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Airline, September 2012, September 2011 passenger per day
Air Georgian 0 6
Frontier/Airtran 44 86
Allegiant Air 108 98
Delta Connection 214 244
United Express 227 331
US Airways Express 209 290
Charters 5 8
Total 808 1064
1) Air Georgian flew people to Toronto for Air Canada (ceased operations)
2) Frontier has replaced AirTran (SWA) to Orlando MCO airport, they are only flying about half as many people as AirTran.
3) Allegiant Air has increased passengers by 10 people per day, presumably because AirTran ceased operations to Orlando's MCO airport
4) Delta Connection (Atlanta & Detroit) is unlikely to change operational tempo. Delta uses only Detroit to fly to Beijing and Shanghai so they cannot handle all operations out of Atlanta. Atlanta is the largest hub airport in the country.
5) United Express has had the largest downturn, presumably leading them to cancel flights to Washington DC. Since the bus goes to Newark, and they have 60 international destinations from Newark, they can cease costly turboprop operations to Washington DC. I doubt that the flights to Chicago will be cut lower than 3 per day. Chicago is the second largest hub airport in the country.
6) USAirways flies to Charlotte NC, and 5 flights to Philadelphia (55 miles). Personally, I think the airlines would probably be better off subsidizing a bus to Philadelphia Airport like United does to Newark Airport. No official word from the airline if this idea is being considered.
7) Charter flights are down slightly lower.
The total of 808 enplanements per day is historically low. As I said earlier, if an airport does not have an average of 1000 commercial enplanements per day, the FAA treats it differently for grant money. It is considered a non-hub airport.
The FAA Terminal Area Forecasts predict that PHL and Newark will increase passenger loads by 1172 and 1434 enplanements per day for the next decade. Or they will be adding the equivalent of more than an ABE airport every year. The cost of improving these airports to handle this increased load will run into multiple billions per year.
Hypothetically, the state of Pennsylvania could take over the airport and completely subsidize it so that there are no landing fees. The airlines would set up operations here, simply because they couldn't fail to make money. It would still be cheaper for the state than floating bonds to build all those new buildings, and a new multi billion dollar runway in Philadelphia. The people of Lehigh Valley alone are probably responsible for 2000-3000 passengers per day, they are simply driving to EWR and PHL. If flights were cheap enough, people would come to the airport from other counties. Note that I said hypothetically, since airports are not organized regionally, but are in competition with one another.
Last edited by PacoMartin; 11-01-2012 at 01:47 AM..
Actually ABE has two LCCs flying to Orlando, Frontier flies to Orlando/MCO and Allegiant flies to Orlando/SFB.
Allegiant is flying Mon, Wed, Fri to SFB in northern Orlando and a second trip St Petersburg (near Tampa)
Allegiant used to fly four days per week.
Frontier was flying Tue, Wed, Thu & Sat (4 days a week to MCO)
AirTran used to fly 8 times a week to MCO
Neither of those is daily. Frontier is offering a crappy schedule not offering MCO daily but instead sabotaging ABE with introducing service over at TTN. While one could fly Frontier one way and return Allegiant from SFB, it's a hassle, and some otherwise potential travelers will just wind up flying another carrier from Newark or Philadelphia esp. if scheduling is important and the ability to extend travel plans (by +- 1 day) if necessary.
SFB itself isn't too bad itself, although it is farther from Walt Disney World. However, it's closer to Daytona Beach. As long as rental cars aren't overpriced from SFB, it shouldn't be too much an issue for travelers if the airfares to SFB are low.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PacoMartin
But there is huge gaping holes. The biggest hole is the Miami-Fort Lauderdale air market. That market is one of the largest on the East Coast, and is one that should be serviced non stop from an urban area as large as the Lehigh Valley. Instead you have to drive to Newark or Philadelphia or fly from ABE to Charlotte or Atlanta and change planes.
Agree here. Another market Frontier should be serving nonstop from ABE.
