5 Comments Add your own

• 1. rfdbusinessman  |  March 11th, 2009 at 6:52 am

  Yes, I would use the routes. While it would be great to have JetBlue flying these routes ….. I highly endorse this and support Air Azul, the apparent new kid (airline) in town. Several years ago I went with the Chamber group on the one day lobbying trip to DC. We landed in Baltimore and took Amtrak to DC Union Station. Very smooth. I understand Newark into NYC would be very similar.

  Hope the flight schedule and times are friendly for both leisure and business travelers.

  I have felt that there is a market for secondary airports in the eastern half of the US to fly to both NYC and Washington DC areas. Looks like Air Azul recongnizes and addresses this. Appears they are also flying out of Lansing, Toledo, and South Bend as well as Rockford.

  Thomas, remember Pan Am ? The latest version of Pan Am failed about a year ago. Its management appeared to be inept. What Air Azul is doing is exactly what they should have been doing.

  Let’s all fly Air Azul (Allegiant, Direct Air, and Apple Vacations too)

• 2. G. Kent  |  March 11th, 2009 at 7:02 pm

  Good job, Thomas. With your latest posting you’ve eliminated any doubt that you’re a shill for the airport. (As if your past “reporting” had left that to doubt.)

  The good news for the reading public, if there is any, is that your current assignment at RFD will probably keep you from taking any assignments of consequence (crime, politics, education, etc.).

• 3. Thomas V. Bona  |  March 12th, 2009 at 12:33 pm

  Mr. “Kent”,

  It’s easy to toss around such phrases as “shill” when you’re using an assumed name (or are you related to a Rockford city founder?).

  My above post is relaying my personal excitement in the new routes, which are the first ones RFD offers that I’d have reason to use personally. I’ll write about my trip when the time comes and, if I don’t have a good experience, I’ll be honest. But for now, I’m explaining my excitement.

  I would like to explain more how that and my ongoing coverage makes me a “shill”. We’ve reported both positive and negative stories about the airport … they’ve trended positive in my time here because the news has been mostly positive.

  Passenger totals rose five straight years, and dropped last year at a lower rate than at many larger airports. Cargo levels reached record levels in 2007. The airport paid off its bonds early and significantly lowered its tax rate … and now is borrowing money off of future cargo revenue, NOT taxes, to expand its cargo facilities.

  Sure, there are bumps. We’ve used the term “revolving door” to describe airlines in and out, we reported how much they went over budget on the Southern Skyways deal, we’ve reported Allegiant’s criticisms of the airport, we’ve reported how the recession has hurt UPS at RFD. The balance is positive, though, because the news is. They’re still growing.

  When I came here, RFD had four destinations, going on five. Now, it’s nine. Even if some don’t make it, the trend is that they’ll be replaced.

  What am I missing, Mr. Kent?

• 4. Anonymous  |  April 23rd, 2009 at 2:44 am

  The word on the street is that Air Azul has folded. You may want to investigate this as the website has been pulled.

• 5. G. Kent  |  April 27th, 2009 at 8:43 pm

  Yes, another great airline lured to Rockford by O’Brien and Dunn.

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