Richmond International Airport

[I miss RVA]

15 minutes ago, eandslee said:

I like where you're going with this! 

On a separate note (worth noting), Breeze announced it's first international flight today between LAX and Cabo San Lucas in November this year.  No other international flights have been announced yet, but I have a feeling that Breeze is just getting started.  Also of note, I checked with a friend at the airport today and the international gate that is being renovated to serve international flights should be completed by July/Aug timeframe.  Would be awesome to have some international flights scheduled to break the new gate in as soon as the renovation is complete.  I'm hopeful here...it's coming...it's not a question of "if," it's just a question of "when."

Good to hear that the international arrivals/customs facility will be up and running in just a couple of months! WOW - time really zipped by on that one. Agreed - it's not a matter of if, but when. Interesting - we talk about cracking through the 500K monthly barrier -- getting the international gate up and running and getting REGULAR flights and getting somewhat FREQUENT flights flying out of that gate will help push things along. So - what's the game plan - to have one gate dedicated to international arrivals/departures in one specific area of one concourse? What are the chances that more than one airline might offer international service?

Side note: if over the next couple of years we could manage to AVERAGE 500K passengers PER month -- over the course of a calendar year, that would push us to 6 million passengers annually. Just wanted to throw that out there. Every possible effort needs to go into cracking these milestones and doing it as quickly as possible - meaning, taking no more than a few years at most to reach and exceed these figures.

Edited May 2, 2023 by I miss RVA

[blopp1234]

11 hours ago, eandslee said:

I like where you're going with this! 

On a separate note (worth noting), Breeze announced it's first international flight today between LAX and Cabo San Lucas in November this year.  No other international flights have been announced yet, but I have a feeling that Breeze is just getting started.  Also of note, I checked with a friend at the airport today and the international gate that is being renovated to serve international flights should be completed by July/Aug timeframe.  Would be awesome to have some international flights scheduled to break the new gate in as soon as the renovation is complete.  I'm hopeful here...it's coming...it's not a question of "if," it's just a question of "when."

This is a funny route for Breeze. 6 other airlines fly this exact route so unless it’s charter service, it doesn’t fit into their business plan at all. If they try and compete head to head with the likes of American, delta, United, etc. they will be in trouble.

 

As far as international flights, I doubt we will get any starting this summer, so I’d expect if we do get an international route to hear it announced around novemberish, but once again there is no guarantee we will have a route announced. 

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, blopp1234 said:

This is a funny route for Breeze. 6 other airlines fly this exact route so unless it’s charter service, it doesn’t fit into their business plan at all. If they try and compete head to head with the likes of American, delta, United, etc. they will be in trouble.

 

As far as international flights, I doubt we will get any starting this summer, so I’d expect if we do get an international route to hear it announced around novemberish, but once again there is no guarantee we will have a route announced. 

Curious to know what you see is the stumbling block. Why -- if we have a new facility up and running - and the airlines certainly have known RIC has had this in the works for some time now to re-establish itself as a legit international gateway - even if only limited service (seasonal & "regional" international, as we have had previously) - why would airlines eschew an international route or two here? Also - why would there be a big delay? Is it industry related? Post-pandemic related? Market related?

Yes - I'm picking your brain for insights because, as a layman, I don't understand how these things work and what the hiccup might be for RIC. So any light you might shed on this is very gratefully appreciated. 

[blopp1234]

1 hour ago, I miss RVA said:

Curious to know what you see is the stumbling block. Why -- if we have a new facility up and running - and the airlines certainly have known RIC has had this in the works for some time now to re-establish itself as a legit international gateway - even if only limited service (seasonal & "regional" international, as we have had previously) - why would airlines eschew an international route or two here? Also - why would there be a big delay? Is it industry related? Post-pandemic related? Market related?

Yes - I'm picking your brain for insights because, as a layman, I don't understand how these things work and what the hiccup might be for RIC. So any light you might shed on this is very gratefully appreciated. 

A lot of it has to do with aircraft availability, which has led to cities that have more demand and larger populations than RIC not having service to some major Caribbean destinations. Another is airline route structures and how airlines operate routes. 
 