SFB itself isn't too bad itself, although it is farther from Walt Disney World. However, it's closer to Daytona Beach. As long as rental cars aren't overpriced from SFB, it shouldn't be too much an issue for travelers if the airfares to SFB are low.
It is my hope that Allegiant expands it's low cost routes in Allentown to it's other travel destinations. Right now they serve the first three. Even if there was once or twice a week to Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers it would help.
Orlando / Sanford
Tampa / St. Petersburg
Myrtle Beach
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Myers / Punta Gorda
Allegiant recently introduced service from tiny Plattsburgh, NY to Las Vegas. Perhaps their other vacation destinations will be available in the future.
Las Vegas
Phoenix / Mesa
San Francisco / Oakland
San Diego
Palm Springs
Los Angeles
Right now Allegiant Ticket counter opens
Mon/Wed/Fri: 10:45-11:45AM (for three times week flight to Orlando Sanford) Flight leaves for MCO at 10:50 am
Mon/Fri: 5:30-6:30PM (for twice a week flight to St. Petersburg Flight leaves for PIE at 5:00 pm
On Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun they are CLOSED
Last edited by PacoMartin; 11-01-2012 at 06:44 PM..
It is my hope that Allegiant expands it's low cost routes in Allentown to it's other travel destinations. Right now they serve the first three. Even if there was once or twice a week to Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers it would help.
Orlando / Sanford
Tampa / St. Petersburg
Myrtle Beach
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Myers / Punta Gorda
Allegiant recently introduced service from tiny Plattsburgh, NY to Las Vegas. Perhaps their other vacation destinations will be available in the future.
Las Vegas
Phoenix / Mesa
San Francisco / Oakland
San Diego
Palm Springs
Los Angeles
Perhaps Plattsburgh is getting long-haul service to Vegas because Allegiant expects Canadians to use the service. Plattsburgh is close to Montreal. Buffalo picks up passengers from Toronto, Canada as well. I've heard that Canadians travel more and get good conversion of Canadian dollar to US dollar. And, it's cheaper for them flying US-US, than flying Canada-US because of airport/airfare taxes on the latter.
Unfortunately for ABE, it's kinda close to EWR and PHL, but it isn't reaping any benefits from it. Both Southwest and JetBlue want as many passengers to support O&D at EWR, both up against United. So JetBlue won't open up at ABE because it will hurt the masses from using them at EWR. It's dumb but it seems to be the case.
The only hope is for low cost carriers, and not many remaining, but ones like Frontier which have no footing at EWR to begin with, who would try ABE.
Allegiant is fine but they are somewhat a weird animal, selling vacation packages more than flights.
AirTran started service at ABE and ACY when it traded EWR slots for LGA slots. If that didn't happen, AirTran might have never started up at ABE and ACY.
It'd be great if Frontier could just do better at ABE rather than start up half hearted. I don't think the idea of opening at TTN is a great idea. People in Princeton won't use it, and it detracts from building up ABE esp. in potential areas like Doylestown, PA or Bridgewater, NJ that could use ABE if service was better, such as better advertising and daily service. But ABE won't be advertised to them.
People from Monmouth County, NJ use ACY for low fares to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando. While flying Spirit is torture, Spirit does offers daily service, low fares and 2-3 flights a day from Atlantic City to these Florida markets and more.
The only hope is for low cost carriers, and not many remaining, but ones like Frontier which have no footing at EWR to begin with, who would try ABE.
Allegiant is fine but they are somewhat a weird animal, selling vacation packages more than flights.
AirTran started service at ABE and ACY when it traded EWR slots for LGA slots. If that didn't happen, AirTran might have never started up at ABE and ACY.
It'd be great if Frontier could just do better at ABE rather than start up half hearted.
AirTran was the best thing for ABE. Frontier has not even replaced half their passengers on the same route. Half Hearted seems an appropriate adjective.
