has been growing their trans-atlantic flights rapidly in the US, and Breeze supposedly has plans for that down the road as well, so I feel like those 3 are our best chances. One day.

Well said all the way around, @Niccckkand I agree with you across the board. It IS hard to see Breeze putting a focus city/flight ops in at RIC with ORF right down the highway - BUT - as you said, they seem to have ZERO hesitation about adding destinations and increasing frequencies out of RIC whereas ORF hasn't seem the same level of increases that RIC has. (Maybe bc RIC started out behind ORF? I don't recall the comparative levels of service when Breeze began landing in both markets).

Good to know that perhaps Delta as well as Breeze or JetBlue could float a trial balloon of a trans-Atlantic destination or two out of RIC. Wouldn't THAT be something! I had the exact same internal reaction when I saw the airport master plan for a second terminal and third concourse. Perhaps Terminal 2 COULD very well be at least in part RIC's "International Terminal" (maybe sharing space -- not gates - but concourse space -- with domestic flights. PERHAPS - down the road the design of Terminal 2 could be reconfigured slightly to extend Concourse C straight out farther to the south - and have a spur angling to the southeast (imagine a lower-case letter "y" on it's side) - one could be a dedicated concourse for international flights - and the other dedicated for domestic flights (essentially a Concourse C and a Concourse D) ... Obviously this would be WAYYYYYYYY down the road and we'd prolly have to be handling AT LEAST 15 million passengers annually (maybe closer to 20 million?) - but folks, it doesn't cost a single dime to dream - and if you're gonna dream, you might as well dream big!

 

Edited December 16, 2022 by I miss RVA

[Niccckk]

Hahahaha! And just like that Delta is serving MSP again! Looks like the daily flights with it will out number SunCountry

Looks like flights will commence June 13th

Edited December 17, 2022 by Niccckk

[I miss RVA]

5 hours ago, Niccckk said:

Hahahaha! And just like that Delta is serving MSP again! Looks like the daily flights with it will out number SunCountry

Looks like flights will commence June 13th

 

YESSSSS  SIRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! 

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! WOW - this is an early Christmas present from our friends at Delta. And DAILY service, too! (And not just 2x, 3x or 4x per week)!

This is EXACTLY what RIC needs!

(PERSONAL NOTE: Talk about TIMING: I saw (and responded to) this post whilst watching the Colts-Vikings game being played at U.S. Bank Stadium in - you guessed it -- Minneapolis. How about that!!)

* * * * 

Our new mantra for RIC should be:

"RIC - constructing Terminal 2 and Concourses C & D one new/additional flight at a time..."

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by I miss RVA

[eandslee]

14 hours ago, Niccckk said:

Hahahaha! And just like that Delta is serving MSP again! Looks like the daily flights with it will out number SunCountry

Looks like flights will commence June 13th

I wonder what aircraft will be used on this route?  They were using the CRJ-900s back when they last served MSP. I’d be interested to know if they will upgrade the aircraft to a mainline variety.  This is good news all around, but this will likely hurt Sun Country. They won’t be able to compete with daily service…unless they offer daily service as well. Wouldn’t that be something if Sun Country announced daily service now that Delta announced they will re-instate this daily route?  Will this be “war” over the Richmond market?  We shall see!  I love this though. 

Now let’s see if American Airlines will answer to Breeze’s move to fly to PHX from RIC!

[I miss RVA]

6 minutes ago, eandslee said:

I wonder what aircraft will be used on this route?  They were using the CRJ-900s back when they last served MSP. I’d be interested to know if they will upgrade the aircraft to a mainline variety.  This is good news all around, but this will likely hurt Sun Country. They won’t be able to compete with daily service…unless they offer daily service as well. Wouldn’t that be something if Sun Country announced daily service now that Delta announced they will re-instate this daily route?  Will this be “war” over the Richmond market?  We shall see!  I love this though. 

Now let’s see if American Airlines will answer to Breeze’s move to fly to PHX from RIC!

