Richmond International Airport

[wrldcoupe4]

The only problem with Columbus to Richmond fieldtrips is that there are no evening flights.

[burt]

Though it has only been operating in Richmond for 2 days, Skybus looks to be doing pretty good in Richmond. Apparently, 130 people flew from Columbus to Richmond yesterday (out of a 144 seats) and 88 tickets were sold for the flight from Richmond to Columbus with only about 77 showing up for the flight. The return flight to Columbus was not as strong, but the prices on the Skybus indicate that a lot more tickets have been sold for flights for the next month or so. I certainly hope this airline does well enough to add service here that not only flies directly to Columbus, but to other markets served as well. Wouldn't it be nice to catch a direct flight to Burbank, CA???

Here's an article on Skybus's first flight in and out of Richmond yesterday:

Hello Columbus! For only $20.40!

Eric, reading the load factor above could give rise to some thoughts about hanky/panky at Skybus.

Could it be that the chapest fares are reserved for walk-ups?

If 88 tix were reported sold, but only 77 showed up, could it mean that 10 of the eleven missing the flight "bought" the twenty buck tickets? See where I'm going? In other words, do we actually know if there were ten passengers aboard who paid only the minimum fare?

A similar question could be asked about the incoming flight with only 14 less than capacity aboard.

Edited May 27, 2007 by burt

[CommRE]

Go to the Skybus website and you can certainly buy a $10 ticket. I looked on their website the day word leaked that they were coming and there was a $10 fare available just about every day. So I don't think they are pulling a "fast one". Book far enough in advance - you get a $10 ticket. I bet Ohio State fans in the area are thrilled...

[burt]

Go to the Skybus website and you can certainly buy a $10 ticket. I looked on their website the day word leaked that they were coming and there was a $10 fare available just about every day. So I don't think they are pulling a "fast one". Book far enough in advance - you get a $10 ticket. I bet Ohio State fans in the area are thrilled...

CommRE, I feel guilty for even suggesting such a thing, but I just checked http://www.skybus.com and the first date offering a ten buck fare is Wednesday, August 28th. There are a very few days when one can still get a ticket for $20 between now and then, but otherwise fares are $50, $70, $90, $120 and $140.

I hope that the unavailability of the bargain fare is a sign of brisk business, but a recent story reported that among the cities from which the service is available, Richmond and Kansas City are the laggards.

There are plenty of $10 seats in September, October and November, great times for football fans to travel.

I checked flights from Greensboro and Kansas City and Ft. Lauderdale to Columbus and the first bargain fare dates are 8/28 for Greensboro and 8/15 for Kansas City and none at all for Lauderdale.

Edited May 29, 2007 by burt

[burt]

Passenger volume continues to grow at RIC, but it's down to single digits for April. There were a number of weather reported delays and cancellations at major airports in April, and though Chip Jones' inRich story doesn't address that, I wonder if it did not effectively lower the growth figure to a little over 4%, or more than 298,000 flyers for the month.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/busines...05-30-0014.html

[burt]

Parking rates going up at RIC:

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/busines...05-30-0013.html

[eandslee]

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/busines...05-30-0014.html

An interesting portion of the article above mentioned some future plans for the airport. The following is from the article:

The airport has room to add flights at two of its 22 boarding gates, officials said.

Airport plans call for adding six boarding gates in the future in Concourse A.

So, it looks like there is only a limited amount of space left for flights at the 22 gates used at the airport (that's good news because we are using the space that we have and we're almost running out despite the gate expansion RIC experienced just a few years ago).

I always knew that if the airport was to do another gate expansion that they would have to add on to the A Concourse. I just wonder where they might have to expand next when rooom on the A Concourse side runs out? Also, I wonder how far in the future they are thinking to expand the A Concourse. From what it looks like (by looking at the numbers and the demand for more service in Richmond), they need to start working on a plan now to make the expansion!

Additionally, a 4% increase in passenger traffic at Richmond from last year is still healthy. It's not a boom, but any increase in a positive direction is good. It may have even been higher had all the cancelled flights not occurred as Burt pointed out.

Edited May 30, 2007 by eandslee

[CommRE]

A little commentary on JetBlue -

I understand that if we don't fly JetBlue and AirTran, we could eventually lose them. So, I am going to Boston next week for an overnight trip and paying $98 roundtrip on JetBlue (I booked it months ago). Glad to do my part - or am I? I'm just picking the lowest fare. If it is within $10 of another carrier, I'd probably take JetBlue though.

