Marketplace
![[SeMissourian.com]](http://www.semissourian.com/images/nameplate.gif)
|
|
Fog/Mist ~ River stage: 33.56 Rising Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
RSS
 Print
 Email link
 Respond to editor
 Read comments (6)
 Share link
New air carrier seeks code sharing arrangement with American AirlinesTuesday, November 3, 2009There won't be a big marketing campaign right away to introduce Cape Girardeau's new passenger airline to the community, but a major push to attract more passengers isn't far off. On Monday evening, the Cape Girardeau City Council approved acceptance of a $126,000 state grant to advertise passenger service at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. That money must be matched by $14,000 in city funds and is in addition to funds left over from last year's promotional budget, airport manager Bruce Loy said. The approval came close on the heels of an announcement by Cape Air, the carrier that will begin service Monday with four round-trip flights every weekday from Cape Girardeau to St. Louis, that it has arranged a code share agreement with American Airlines. Cape Air will also fly twice daily on weekends. The company has promised to aggressively market the service, which Loy intends to supplement with the state grant funding. But just getting flights out Monday would be a strong start, Loy said. The last two airlines to receive the Cape Girardeau contract -- Big Sky Airlines and Great Lakes Airlines -- each took several months beyond the scheduled start of their contract to begin flying from Cape Girardeau. "They are doing everything they can to start in a quality manner rather than put on a dog-and-pony show," Loy said of the launch of Cape Air service. In a news release issued last week, Cape Air CEO Dan Wolf said his company has arranged code sharing with American Airlines but that the agreement won't be in place in time for the inaugural flights. "Final details of Cape Air's agreement with American Airlines are still being finalized, but we expect Cape Air will begin operating with the AA code by early spring," he said. Code-sharing can have advantages for customers, including a single ticket for an entire trip, frequent flier benefits and easier baggage handling. "Certainly it is good for the airport," Loy said. "It will help promote more flights with people coded through from Cape Girardeau to their final destination as an American Airlines passenger." 388-3642 Pertinent addresses: 401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, Cape Girardeau, MO
Comments  Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. If you feel that a comment is offensive, please Login or Create an account first, and then you will be able to flag a comment as objectionable. Please also note that those who post comments on semissourian.com may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
|
Map of pertinent addresses
Related links More stories
Enter your email address to subscribe to our mailing lists:
|
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Furl
Reddit
Google
Maybe they ought to seek a codeshare with Southwest considering that AA is going to dump a lot of destinations out of Lambert early next year.
Four roundtrips every weekday seems like a lot even considering they are planning to run a smaller aircraft than I remember serving Cape [Jetstream 31]. Oh well, it's subsidized, so who cares--at least we are stimulating the economy. :grumbles:
Though a Southwest codeshare would seem to make more sense in STL than American (calling STL an American hub is just laughable), I don't think that Southwest would even consider such a proposal. Only recently (last few years) did SWA start code-sharing, and it has been a very limited venture. To the best of my knowledge, they don't do any of the more traditional feeder-airline style code-sharing at all. From what I've read, their few code shares have been strategic expansionary moves with sizable airlines rather than the smaller, regional style that would allow a Cape Air codeshare.
I am, however, glad to see Cape Air is trying to get a code-share, even if it is AA. It does make a difference.
Yes, I am fully aware that SWA hardly codeshares and it is my understanding that SWA does not codeshare with another US-based airline... AirTran wanted to codeshare, but that deal fell through, IIRC. That comment was more of a dig at AA than anything else.
It doesn't change the fact that the taxpayer is contributing to air service that shouldn't exist due to a lack of demand. Do you honestly see 72 total boardings each day, Monday-Friday and and 36 total boardings per day on Saturday and Sunday? ...5,600 total boardings/year? Let them prove me wrong; I just don't see it.
I am platinum with American and will give almost all my business to Cape going forward..It is dissapointing that American is cutting many of their flights out of St. Louis but flying 30 minutes certainly beats driving almost 2 hours and fighting traffic. God Bless Robbie Rollins and his Family.
One of the early arguments for airport expansions wth more and better air service was to entice buisness
to local economies. The effect was clear when Kennett expanded. It not only allowed the governors plane to land easier, it also gave Emerson Electric better transportaion on their way to Mexico. I must agree with Lurker's last paragragh. I cannot see any great benefit to the public as a whole considering the cost.
But that seems to be the way of things nowdays. Most cities can't build a walking path without federal or state grants, even if it raises the cost to what it would be without big gov. help
"It doesn't change the fact that the taxpayer is contributing to air service that shouldn't exist due to a lack of demand. Do you honestly see 72 total boardings each day, Monday-Friday and and 36 total boardings per day on Saturday and Sunday? ...5,600 total boardings/year? Let them prove me wrong; I just don't see it."
I agree with this statement wholeheartily. I see a total of about 1 passenger per day because that is what is happening now. I don't buy the argument that Great lakes did a disservice by not coordinating with connecting flights. The root of the problem is that you can no longer get anywhere from St. Louis directly. Except for Bulletman who keeps saying he is platinum with AA, there may be a few town or college dignitaries using the airport, but that is probably more of a public relations stunt than anything else. There just isn't a need for air service to an airport that you can drive to in less than 2 hours. Shame on our federal government who keeps throwing money down the drain.