1.) Sun Country: I hope and pray it doesn't hurt them in terms of RIC service. I'm glad to have them on the roster of airlines serving RIC. Re: them maybe stepping up to daily service to MSP - from your keyboard to God's eyes, my dear friend! Let's hope and pray they get into one of those lovely fare wars with Delta -- which for certain will keep ticket prices low on that route - all the better to keep service really rolling!

2.) Getting AA to play ball and compete with Breeze on the PHX route: again, from your keyboard to God's eyes! I'd SO love for RIC to suddenly become one of these hidden gems that's an out-of-nowhere "top prize" for airlines to compete for service. What a HUGE boon that would be for RIC!

RIC - constructing Terminal 2 and Concourses C & D one new/additional flight at a time...

[Niccckk]

On 12/18/2022 at 12:28 AM, eandslee said:

I wonder what aircraft will be used on this route?  They were using the CRJ-900s back when they last served MSP. I’d be interested to know if they will upgrade the aircraft to a mainline variety.

According to the flight schedules it appears to still be Delta Connection so so probably still CRJs for now.

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, Niccckk said:

According to the flight schedules it appears to still be Delta Connection so so probably still CRJs for now.

Yeah, I saw that it was definitely going to be CRJ-900s...unfortunately...unless demand requires a larger aircraft.  I'll keep my fingers crossed that the demand increases!

[upzoningisgood]

On 12/14/2022 at 7:07 AM, upzoningisgood said:

Sorry, just saw this. Reasonably, full I think? Honestly I’ve never thought about it. I don’t remember being crushed like a sardine but I don’t remember a bunch of empty seats either.

I’d estimate 85% full on this morning’s Allegiant flight from Nashville.

Edited December 21, 2022 by upzoningisgood

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, upzoningisgood said:

I’d estimate 85% full on this morning’s Allegiant flight from Nashville.

Good report!  Thanks!  85% is decent, but it won’t get us another flight. We need that aircraft chock full!

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, upzoningisgood said:

I’d estimate 85% full on this morning’s Allegiant flight from Nashville.

Not bad at all!! It shouldn't take all that much to make up that 15% gap going forward. Good news, indeed!

[blopp1234]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1v0ljPTl647R4UqPOwemAGLx73IeDw-lZ/htmlview#
 

Found the September 2022 statistics for Breeze and they look very promising. RIC ranks in the top 10 for percentage of seats filled and ranks 4 among all cities Breeze serves in passenger numbers with 10,576 served in September alone, outperforming multiple focus cities, such as New Orleans, Las Vegas and Hartford. Makes sense why Breeze keeps expanding here when they averaged 91 passengers per flight (74.6% of all seats offered).
 

Here’s hoping we can get some 2x weekly flights to places like Cincinnati, Louisville and Columbus as outside of Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis, there aren’t really any midwestern cities served directly from RIC.

Edited December 27, 2022 by blopp1234

[I miss RVA]

43 minutes ago, blopp1234 said:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1v0ljPTl647R4UqPOwemAGLx73IeDw-lZ/htmlview#
 

Found the September 2022 statistics for Breeze and they look very promising. RIC ranks in the top 10 for percentage of seats filled and ranks 4 among all cities Breeze serves in passenger numbers with 10,576 served in September alone, outperforming multiple focus cities, such as New Orleans, Las Vegas and Hartford. Makes sense why Breeze keeps expanding here when they averaged 91 passengers per flight (74.6% of all seats offered).
 

Here’s hoping we can get some 2x weekly flights to places like Cincinnati, Louisville and Columbus as outside of Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis, there aren’t really any midwestern cities served directly from RIC.

This is fantastic, @blopp1234!  Agreed - Cincy, Louisville and Columbus would be good midwestern adds for RIC.

Annnnnnnnnnd RIC was passed over as a focus city airport exactly WHY? 

[wrldcoupe4]

I was thinking the same thing. Because Norfolk is probably the better option?  Bigger market, more tourism, more military, etc. as a layman it seems like a safer bet.