Now I'm looking into flights to NYC for Thanksgiving weekend. Delta is a solid $120 cheaper roundtrip than JetBlue - with over a dozen more flight time options. Sorry, I'm not supporting JetBlue on that one! Bottom line - Keep fares competitive, I will fly discount airlines. But I'm not subsidizing their success with an extra $240 for 2 tickets on my trip to NYC!

[eandslee]

A little commentary on JetBlue -

I understand that if we don't fly JetBlue and AirTran, we could eventually lose them. So, I am going to Boston next week for an overnight trip and paying $98 roundtrip on JetBlue (I booked it months ago). Glad to do my part - or am I? I'm just picking the lowest fare. If it is within $10 of another carrier, I'd probably take JetBlue though.

Now I'm looking into flights to NYC for Thanksgiving weekend. Delta is a solid $120 cheaper roundtrip than JetBlue - with over a dozen more flight time options. Sorry, I'm not supporting JetBlue on that one! Bottom line - Keep fares competitive, I will fly discount airlines. But I'm not subsidizing their success with an extra $240 for 2 tickets on my trip to NYC!

I don't blame you CommRE...however, the reason you found a good price on a ticket to NYC flying Delta out of Richmond is because there are discount carriers in Richmond like AirTran, JetBlue and Skybus. If it weren't for those airlines offering low rates from Richmond, I'd be willing to bet that you'd be driving to DC or Norfolk for a lower fare. I do appreciate you supporting the low cost airlines where practical though.

BTW, I just wanted to post the following article regarding Skybus. According to this article, Skybus has added destinations and will add another flight to Fort Lauderdale, FL. Additionally, the article mentions that tickets sold in Skybus's original markets have "exceeded expectations" (to include Richmond). It's a good, short read, so check it out:

Skybus adds destinations/flights

[rusthebuss]

Oh yeah! This is good news!...and actually, this is the way I think it should be. Richmond is more centrally located in the state and should draw more people to its airport than Norfolk despite the fact that the Norfolk area has more people than metro Richmond. I'm just glad that Richmond's airport is seeing the turn around it has needed for so many years. Let's keep it up! I'll be looking for the "additional information" in the RTD tomorrow.

What you fail to realize is that ORF is doing those numbers with another airport 30 min away.

[wrldcoupe4]

We all understand that without the discount airlines we wouldn't have lower fares, but for Delta to beat a discount airline by $120 is outrageous. They could have very easily just met the Jet Blue price instead of undercutting by such a large margin. I'll probably be flying AirTran to Florida sometime this summer.

[eandslee]

We all understand that without the discount airlines we wouldn't have lower fares, but for Delta to beat a discount airline by $120 is outrageous. They could have very easily just met the Jet Blue price instead of undercutting by such a large margin. I'll probably be flying AirTran to Florida sometime this summer.

Yeah, theorectically that shouldn't happen, but sometimes the legacy airlines are able to produce very good sales on certain dates and times verses discount carriers who are more consistent in providing low fares all the time.

[burt]

Eric, if they're adding San Diego, it would be logical to expand to Norfolk. There's probably lots of traffic between the two naval bases.

[eandslee]

Eric, if they're adding San Diego, it would be logical to expand to Norfolk. There's probably lots of traffic between the two naval bases.

Could be, but since Skybus is just starting out, it might be a while before they make such a move being that Richmond and Norfolk are not considered "Major" metro areas. Richmond currently serves all of those who live in Virginia to include Norfolk and the Washington DC area. The Skybus leadership picked Richmond as their destination for the Virginia market because Richmond is strategically located between Washington and Norfolk and is central to the rest of Virginia, which allows Skybus to tap into the entire state of the Virginia, plus some.

[CommRE]

We all understand that without the discount airlines we wouldn't have lower fares, but for Delta to beat a discount airline by $120 is outrageous. They could have very easily just met the Jet Blue price instead of undercutting by such a large margin. I'll probably be flying AirTran to Florida sometime this summer.

Exactly what my reply was going to be. I am fully aware that discount airlines drive down prices - and like I said in my original post, if JetBlue was $10 or so more, I would probably pay the little extra to support the discount airline. But $120?? No way. By the way, anyone that wants to check these prices, I got them off Kayak.com leaving the Fri after Thanksgiving from RIC to JFK and coming back that Sunday.

That being said, I see Eric's point that sometimes there will be differences in fares. Seeing as how this is one (if not the) heaviest air travel weekend, don't you think someone at JetBlue would be monitoring these fares more closely so as not to lose customers?