First is aircraft availability, the likely candidates to expand internationally out of RIC would be JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, Air Canada and Breeze. I’ll get into the reasons why it’s just these airlines and not the legacy carriers (American, Delta, United) in my next paragraph. The delay of the 737 max has hampered Southwests ability to grow as they simply don’t have enough planes in their fleet to keep growing at the rate they were able to prior to the pandemic. This has led them to focus on domestic routes, where demand is stronger year round, rather than focusing on leisure destinations in the Caribbean. The effects of this are that some of the cities where southwest has major operating presence, such as Nashville, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, etc. not having service to some of the major Caribbean vacation destinations such as San Juan, Montego Bay, and Punta Cana. JetBlue would be another candidate as they have a large Caribbean presence, however, outside of Cancun and San Juan, they primarily operate these routes out of their hubs in NYC, Boston, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, so I would find it hard to believe that they would add a route from RIC to anywhere other than Cancun or maybe San Juan (as a long shot). Spirit could add maybe Cancun, Montego Bay or San Juan if we are lucky but they seem to primarily focus their international travel out of larger cities and feed travelers to said large cities (ie. Fort Lauderdale, Orlando) for their international flights. Air Canada could very well add a regional flight to Toronto but I don’t see us getting any destinations in Canada in the near future outside of Toronto as demand simply isn’t there for other routes. Breeze might be the best shot of non Cancun or Toronto international destinations, however, I believe it been mentioned they want their east coast international flights to start in Tampa so I doubt we see any flights outside of maybe a Breeze thru to Cancun starting within the next year. 
 

The reason that some of the larger airlines like American, Delta, and United aren’t on the potential list IMO is how they operate their route networks. All three of those airlines and most other larger airlines (Southwest, JetBlue, Spirit) will try to funnel  passengers through their hubs as it allows them to fill flights from their hubs, allowing them to operate to more destinations with more frequent flights. This simplifies their operations, making it easier to schedule planes and less likely crews will need to layover in hotels overnight, saving money. 
 

Personally (and I hope I’m wrong), I think Cancun (seasonally) and Toronto would be our best bets at international service with maybe San Juan, Punta Cana and Montego Bay seasonally being long shots but not out of the question. Anything else sadly is a pipe dream for now, but honestly most other cities similar to Richmond, such as Columbus, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, don’t have much international service outside of Toronto and Cancun. It’s not that the demand isn’t there but taking a risk on an international route is far larger than a domestic route, leading to domestic airlines being skeptical to try out a international route unless they are sure it will be successful.

 

Again this it just based on my knowledge of the situation so if anyone directly in the industry has any better explanation I’d love to hear it. I’d also love to be wrong about this and RIC get tons of international routes but I’m trying to be realistic and not get my hopes up too high. 
 

So to answer your question, it’s both industry and market related, mostly industry related and the delay to next summer for any possible launch comes strictly from demand. Demand in the winter months for leisure travel dips, and rises in the summer. Most airlines announce their summer routes the November before said summer which is why I’d expect any announcement to come then. 

Edited May 2, 2023 by blopp1234

[I miss RVA]

29 minutes ago, blopp1234 said:

A lot of it has to do with aircraft availability, which has led to cities that have more demand and larger populations than RIC not having service to some major Caribbean destinations. Another is airline route structures and how airlines operate routes. 
 

First is aircraft availability, the likely candidates to expand internationally out of RIC would be JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, Air Canada and Breeze. I’ll get into the reasons why it’s just these airlines and not the legacy carriers (American, Delta, United) in my next paragraph. The delay of the 737 max has hampered Southwests ability to grow as they simply don’t have enough planes in their fleet to keep growing at the rate they were able to prior to the pandemic. This has led them to focus on domestic routes, where demand is stronger year round, rather than focusing on leisure destinations in the Caribbean. The effects of this are that some of the cities where southwest has major operating presence, such as Nashville, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, etc. not having service to some of the major Caribbean vacation destinations such as San Juan, Montego Bay, and Punta Cana. JetBlue would be another candidate as they have a large Caribbean presence, however, outside of Cancun and San Juan, they primarily operate these routes out of their hubs in NYC, Boston, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, so I would find it hard to believe that they would add a route from RIC to anywhere other than Cancun or maybe San Juan (as a long shot). Spirit could add maybe Cancun, Montego Bay or San Juan if we are lucky but they seem to primarily focus their international travel out of larger cities and feed travelers to said large cities (ie. Fort Lauderdale, Orlando) for their international flights. Air Canada could very well add a regional flight to Toronto but I don’t see us getting any destinations in Canada in the near future outside of Toronto as demand simply isn’t there for other routes. Breeze might be the best shot of non Cancun or Toronto international destinations, however, I believe it been mentioned they want their east coast international flights to start in Tampa so I doubt we see any flights outside of maybe a Breeze thru to Cancun starting within the next year. 
 

