Local air service could become an unwitting victim of high fuel prices, as multiple U.S. airlines are likely to default and fail in the coming months while other airlines retrench. Experts agree that if jet fuel prices don’t come down soon, the airline industry faces a catastrophe. This does not bode well for the economies of communities at risk across the U.S., because communities large and small rely on air service for connections to the national and global economies more today than they ever have.
This site is dedicated to helping you engage your U.S. Senators and Member of Congress to do something about fuel prices, because, in the end, if fuel prices don’t come down – and soon – our economy, and our way of life, could be in jeopardy.
News
July 2, 2008 – 10:17 am
Charles L. Westmoreland of the Capital City Weekly paints the scary picture for Juneau:
JUNEAU - Imagine what Alaska’s capital city would be like without air transportation connecting it to the rest of the world. No flights in - no flights out. One man lobbying in Washington D.C. fears just that as more airlines announce cutbacks each day.
Juneau was identified as one of 100 markets likely to lose airline service due to skyrocketing aviation fuel prices, according to a national analysis by the Business Travel Coalition (BTC), a Washington D.C.-based group advocating consumer influence over industry and government policy.
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July 2, 2008 – 10:15 am
From The Bulletin, Bend, Ore:
Jun. 30–With the fate of commercial air service looking more dire by the day due to rising fuel costs, local business leaders say Central Oregonians need to fill the flights they have if they want to ensure continued service at Redmond Airport.
“If you don’t use it, you will lose it,” said Roger Lee, executive director of Economic Development for Central Oregon, a nonprofit that works to recruit and retain businesses in the region.
Commercial air service at Redmond Airport is not currently in jeopardy, but the airport has seen some reductions as airlines cut expenses in response to soaring jet fuel costs. Horizon on June 24 cut one of its two flights to Los Angeles and plans to trim one flight to Seattle and one to Portland in August.
Horizon also is eliminating its smaller, 37-seat turboprop planes in favor of larger, more fuel-efficient ones. The airline plans to complete its switch to the 76-seat Bombardier Q400 planes by October.
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July 2, 2008 – 10:13 am
From the Ft Myers News-Press has the warning:
Drivers aren’t the only folks feeling pain at the gas pump. So are pilots, or more accurately, airline officials.
USA Today reports that published airline schedules for October show about a third of the nation’s 100 busiest airports will lose at least 10 percent of their domestic air service compared with a year ago. A research report from the Business Travel Coalition states that Southwest Florida International Airport could lose significant service.
Read the rest of this entry »
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July 1, 2008 – 5:49 pm
The Statesville Record has the story:
Jun. 30–Leisure flying has taken a nose dive at the Statesville Regional Airport during the past five years.
Costs associated with fuel, maintenance, insurance and pilot salaries have taken off, dragging the number of leisurely flyers down, said Statesville Flying Service President Thomas Hazel.
“I think it’s just becoming more expensive to fly in general,” Hazel said. “The price of fuel alone is not what is causing it. Flying is expensive no matter how much fuel costs.”
The economy is down, fuel prices are up and some people are thinking twice before they take their private plane to the beach, he said
Hazel said when the economy turns sour, one of the first things people cut back on is their leisurely travel.
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July 1, 2008 – 5:45 pm
WTVW from Indiana has the story (a href=”http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=11911-”>video here):
More expensive air fares may be causing consumers to think twice about their travel plans, but the high fuel costs responsible may have airlines thinking twice about flying to small cities.
A report by the Business Travel Coalition says small cities may be the unwitting victims of high fuel costs as airlines in trouble cut service.
Evansville Regional Airport Marketing Manager, Dianna Kissel says Evansville will feel it. She expects they’ll lose a flight to Chicago in August, bringing the number of flights down to 5.
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July 1, 2008 – 5:43 pm
Broome County tries to save its airport:
TOWN OF MAINE Broome County Executive Barbara Fiala said the county is working with airlines serving Greater Binghamton Airport to retain service at the facility and “have a minimal impact” on operations during a time of increased fuel prices.
Fiala said county Aviation Commissioner Carl Beardsley Jr. recently returned from a Jump Start Conference in Pittsburgh where he met with various airlines to discuss service at the airport.
“We have been able to convey the benefits of providing service to Binghamton and BGM’s overall growth,” Fiala said.
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July 1, 2008 – 5:41 pm
From The Tennessean:
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. — The Business Travel Coalition has included Tri-Cities Regional Airport, Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport and Chattanooga’s Lovell Field on a list of airports at risk of losing service.
Patrick Wilson, executive director of Tri-Cities Regional Airport, or TCRA, told airport commissioners last week that officials at small airports across the country are concerned about those airports’ survival.
In a memo to commissioners earlier this month, Wilson said none of the TCRA’s existing carriers has given notice that they will significantly reduce the number of flights in and out of the Tri-Cities, but he said the industry is in a volatile state and predicting the future is difficult.
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June 30, 2008 – 3:38 pm
From WATE:
BLOUNTVILLE (AP) — The Business Travel Coalition has put Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport on a list of 100 communities most likely to lose air service.
Chattanooga’s Lovell Field and the Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TCRA) are also on the list.
TCRA Executive Director Patrick Wilson told airport commissioners last week that officials at small airports across the country are very concerned about those airports’ survival.
In a memo to commissioners earlier in June, Wilson said none of the TCRA’s existing carriers has given notice that they will significantly reduce the number of flights in and out of the Tri-Cities, but he said the industry is in a volatile state and predicting the future is difficult.
His proposed operating budget for the coming fiscal year predicts negative passenger growth.
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June 30, 2008 – 2:25 pm
From the New York Times:
With summer barely under way, it may seem too early for travelers to start thinking about Labor Day. But that is when significant cuts in the airlines’ fleets and schedules will begin taking effect, making for a particularly jarring end to summer.
Across the United States, airports from La Guardia in New York to Oakland in California will be affected by flight cuts, bringing the industry down to a size last seen in 2002, when travel fell sharply after the 9/11 attacks. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 30, 2008 – 12:12 pm
From the current edition of Business Week:
As crude oil futures cracked $140 per barrel for the first time on June 26, the alarms about a pending catastrophe for U.S. aviation clanged loudly. In testimony before Congress, activist Kevin Mitchell’s Business Travel Coalition noted the similarities between the national electrical grid and the commercial air transport system. Nearly three dozen towns have already lost air service amid the industry retrenchment, and more are likely to fall into that category as oil rages. Read the rest of this entry »
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