Air Tran fares were lower at ABE and Harrisburg then at the major airports
$136.44 Air Tran average one way fare to Orlando from ABE for 2011. Compared to Orlando markets from
Harrisburg -$1 (lower)
DC/Baltimore $13.56 (higher)
Philadelphia $15.51 (higher)
Pittsburgh $15.31 (higher)
New York Area $24.50 (higher)
Well, that wasn't a long experiment. I'm sure the airport has already done this but it would be interesting to see what the main final destinations of LVIA flyers really are.
Orlando is by far the most popular destination for passengers flying out of ABE. Hopefully, Allegiant will at least increase service to 7 days per week.
At the same time Frontier announces ceasing ABE, it expands TTN with more routes, including FLL, TPA, RSW and MSY and improved MCO frequency, although still not daily. Interesting move, going serious with TTN.
I think Frontier could have done ABE-FLL, even if the focus is on building up TTN. There are the beaches, major metropolitan area access, lack of another carrier to S. Florida from ABE, and a sizeable Hispanic population in the LV that likely has connections to S.Florida.
Given that they gave Frontier airlines a bye on landing fees for a year, and Frontier repaid the airport by leaving after one year, the idea of the Regional airport should be reconsidered.
Basically Philadelphia is expected to grow by 1000 passengers per day for each of the next 10 years. From the point of view of a regional airport commission, any passengers shifted to ABE would save them expensive improvements to the PHL airport. So while ABE on it's own cannot afford to willy nilly give away landing fees, the combined airport system may be saving money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Easton (PA) Express-Times Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Airport officials oppose authority State representative proposes regional plan to control air traffic in Philadelphia, Allentown. By PRECIOUS PETTY HANOVER TWP. -
As far as Lehigh Valley International Airport officials are concerned, the latest bid to wrest control of Philadelphia International Airport from the City of Brotherly Love ought to go the way of its predecessors: nowhere. That's because the proposal -- a bill introduced by state Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-Delaware -- could also strip local control of LVIA. The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority board formally recorded its opposition to Huse Bill 1182 with a unanimous vote Tuesday and instructed staff to educate area officials about the proposal's flaws. "I think that we need to go on record early as to our position on this," board member Joseph F. Leeson Jr. said before the vote. "I don't see any benefit to surrendering control of Lehigh Valley International Airport to outside interests, particularly in the Philadelphia region."
Linda A. Rosenfeld, the board treasurer, agreed, saying, "I don't see how this does anybody any good." Lentz wants to create the Southeast Pennsylvania Regional Airport Authority to oversee planning and operations at Philadelphia International, LVIA and several smaller airports. An authority, according to Lentz, would better manage regional flight traffic, ensuring optimal use of LVIA while reducing congestion at Philadelphia International. LNAA Executive Director George Doughty told the board Tuesday he doesn't think Lentz' plan will work because federal law prohibits government from telling airlines where to do business. Gov. Edward G. Rendell, then Philadelphia's mayor, supported forming a city-dominated regional authority in the early 1990s and a legislative commission in 2004 studied the feasibility of a state-run Philadelphia International. Both ideas fizzled under criticism. Doughty said legislators from Lentz' area been trying to take over Philadelphia International for years in an effort to reduce noise pollution associated with the airport, two-thirds of which is in Delaware County. LVIA is just a new twist in an old plot, he said. "This is purely about, 'Let's help Delaware County.'"
When this article was written ABE was boarding over 2000 passengers per day. As of the last month reporting it was boarding 800 per day, and in the Spring flights to Orlando Mcoy and to Washington Dulles will be cancelled. Some of the Orlando flights hopefully will be picked up if Allegiant goes to 7 days per week to Orlando Sanford airport.
PHL boards 41,000 ppl per day.
Last edited by PacoMartin; 11-20-2012 at 06:31 PM..
I think it's rare or atypical for Allegiant to do 7 days per week for any route in its system. Their business model default sale is also flight+hotel as well. User has to change to just flight only.
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