The reason that some of the larger airlines like American, Delta, and United aren’t on the potential list IMO is how they operate their route networks. All three of those airlines and most other larger airlines (Southwest, JetBlue, Spirit) will try to funnel  passengers through their hubs as it allows them to fill flights from their hubs, allowing them to operate to more destinations with more frequent flights. This simplifies their operations, making it easier to schedule planes and less likely crews will need to layover in hotels overnight, saving money. 
 

Personally (and I hope I’m wrong), I think Cancun (seasonally) and Toronto would be our best bets at international service with maybe San Juan, Punta Cana and Montego Bay seasonally being long shots but not out of the question. Anything else sadly is a pipe dream for now, but honestly most other cities similar to Richmond, such as Columbus, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, don’t have much international service outside of Toronto and Cancun. It’s not that the demand isn’t there but taking a risk on an international route is far larger than a domestic route, leading to domestic airlines being skeptical to try out a international route unless they are sure it will be successful.

 

Again this it just based on my knowledge of the situation so if anyone directly in the industry has any better explanation I’d love to hear it. I’d also love to be wrong about this and RIC get tons of international routes but I’m trying to be realistic and not get my hopes up too high. 
 

So to answer your question, it’s both industry and market related, mostly industry related and the delay to next summer for any possible launch comes strictly from demand. Demand in the winter months for leisure travel dips, and rises in the summer. Most airlines announce their summer routes the November before said summer which is why I’d expect any announcement to come then. 

Great info, @blopp1234!! Very much appreciated. I'm officially putting you on the same level regarding how the airline industry as I put @wrldcoupe4and @upzoningisgoodrelative to the CRE industry. You  really break these things down in a manner than those of us laymen out here can get our heads around, and you back your insights with good data, etc.

So given everything you outlined - there's obviously a lot of excitement about RIC restoring the international gateway - but what was even the point if it appears that the deck is seemingly stacked against us? Is it a matter of throwing good money after bad - or - is it one of those things you hear me preach all the time of "build it and they will come" ? Meaning - if RIC has a gateway, it's going to get used, hopefully sooner rather than later. RIC has had international service previously - and obviously a LOT of money has been invested to reopen the international facility. I can't imagine it will just sit unused.

If we're an UBER long shot to get any kind of reasonable international service re-established (and frankly, the Caribbean and Toronto would be good starts, all things considered) - then why invest in re-establishing the gateway, especially if we're SO far behind other markets that are currently lacking/wanting for service?

Edited May 2, 2023 by I miss RVA

[blopp1234]

34 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Great info, @blopp1234!! Very much appreciated. I'm officially putting you on the same level regarding how the airline industry as I put @wrldcoupe4and @upzoningisgoodrelative to the CRE industry. You  really break these things down in a manner than those of us laymen out here can get our heads around, and you back your insights with good data, etc.

So given everything you outlined - there's obviously a lot of excitement about RIC restoring the international gateway - but what was even the point if it appears that the deck is seemingly stacked against us? Is it a matter of throwing good money after bad - or - is it one of those things you hear me preach all the time of "build it and they will come" ? Meaning - if RIC has a gateway, it's going to get used, hopefully sooner rather than later. RIC has had international service previously - and obviously a LOT of money has been invested to reopen the international facility. I can't imagine it will just sit unused.

If we're an UBER long shot to get any kind of reasonable international service re-established (and frankly, the Caribbean and Toronto would be good starts, all things considered) - then why invest in re-establishing the gateway, especially if we're SO far behind other markets that are currently lacking/wanting for service?

Gonna correct myself to make sure I’m clear about how I worded it, I think Toronto and Cancun are pretty likely. We aren’t far behind other markets in regard to those cities and just because we are behind some cities doesn’t mean we won’t get service before them, just unlikely, but I’m sure the airlines have acres to data that we don’t have so ultimately it will be up to them to decide which routes are chosen. 
 

It is still a good idea to have the international gateway ready to go so that RIC can be ready in case an airline comes along and is interested in establishing international service, there are multiple budget airlines in both the Caribbean and Canada so who knows maybe they will want to start service, but it’s hard to know for sure as passenger statistics are difficult to get for international routes. 

