Archive for November, 2008
November 19th, 2008
So Southwest is bidding to buy the operating certificate of defunct partner ATA Airlines, mainly so it can get its old slots at New York’s LaGuardia International Airport and make its first foray into an actual NYC airport (it now flies to Islip on Long Island).
And that of course leads to rampant speculation that Southwest wants to link Midway to LaGuardia. I’d be very happy with that development. As a NYC native, I would love the option of taking a Van Galder bus to MDW and not have a long train ride on the other end. As it stands now, I look to use AirTran up in Milwaukee, but admittedly I’ll look at United or American at O’Hare if the price is right.
The other benefit is it could lead to a bit of a price war on the Chicago-NYC routes. That’s always nice.
November 17th, 2008
Just remember, though, that the $1.50 to $2 savings you’d see filling up in South Beloit vs. Rockford would be eaten up in the drive there and back. But those of you up near South Beloit, rejoice, for living near lower-taxed Wisconsin pays off.
Gasoline: Rockford dropped more than two cents to $2.14 a gallon. We have the third-highest gas prices in the state, and are one of only four still above $2 a gallon. So when I said last week things might be flattening out … yeah, I was wrong. The Illinois average dropped almost two cents to $2.14. The national average dropped two cents to $2.09. Illinois has the 17th-highest gas prices in the nation, including the District of Columbia. Seventeen states have gas prices averaging below $2 a gallon. Alaska and Hawaii remain above $3 a gallon.
Diesel: Rockford dropped two cents to $2.98 a gallon, the first time it’s been below $3 since summer 2007. We have the fourth-highest diesel prices in the state. The state average dropped three cents to $3.10. The national average dropped three cents to $2.97. Illinois has the 11th-highest diesel prices in the country. Thirty states have diesel prices averaging below $3. Alaska and Hawaii remain above $3 a gallon.
November 17th, 2008
And we’ve broken the $2 a barrel mark in Winnebago County. Specifically, in South Beloit, where there’s been a price war between a few stations up there (plus, as one retailer told me, “its competition is in Wisconsin, a tax advantaged state.”)
With oil now down around $55 a barrel, the rest of the area could be there soon. Probably Belvidere next, and eventually us in Rockford. Our records indicate the last time we saw prices below $2 a gallon around here was approximately May of 2005 (correct me if I’m wrong). For those of you who say gas prices never fall as much as oil, note that oil was last this low in February of 2007 … so gas prices have actually out-dropped (is that a word?) oil.
More in a little bit on my fuel price musings
November 17th, 2008
Virgin America’s entry into the Chicago market is being threatened, since it can’t find any gate space at O’Hare International Airport. Which of course begs the question … could they go somewhere else? There are several alternative airports … including one up here. And starting in December, one of Virgin’s leased-out aircraft will be flying out of Rockford to Punta Gorda, Fla.
I don’t know what RFD’s plans are, if any, to woo Virgin (and yes, I know how that sounds). But I can imagine airport staff being extra nice to VA’s crew members (cue Bob O’Brien driving them to their hotels).
On the one hand, it would make a lot of sense for VA to come here if it couldn’t get into ORD. It’s a low-cost carrier that would fit into RFD’s long-term goal of being “Midway 2 northwest of O’Hare). But it also has a particular target for business travelers, and may have its eyes set on the downtown and close-in Chicago folks, not the northwest suburban types.
Wherever they end up in Chicago, I can’t wait to fly on one of their planes. With all due respect to Punta Gorda, it would be VERY easy to convince me to fly one of these to San Francisco or Seattle…
 (Mmmm, mood lighting)
November 11th, 2008
But there are some signs that the bottom is coming soon in gas prices….