[eandslee]

That being said, I see Eric's point that sometimes there will be differences in fares. Seeing as how this is one (if not the) heaviest air travel weekend, don't you think someone at JetBlue would be monitoring these fares more closely so as not to lose customers?

I'm sure that there are folks monitoring prices in the various markets, but in this case, the Richmond market may not be a priority for JetBlue. I can only speculate though. Who knows what JetBlue is thinking. They have been known to make mistakes before, so this could possible be the result of pure oversight as well. Perhaps you should give JetBlue a call and let them know of what is happening in Richmond so that they can make the fix. I hate to say it, but sometimes airlines don't perform well in some markets, not because the market will not support them, but also because the airline makes mistakes and doesn't do the right business saavy thing. They might appreciate a call to keep them aware...I'm sure they are not wanting to loose ticket sales to other airlines like Delta. Let us know what they say.

[CommRE]

Eric - excellent suggestion. Why speculate when you can pick up the phone and get an answer??

I just got off the phone with JetBlue. I explained to a very nice agent what I had found online and that I was curious about the price discrepancy. He quickly pointed out that they have already sold over half the seats for the return trip to RIC on Sunday after Thanksgiving. The outbound trip is only $69, return was $199. He also pointed out that if I came back Monday - voila! $69 coming back also for a grand total of $160 or so after taxes.

So - once again the market dictates the price. Delta still has tons of seats, fares are low. JetBlue selling seats, price goes up. I'm glad to see they are selling seats.

[eandslee]

Eric - excellent suggestion. Why speculate when you can pick up the phone and get an answer??

I just got off the phone with JetBlue. I explained to a very nice agent what I had found online and that I was curious about the price discrepancy. He quickly pointed out that they have already sold over half the seats for the return trip to RIC on Sunday after Thanksgiving. The outbound trip is only $69, return was $199. He also pointed out that if I came back Monday - voila! $69 coming back also for a grand total of $160 or so after taxes.

So - once again the market dictates the price. Delta still has tons of seats, fares are low. JetBlue selling seats, price goes up. I'm glad to see they are selling seats.

So are you going to book the return trip on Monday? Thanks for keeping us updated!

[eandslee]

Just want to keep everyone updated on Richmond's newest airline, Skybus: Looks like they are doing wonderfully in their new markets as well. According to this article, they sold 20,000 more tickets in their 3 expanded markets by the end of the first day of ticket sales! I hope Richmond continues to serve the airline well also. Check out the article here:

3 more destinations - new cities help Skybus sales surge again!

[burt]

Just want to keep everyone updated on Richmond's newest airline, Skybus: Looks like they are doing wonderfully in their new markets as well. According to this article, they sold 20,000 more tickets in their 3 expanded markets by the end of the first day of ticket sales! I hope Richmond continues to serve the airline well also. Check out the article here:

3 more destinations - new cities help Skybus sales surge again!

I, too, hope Skybus is drawing Columbus bound flyers. Considering that there are no ten buck seats available from RIC until August 28th, one could assume business is pretty brisk.

I'm going to their web site to see if there is a reasonable connection on Skybus from RIC via Columbus to San Diego.

Will be back with my findings.

[burt]

Connection is too tight for San Diego, which begins service mid-July. The Richmond flight arrives at 9:11AM and the San Diego flight leaves less than half and hour later at 9:36AM.

You can connect to San Francisco (Oakland) -- arrive Columbus at 9:11AM and depart for Oakland at 11:19AM arriving in California at 1:05PM. Cheapest one-way fare from Richmond would range from about $275 up, depending on date of departure.

PS: Today, June 2nd, is shown as s/o (sold out) from Richmond.

Edited June 2, 2007 by burt

[burt]

I'm worried that Wachovia Securities' move to St.Louis will make a dent in business travel in and out of RIC.

[eandslee]

Here is a photo of Skybus arriving in Richmond and also a rendering of where the new parking deck at RIC will be located. I received these today in my email! Enjoy!

[TBurban]

I love how they shoot the water over the planes..so cool!

Wow..that new deck is huge! Usually I'm not one for parking decks, but they've made the current ones at RIC easy to navigate through. Let's hope we get nothing less for this new one! Any idea on a time frame?

[eandslee]

Any idea on a time frame?

It will be completed fall 2009 and could be as many as 6 levels.

Edited June 5, 2007 by eandslee