[I miss RVA]

32 minutes ago, blopp1234 said:

Gonna correct myself to make sure I’m clear about how I worded it, I think Toronto and Cancun are pretty likely. We aren’t far behind other markets in regard to those cities and just because we are behind some cities doesn’t mean we won’t get service before them, just unlikely, but I’m sure the airlines have acres to data that we don’t have so ultimately it will be up to them to decide which routes are chosen. 
 

It is still a good idea to have the international gateway ready to go so that RIC can be ready in case an airline comes along and is interested in establishing international service, there are multiple budget airlines in both the Caribbean and Canada so who knows maybe they will want to start service, but it’s hard to know for sure as passenger statistics are difficult to get for international routes. 

Toronto and Cancun would be good starts, no question about it. And success begets success. 

A more general question not specific to international service - but as RIC's passenger totals grow - as we get more routes and more frequent routes - at what point do you think we'll start to see significantly LARGER aircraft flying into/out of RIC? Not that I'm expecting a 747 or an A380 to roll up to one of our fine gates - but at some point, do you think we'll break out of the small-to-medium-size aircraft that are more-or-less the current standard? I'd love to see a few "heavies" flying in/out of RIC at some point before my happy tuchus gets lowered into the ground. And when I say "small" - I don't mean puddle-jumpers. A 737 is "small".

Edited May 2, 2023 by I miss RVA

[blopp1234]

1 hour ago, I miss RVA said:

Toronto and Cancun would be good starts, no question about it. And success begets success. 

A more general question not specific to international service - but as RIC's passenger totals grow - as we get more routes and more frequent routes - at what point do you think we'll start to see significantly LARGER aircraft flying into/out of RIC? Not that I'm expecting a 747 or an A380 to roll up to one of our fine gates - but at some point, do you think we'll break out of the small-to-medium-size aircraft that are more-or-less the current standard? I'd love to see a few "heavies" flying in/out of RIC at some point before my happy tuchus gets lowered into the ground. And when I say "small" - I don't mean puddle-jumpers. A 737 is "small".

By “heavies” I’m gonna assume you are talking about widebodies. 
 

I doubt we see any until there is a contender for transatlantic flights as widebodies rarely fly domestically. Maybe we could see British Airways add a 787 to Heathrow in the future but that’s all I’m seeing in my crystal ball.
 

As far as transatlantic flights go, I think it’s far more likely for RIC to get service transatlantic via a narrowbody aircraft. The latest generation of the A321, which has 180-220 seats has a range of 4,700 miles, more than enough to get from RIC to major cities such as Dublin, London or Paris. That aircraft is what JetBlue uses on all its transatlantic routes and it’s done very well so far. It apparently is much more fuel efficient than the larger wide body aircraft allowing airlines to serve routes outside of your typical IAD-LHR, JFK-LHR, etc.
 

My guess is that when we do EVENTUALLY get transatlantic service, it will likely be on a A321 or 737 Max through Aer Lingus to Dublin as they already operate that aircraft to Hartford, so it would make sense for them to look at other secondary eastern cities that don’t have direct flights to Ireland, such as Providence, Richmond, Norfolk, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Raleigh.

 

 

[I miss RVA]

3 hours ago, blopp1234 said:

By “heavies” I’m gonna assume you are talking about widebodies. 
 

I doubt we see any until there is a contender for transatlantic flights as widebodies rarely fly domestically. Maybe we could see British Airways add a 787 to Heathrow in the future but that’s all I’m seeing in my crystal ball.
 

As far as transatlantic flights go, I think it’s far more likely for RIC to get service transatlantic via a narrowbody aircraft. The latest generation of the A321, which has 180-220 seats has a range of 4,700 miles, more than enough to get from RIC to major cities such as Dublin, London or Paris. That aircraft is what JetBlue uses on all its transatlantic routes and it’s done very well so far. It apparently is much more fuel efficient than the larger wide body aircraft allowing airlines to serve routes outside of your typical IAD-LHR, JFK-LHR, etc.
 

My guess is that when we do EVENTUALLY get transatlantic service, it will likely be on a A321 or 737 Max through Aer Lingus to Dublin as they already operate that aircraft to Hartford, so it would make sense for them to look at other secondary eastern cities that don’t have direct flights to Ireland, such as Providence, Richmond, Norfolk, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Raleigh.

