Archive for November 17th, 2008
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)
