Gator1999
WAR KITTENS!?!
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2003
- Posts
- 273
this article was released on Jan 30 in the gainesville sun:
Northwest may offer local flights
Northwest Airlines could begin offering twice-daily
jet service from Gainesville to a hub in Memphis,
Tenn., as early as September, airport officials said
Thursday, opening up new connecting flights to the
West and South.
Still smarting from the rejection by Continental
Airlines for service to Newark, N.J., that it had
pursued for nearly two years, members of the
Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority
were reluctant to call Northwest a done deal.
What board Chairman Jon Morris did say is: "We're a
little further along in our negotiations with
Northwest than we ever were with Continental."
Alternately described as "an offer" and "a proposal,"
the plan would require Gainesville Regional Airport
officials to use the majority of a $660,000 federal
grant as a revenue guarantee to Northwest, to provide
covered "jetways" for passengers to use in boarding
and make other terminal improvements and to help
market the new air service.
"I'm glad we're all sitting down, because that's
incredible news," said Marilyn Tubb, chairwoman of the
board's air service, business development and
marketing committee.
Among the major cities into which Northwest flies
nonstop out of Memphis are Las Vegas, Los Angeles,
Phoenix, San Francisco, Denver and Seattle.
The proposal says nothing about fares, though Airport
Director Rick Crider said any airline that would enter
the Gainesville market would strive to set fares low
enough to entice residents who have been driving to
Jacksonville or Orlando to fly.
The Airport Authority voted, 10-1, to move to accept
Northwest's proposal while continuing to pursue other
options, including service from American to Miami.
But it's not as simple as signing on the dotted line.
Airport officials will have to redesignate the
$660,000 federal grant, which had been locally matched
with a $650,000 "ticket trust" that businesses pledged
to attract service to Continental Airlines.
When Continental announced two weeks ago that it's not
coming to Gainesville anytime soon, that ticket trust
was invalidated.
Instead of trying to raise $650,000 in pledges for
Northwest, Crider said he will ask the U.S. Department
of Transportation to consider as the local matching
money a series of airport improvements that already
are planned, including the purchase of the jetways
that Northwest is asking for.
A March 31 deadline for using the federal grant is
bearing down - a factor some members cited in throwing
their support behind its most likely prospect,
Northwest Airlines.
Comparing options
One member of the board, Bob Todd, strenuously
objected to pursuing Northwest as a first priority
over American Airlines service to Miami.
He also said he thinks Northwest will cannibalize
passengers from Delta and US Airways, the airport's
current carriers.
Tubb disagreed, saying that 70 percent of Gainesville
residents now drive to another airport to fly.
"What we want to do is expand the pie here, so that
everyone can have a bigger slice," Tubb said.
Todd made a couple of motions aimed at naming American
service to Miami as Gainesville's No. 1 priority, but
no one supported them.
Todd repeatedly said that American has a contract on
the table, and other members repeatedly reminded him
that the airline is asking for $4 million in revenue
guarantees that the city doesn't have to provide
once-daily service to Miami.
Finally, Tubb referred to American's offer as
"laughable."
"What they are saying is 'Yeah, right. Show me,' and
we can't show them right now (that local passengers
will indeed use the service)."
Moving forward, Crider will approach the
transportation department about using planned
improvements as the local match.
If they won't go for that plan, the Airport Authority
will reapproach businesses about their willingness to
create a new ticket trust for Northwest.
Airport authority member Pat Bainter expressed a sense
of frustration with the seemingly endless negotiations
to bring new air service into Gainesville.
"We've danced with a lot of folks over the past couple
of years," Bainter said. "I don't want to dance
anymore."
Northwest may offer local flights
Northwest Airlines could begin offering twice-daily
jet service from Gainesville to a hub in Memphis,
Tenn., as early as September, airport officials said
Thursday, opening up new connecting flights to the
West and South.
Still smarting from the rejection by Continental
Airlines for service to Newark, N.J., that it had
pursued for nearly two years, members of the
Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority
were reluctant to call Northwest a done deal.
What board Chairman Jon Morris did say is: "We're a
little further along in our negotiations with
Northwest than we ever were with Continental."
Alternately described as "an offer" and "a proposal,"
the plan would require Gainesville Regional Airport
officials to use the majority of a $660,000 federal
grant as a revenue guarantee to Northwest, to provide
covered "jetways" for passengers to use in boarding
and make other terminal improvements and to help
market the new air service.
"I'm glad we're all sitting down, because that's
incredible news," said Marilyn Tubb, chairwoman of the
board's air service, business development and
marketing committee.
Among the major cities into which Northwest flies
nonstop out of Memphis are Las Vegas, Los Angeles,
Phoenix, San Francisco, Denver and Seattle.
The proposal says nothing about fares, though Airport
Director Rick Crider said any airline that would enter
the Gainesville market would strive to set fares low
enough to entice residents who have been driving to
Jacksonville or Orlando to fly.
The Airport Authority voted, 10-1, to move to accept
Northwest's proposal while continuing to pursue other
options, including service from American to Miami.
But it's not as simple as signing on the dotted line.
Airport officials will have to redesignate the
$660,000 federal grant, which had been locally matched
with a $650,000 "ticket trust" that businesses pledged
to attract service to Continental Airlines.
When Continental announced two weeks ago that it's not
coming to Gainesville anytime soon, that ticket trust
was invalidated.
Instead of trying to raise $650,000 in pledges for
Northwest, Crider said he will ask the U.S. Department
of Transportation to consider as the local matching
money a series of airport improvements that already
are planned, including the purchase of the jetways
that Northwest is asking for.
A March 31 deadline for using the federal grant is
bearing down - a factor some members cited in throwing
their support behind its most likely prospect,
Northwest Airlines.
Comparing options
One member of the board, Bob Todd, strenuously
objected to pursuing Northwest as a first priority
over American Airlines service to Miami.
He also said he thinks Northwest will cannibalize
passengers from Delta and US Airways, the airport's
current carriers.
Tubb disagreed, saying that 70 percent of Gainesville
residents now drive to another airport to fly.
"What we want to do is expand the pie here, so that
everyone can have a bigger slice," Tubb said.
Todd made a couple of motions aimed at naming American
service to Miami as Gainesville's No. 1 priority, but
no one supported them.
Todd repeatedly said that American has a contract on
the table, and other members repeatedly reminded him
that the airline is asking for $4 million in revenue
guarantees that the city doesn't have to provide
once-daily service to Miami.
Finally, Tubb referred to American's offer as
"laughable."
"What they are saying is 'Yeah, right. Show me,' and
we can't show them right now (that local passengers
will indeed use the service)."
Moving forward, Crider will approach the
transportation department about using planned
improvements as the local match.
If they won't go for that plan, the Airport Authority
will reapproach businesses about their willingness to
create a new ticket trust for Northwest.
Airport authority member Pat Bainter expressed a sense
of frustration with the seemingly endless negotiations
to bring new air service into Gainesville.
"We've danced with a lot of folks over the past couple
of years," Bainter said. "I don't want to dance
anymore."
