Horizon Air to fly LAX to Mammoth, CA

[QCappy]

From: http://www.ifyouski.com/news/newsarticle/?ObjectID=8361515

04 Jul, 2008 - Mammoth Air Service to Begin

It is now official, scheduled air service will commence for the 2008-2009 ski season to Mammoth/ Yosemite Airport (MMH) from Los Angeles International (LAX) beginning December 18, 2008. Daily service provided by Horizon Airlines will continue through to April 12, 2009.

Airline reservations will launch July 14th, 2008.

Flight schedule is as follows:

LAX - MMH 14:20 hrs - 15:25 hrs
MMH - LAX 16:05 hrs - 17:10 hrs

The equipment used will be the Q400, an 80 seat aircraft which services many of Horizon Airlines shorter domestic routes.

Mammoth/ Yosemite Airport is conveniently located just 15 minutes drive away from the resort town of Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.

For more information and great visuals, click on www.VisitMammoth.com/airport

 

[GuppyPuppy]

Geez...

I think the last time a scheduled air carrier operated at Mammoth was back around 1989 or so. Alpha Air flew twin Cessnas, maybe 402's. I think they also had a B-1900C.

One of their routes used to be Mammoth to San Jose in the twin Cessna...I used to service it when I worked at SJC back in '89.

I really hope this works out for Horizon. So many of the skiers from SoCal make that long, long drive up to Mammoth to get some decent skiing in.

Cheers!

GP

 

[MALSR]

80 seats?

 

[QCappy]

That's the press for you. 80 sounds more impressive than the reality of 76.

 

[ReverseSensing]

I really hope this works out for Horizon.

Revenue guarantee from the ski area for this first season.

 

[propsarebest]

Revenue guarantee from the ski area for this first season.

Same thing started when QX started Kamloops.
They like signing agreements like that.

 

[DashTrash400]

Jezus H Christ. The town/resort was trying to get Horizon to do this five years ago...when I was flying freight to MMH in 2003 the airport manager told me the town/resort were willing to guarantee 50% of the tickets on a flight-by-flight basis and Horizon turned them down because they didn't have enough planes. Five years of lost revenue later, QX gets around to flying to MMH. Error Group management never ceases to amaze.

 

[urflyingme?!]

yes!
YES!
YYYYYYYYESSSSSSSSSSS

sound of me partying in my best friends condo this winter! woohoo!

 

[urflyingme?!]

correction, sound of hot babe, partying with me

 

[eatme]

correction, sound of hot babe, partying with me[/quote

Too late, cats outta the bag!

 

[regionaltard]

correction, sound of hot babe, partying with me

No need to cover your tracks; we're gay-friendly here. Party on, dudes.

 

[MALSR]

Jezus H Christ. The town/resort was trying to get Horizon to do this five years ago...when I was flying freight to MMH in 2003 the airport manager told me the town/resort were willing to guarantee 50% of the tickets on a flight-by-flight basis and Horizon turned them down because they didn't have enough planes. Five years of lost revenue later, QX gets around to flying to MMH. Error Group management never ceases to amaze.

Not only that but Air Group management is now deciding to do this when there are record fuel costs and a down economy. Why didn't they do this when when times were good? Oh yeah, they must have been waiting for someone else to do it first.

 

[WSurf]

correction, sound of hot babe, partying with me

Sorry, this will be a 9 hour overnight. You will be bringing in the last flight, only to take the first one out in the morning.

 

[lowtimedriver]

I heard a rumor that Mesa is going to buy Horizon...:nuts:

 

[CirrusDriver]

I love how this was followed by todays announcement that we are not resuming service to Kamloops this winter.

 

[QCappy]

Not only that but Air Group management is now deciding to do this when there are record fuel costs and a down economy. Why didn't they do this when when times were good?

Because they got a revenue guarantee. Pretty simple.

 

[DashTrash400]

Because they got a revenue guarantee. Pretty simple.

Like I said, Mammoth Mountain & the town of Mammoth Lakes were willing to do that in 2002/2003 (and from what I heard, Interwest tried to get them again when they bought the resort a year or two later). At the time, Horizon was running short on Q400s and said they couldn't spare the airplanes. Of course, that was partially because they'd sent a bunch of CRJs to Denver to get the JetExpress flying up and running. Now they have the Q400s to do MMH because, well, they have plenty of CRJs to cover the PDX-SEA and SEA-GEG runs (uber-efficiently, might I add).

 

[QCappy]

The other problem with Mammoth was there really wasn't a sufficient terminal apparently and in the next couple of months the airport will close to re-do the runway (apparently take a large hump out of it) and build an adequate terminal. They must not have had the money to do all that back then as well.

I guess we know now where some of the aircraft time is coming from too (YKA).

 

[MALSR]

Because they got a revenue guarantee. Pretty simple.

You could get a revenue guarantee during a good economy plus get additional revenue on top of that with excess customers above the guarantee. It still makes no sense.

 

[doug_or]

You could get a revenue guarantee during a good economy plus get additional revenue on top of that with excess customers above the guarantee. It still makes no sense.

I don't think thats how it works. Revenue guarantees reduce risk by, well, guaranteeing revenue. They do not subsidize already profitable routes. In good times if you can find good and profitable markets to utilize your equipment in without the hassle of dealing with local politics, marginal markets (those that need these subsidies to attract service), and opening new bases (that may close when subsidies run out), then why bother dealing with it? In bad times when you find your airline cutting back old markets due to lack of revenue and you have an excess of aircraft, then why not go for the sure thing? It might not be as profitable as the other city paris were in the good times, but its still better than putting the plane on a money losing route or parking it (while paying for the lease).