 

 

Good stuff. Goin' to school today. Many thanks, my friend!

Yes - by "heavies' I'm thinking widebodies. Bigs. Not even necessarily "jumbos" like 747s or A380s. But the big whoppers that make otherwise "large" airliners look small.

So the industry has moved away from widebodies for almost all domestic service now?  My ex-wife and  I more than 20 years ago flew on a DC-10 to ORD from - I THINK - it was out of RIC. This would've been like in 1999 or 2000. We made it a practice to fly out of Richmond and not schlep up to BWI or DCA back then. I remember that for certain it was a widebody - and I'm also pretty sure we didn't fly out of Washington. As I recall the seat configuration was 3 - 5 - 3 and we ended up in the middle of the center section of seats. I LOVED it because it didn't feel like we were flying in a sardine can. Lots of room, even though the flight was pretty full.  Come to think about it - I remember flying on a DC-10 TO RIC from Chicago -- again around that time - late '90s to early 2000s.

Again, I'm pretty sure it was RIC and not either National or BWI.

Edited May 2, 2023 by I miss RVA

[eandslee]

Hmmmm….I don’t think you were flying in and out of RIC.  I don’t think there have ever been wide bodies routinely flying RIC…especially, not in a 3-5-3 configuration.  Maybe I’m wrong, but that just doesn’t sound right. Hard to believe that was ever the case.  Right now there are quite a few Boeing 757s flying the route between RIC and ATL on Delta. That’s about as big as they come to RIC for passenger service.  Cargo is a different story - lots of large aircraft carrying cargo at RIC…quite a few 767s!

Edited May 2, 2023 by eandslee

[I miss RVA]

16 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Hmmmm….I don’t think you were flying in and out of RIC.  I don’t think there have ever been wide bodies routinely flying RIC…especially, not in a 3-5-3 configuration.  Maybe I’m wrong, but that just doesn’t sound right. Hard to believe that was ever the case.  Right now there are quite a few Boeing 757s flying the route between RIC and ATL on Delta. That’s about as big as they come to RIC for passenger service.  Cargo is a different story - lots of large aircraft carrying cargo at RIC…quite a few 767s!

Yeah - dunno. I'm pretty sure it wasn't outta Washington (either DCA or BWI) - and it was one of those rarities as I recall. While I've PERSONALLY flown into/out of DCA/BWI - (and my ex & our family flew into/out of DCA in 2019 - but we were staying in metro Washington - D.C. was the destination) - we never flew out of BWI together and for certain, not DCA 20-plus years ago.

I think it was on American. Is it possible they just stuck a DC-10 on that route for "x" numbers of flights and we just happened to luck out and be on a couple of those flights? I flew BWI to/from St. Louis a few times - but none of them were on wide-bodies.

[Niccckk]

I feel like if we're talking wide-bodies coming into RIC, we're quite a ways away from that... like a couple decades in my opinion..

I do think if we ever get trans-atlantic routes it will either be with Breeze or jetBlue, since they both seem to be the only two airlines that step into new markets (since it's kinda their business model). I say jetBlue is more likely to start a trans-atlantic flight down the road than Breeze. I think Breeze will stay largely in NA for international flights. I do hope though that other airlines see Breeze's success on certain routes (like Spirit already has with LAS, excited for that to start this week!)... with the likes of jetBlue or Southwest taking note of TPAs success (ironic since jetblue and southwest used to both service this route), and maybe one of the two and restore that route again. Similarly, Phoenix is a fairly large American Hub & Southwest Hub... and San Francisco is a huge United hub. Although, I don't think we'll see United launch out of RIC to SFO since they already have huge operations at IAD, which is fairly close. I dunno, I like what Breeze is up to, hopefully other airlines start competing with them soon!!  I can definitely see Air Canada coming back into RIC with Toronto... although, like you guys said, there isn't really any other Canadian city with large enough demand to fill a regional jet. That's all I gotta say, i've been reading a lot and not talking here haha.

Edited May 2, 2023 by Niccckk

[I miss RVA]

16 minutes ago, Niccckk said:

I feel like if we're talking wide-bodies coming into RIC, we're quite a ways away from that... like a couple decades in my opinion..