Here are today’s metro area prices (as always, courtesy of AAA’s fuelgaugereport.com):
Gasoline: Rockford dropped a penny to $2.26 a gallon. We have the third-highest gas prices in the state. Quad Cities actually increased a fraction of a cent while Peoria stayed where it is. Coincidence? Or a flattening? (Decatur, the lowest-priced metro area in the state, keeps dropping and is now below $1.92 a gallon). The Illinois average dropped almost four cents to $2.28. The national average dropped two cents to $2.22. Illinois has the 18th-highest gas prices in the nation, including the District of Columbia. Four states have gas prices averaging below $2 a gallon - Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma. Only Alaska and Hawaii remain above $3 a gallon.
Diesel: Rockford dropped three cents to $3.05 a gallon. We have the sixth-highest diesel prices in the state. The state average dropped a cent to $3.19. The national average dropped less than a cent to $3.09. Illinois has the 12th-highest diesel prices in the country. Twelve states have disel prices averaging below $3. Only Alaska and Hawaii remain above $3 a gallon.
November 11th, 2008
Shout out to Chicago Public Radio and reporter Adriene Hill for a good story about Chicago Rockford International Airport today.
She managed to avoid the condescending “Chicago covers Rockford cliches” about how cute and small and in the middle of nowhere we are. Instead, she notes how the passengers there enjoy the lack of crowds and the cheap eats, but at the same time she points out that the reason for the lack of crowds is the small number of flights. She puts some bigger context into why regional airports are particularly hurting with airline cutbacks, but also notes that RFD is trying something different - point to point service rather than hub and spoke routes.
Finally, she also refers to RFD’s secret of sorts - that a booming cargo operation allows airport leaders to be both patient and experimental in ther passenger approach. A good listen.
November 10th, 2008
Gas prices in Rockford have fallen to their lowest since … well … since I’ve been paying attention. At least as low as they’ve been since February. Of 2007. We’re possibly staring at 2006 prices.
But it’s finally time to ask the question, “Is the bottom in sight?” It would appear to be simply because oil prices (around $61 a barrel now) are at March, 2007, levels. So gas prices have now fallen below where they were the last time oil prices were this low.
Of course, we’re in uncharted territory, so who really knows what’s going to happen next? Watch the global stock markets to gauge if oil will rebound, since energy prices are now tied to the economy. See if China’s new economic stimulus package (as Phil Flynn says, it’s “trying to put the fire back into their dragon economy” *rimshot*) turns things around too.
How little do I really know? On Oct. 2, when gas was $3.72 a gallon, I wrote, “At this rate, we’ll be under $3 in … well, probably never.” But prices have fallen almost $2 a gallon in the past seven weeks. Guess I reverse-jinxed it!
I got gas for $1.95 a gallon this weekend in Indiana. Rockford city is around $2.29 a gallon. Will we yet reach $2? Stay tuned.
Here are today’s metro area prices (as always, courtesy of AAA’s fuelgaugereport.com):
Gasoline: Rockford dropped three cents to $2.27 a gallon. We have the third-highest gas prices in the state.Champaign-Urbana, Decatur and Springfield are already below $2 a gallon. The Illinois average dropped almost two cents to $2.32. The national average dropped two cents to $2.24. Illinois has the 18th-highest gas prices in the nation, including the District of Columbia. Rockford is tied with the 87th highest gas prices of the nation’s 250 metro areas.
Diesel: Rockford dropped three cents to $3.08 a gallon. We’re now at levels not seen in over a year over on the diesel sid. We have the fourth-highest diesel prices in the state. The state average dropped four cents to $3.20. The national average dropped three cents to $3.10. Illinois has the 11th-highest diesel prices in the country.
November 6th, 2008
Chicago Rockford International Airport officials report that almost 1,000 tickets have been sold for this winter’s flights to and from the Fort Myers, Fla., area. That’s nearly a fifth of the total seats available, a good start in the effort to eventually get Direct Air to extend its service through March and into April. Two of the flights down to Florida have been sold out so far.
By the way, check out RFD’s snappy new Web site.
November 5th, 2008
I don’t know about you, but this incident makes me even more likely to sit when the flight attendant tells me to sit.