I do think if we ever get trans-atlantic routes it will either be with Breeze or jetBlue, since they both seem to be the only two airlines that step into new markets (since it's kinda their business model). I say jetBlue is more likely to start a trans-atlantic flight down the road than Breeze. I think Breeze will stay largely in NA for international flights. I do hope though that other airlines see Breeze's success on certain routes (like Spirit already has with LAS, excited for that to start this week!)... with the likes of jetBlue or Southwest taking note of TPAs success (ironic since jetblue and southwest used to both service this route), and maybe one of the two and restore that route again. Similarly, Phoenix is a fairly large American Hub & Southwest Hub... and San Francisco is a huge United hub. Although, I don't think we'll see United launch out of RIC to SFO since they already have huge operations at IAD, which is fairly close. I dunno, I like what Breeze is up to, hopefully other airlines start competing with them soon!!  I can definitely see Air Canada coming back into RIC with Toronto... although, like you guys said, there isn't really any other Canadian city with large enough demand to fill a regional jet. That's all I gotta say, i've been reading a lot and not talking here haha.

Always appreciate it when you DO chime in - I put you into the same "guru" category regarding the airport that I put @blopp1234- just like @wrldcoupe4& @upzoningisgoodare our chief gurus when it comes to all things CRE industry. Always appreciate your insights and your ability to break stuff down for the laymen in the audience (like yours truly here) to get a better understanding of the workings of this rather complex and complicated industry and how RIC fits into all of it.

I definitely hope we see some start-up of international service at RIC sooner rather than later, since we've got the new gateway coming online. It would reek for it to have ramped up, be ready to throw a party - and no one shows up to the dance. We need to push and push hard to get some service via that gateway.

Right wrong or otherwise, I always say that success begets success. RIC is doing some pretty amazing things, all-in-all - and I think we're only scratching the surface of what can happen there. Would SO love to see Air Canada come back with flights to/from Toronto. And even if that's the only Canadian city at this time - at least we'll have it (and hopefully can drum up enough demand to keep it rolling!) I'm guessing Montreal probably doesn't light up the scoreboard enough? And Vancouver is too far out of the way for direct service that could be handled by a domestic feeder to a West Coast hub?

As for widebodies - I guess there's no demand at this time for a direct route from, say, Dubai or Abu Dhabi to RIC on a nice, big, fat Emirates A380

Edited May 2, 2023 by I miss RVA

[eandslee]

Just wanted to post a graphical representation of how the airport's recovery is going since the pandemic started:

Edited May 3, 2023 by eandslee

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, eandslee said:

Just wanted to post a graphical representation of how the airport's recovery is going since the pandemic started:

VERY encouraging and RED HOT start to 2023!

Let's look at a few takeaways:  

At the quarter pole (Q1) - we're at 993,301 passenger - so just shy of 1 million passengers in the SLOWEST quarter of the year. Just using Q1 as a benchmark - we're already on pace for just under 4 million passengers (3.97 million) - and, again, this is our SLOWEST time of the year. By comparison, in 2022 - as of Q1 - we were on pace for 3.18 million for the year. So just based on our SLOWEST quarter - we're already 790,000 AHEAD of last year's pace.

We're nearly 200K (198,655) AHEAD of our 2022 pace that saw the second all-time highest passenger total of around 4.2 million.

Our busiest season has kicked off this month (beginning 01 MAY) - with the VERY high likelihood of not just cracking the 400K barrier in any given month - but perhaps SHATTERING it - and doing it MULTIPLE times between now and the end of the year.

With all the new service starting/re-starting this month and throughout the summer - this will by all indicators be a BANNER year for passenger traffic at RIC - and no question, will grab the attention of the airlines.

Time to dust off that old mantra:  "RIC - Building Terminal 2/Concourse C - one new flight at a time"

Edited May 4, 2023 by I miss RVA

[Niccckk]

We made it to 500 lads

[I miss RVA]

18 minutes ago, Niccckk said:

We made it to 500 lads

WHOAAAA - wait - 509 flights are scheduled for the next seven days? And 41 destinations?

Safe to say we're in uncharted territory now?

[eandslee]

1 hour ago, I miss RVA said:

WHOAAAA - wait - 509 flights are scheduled for the next seven days? And 41 destinations?

Safe to say we're in uncharted territory now?

This is likely due to the seasonally added flights that are just about to start!

Still, that’s just 71.4 flights a day. Normally we see about 69 flights a day. Not a significant boost, but a boost nevertheless. 

Edited May 4, 2023 by eandslee

[Merrittk92]

1 hour ago, I miss RVA said:

WHOAAAA - wait - 509 flights are scheduled for the next seven days? And 41 destinations?

Safe to say we're in uncharted territory now?

Wow! If my math serves me correctly, and it often does not, that would be an average of 72 flights a day!

[benstyree]

My wife flew out of RIC earlier today and texted me, “I’ve never seen the airport this packed! I don’t feel like I’m in Richmond.”  Love to hear it!

[eandslee]

4 minutes ago, benstyree said:

My wife flew out of RIC earlier today and texted me, “I’ve never seen the airport this packed! I don’t feel like I’m in Richmond.”  Love to hear it!

This is a great report from your wife!  Thanks!

I have been monitoring the flights coming in and out of the airport today and it was a crazy all day with lots of flights.  It's also amazing to me how many private jet flights that fly in and out of RIC (just as an aside)!

For Breeze, I can tell you that all flights were packed today going in and out of RIC.  Also, it's surprises me that the Breeze flight to LAS on Saturday (the same day Spirit starts DAILY service from RIC to LAS) is virtually full.  I'm really interested to see how Spirit fares on this route.  The one thing I can see that falls in Spirit's favor is I think they may be more reliable on departure and arrival times; however Breeze is getting lots better.

[I miss RVA]

5 hours ago, eandslee said:

This is likely due to the seasonally added flights that are just about to start!

Still, that’s just 71.4 flights a day. Normally we see about 69 flights a day. Not a significant boost, but a boost nevertheless. 

Still - nearly 71 flights per day is unchartered territory for this facility, no?

I wonder what it will take (and how long it would take) for us to get an additional 29 flights per day to get us up to 100 per day?

[eandslee]

7 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

I wonder what it will take (and how long it would take) for us to get an additional 29 flights per day to get us up to 100 per day?

71 flights may be (can’t confirm) the most flights per day on average for RIC, but you ask what will get us 29 more flights per day?  Well, packed aircraft (a sign of increased demand), the airlines acting on that signal of demand by adding frequency of flights to destinations already served at RIC, and of course, adding new destinations (to include international destinations).  
 

By the way, today (5 May) is a big day for RIC. Today Spirit Airlines starts the first flight from LAS to RIC (tomorrow will be the return flight), which is the start of DAILY flights between the two cities on Spirit. Remember, these flights compete directly with Breeze Airways, which has ALMOST daily flights to and from LAS (no flights on Mondays and Fridays).  I hope they’re successful because that means the demand is there and it also means more passengers per day using the airport. Today’s flight from LAS appears to be nearly full (could be full with Spirit VIPs, etc.)…same with the first flight tomorrow from RIC to LAS on Spirit.  We shall see…fingers crossed. 

Edited May 5, 2023 by eandslee

[I miss RVA]

12 hours ago, benstyree said:

My wife flew out of RIC earlier today and texted me, “I’ve never seen the airport this packed! I don’t feel like I’m in Richmond.”  Love to hear it!

I LOVE this!!! GREAT to hear!

[I miss RVA]

6 hours ago, eandslee said:

71 flights may be (can’t confirm) the most flights per day on average for RIC, but you ask what will get us 29 more flights per day?  Well, packed aircraft (a sign of increased demand), the airlines acting on that signal of demand by adding frequency of flights to destinations already served at RIC, and of course, adding new destinations (to include international destinations).  
 

By the way, today (5 May) is a big day for RIC. Today Spirit Airlines starts the first flight from LAS to RIC (tomorrow will be the return flight), which is the start of DAILY flights between the two cities on Spirit. Remember, these flights compete directly with Breeze Airways, which has ALMOST daily flights to and from LAS (no flights on Mondays and Fridays).  I hope they’re successful because that means the demand is there and it also means more passengers per day using the airport. Today’s flight from LAS appears to be nearly full (could be full with Spirit VIPs, etc.)…same with the first flight tomorrow from RIC to LAS on Spirit.  We shall see…fingers crossed. 

Yeah - we still have some work to do to bridge that gap of another 29 daily flights to get to 100 per day - but no question we can do it. Question is - how long will it take, realistically?

Re: Spirit RIC-to/from-LAS -- I'm hopeful this route will do really well without taking away from Breeze's success on the route. What's the over/under that BOTH Breeze & Spirit will have success on this route - particularly if they fly at different times of day from each other?