September 1st, 2009 02:26pm
Thomas V. Bona
I haven’t done one of these in six weeks, mainly because gas prices don’t do much in the summer (unless hurricanes go crazy, which they haven’t yet). But with a new month, a new commitment. Let’s see where prices go this fall (and fall they may, thought expect them back up a year from now).
What stood out is that Rockford is not only below the national average in gas prices, but we’re 149th of the country’s 280 metro area. That’s right, most of the country has higher gas prices than we do. When’s the last time that has happened?
Here are the prices from this morning (courtesy of AAA’s fuelgaugereport.com):
Gasoline: Rockford dropped a cent to $2.56 a gallon today, up almost three cents in the past month but down $1.19 in the past year. We’re sixth in the state. The Illinois average dropped a cent to $2.64 a gallon, up almost four cents in the past month but down $1.23 in the past year. The national average dropped slightly but stayed at $2.61 a gallon, up seven cents in the past month but down $1.08 in the past year. Illinois has the 19th-highest gas prices in the nation, including the District of Columbia.
Diesel: Rockford remained at $2.72 a gallon, a 10-cent increase in the past month but a $1.41 drop in the past year. We have the fourth-highest diesel prices in the state. The state average remained at $2.71, a nine-cent increase in the past month but a $1.62 drop in the past year. The national average dropped almost a cent to $2.69, an 11-cent increase in the past month but a $1.57 drop in the past year. Illinois has the 21th-highest diesel prices in the country, including the District of Columbia.
So a question, dear readers. Do the fact that gas prices are way lower than a year ago make you more likely to travel this Labor Day weekend? Or is the economy so bad that you’re staying put, no matter what gas prices are?
August 26th, 2009 12:07pm
Thomas V. Bona
How much have times changed? Now, instead of a commercial showing off hostesses in hot pants, Southwest Airlines is highlighting its lack of bag fees. As always, Southwest’s commercials are top notch. I particularly like the spot that’s been on local tv a lot, showing a baggage handler driving around while the narrator describes how other airlines “hate your bag”. I assume the baggage handler is an actual Southwest employee - he’s great!
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August 26th, 2009 11:19am
Thomas V. Bona
Remember a time when flight attendants were called “stewardesses” or “hostesses” and wore revealing skirts (and sometimes hot pants?). Remember when you could smoke on a plane? Remember when fancy food was served on china (and flights were really expensive and generally for business travelers only)?
I don’t, though I did see a scene on “Mad Men” from that era. But the fine folks at Mental Floss have compiled a list of eight retro airline commercials that show, well, a different time.
My favorite is the Eastern Airlines one (and not just because I fondly remember the airline), with “dese guys” baggage handlers:
Anyone fly back in the era shown in these commercials? Was it really like they advertized? Was flying better then or now? My take is that it’s more affordable now, and thus the fancy amenties are gone. Airlines target families, not just business travelers (and business travelers are guided by corporate to choose based on cost more than … what is that in one commercial … lobster?).
Also, flight attendents are treated with more respect. Man, Don Draper would hate it.
August 24th, 2009 03:25pm
Thomas V. Bona
I was one of a record 160,000-plus people at Rockford’s AirFest 2009, and it was definitely the best of the three I’ve been to. The perfect weather, packed schedule and same-as-ever prices all helped bring out the crowds. Judging by how many cameras were out for the F-22 Raptor, I think it single-handedly brought lots out.
Fellow blogger Georgette Braun is asking people if they got their money’s worth. I know my family and I did. Here are some of the best, and some of the needs-improvement, parts of AirFest:
Highlights:
- The performers lived up to the hype, particularly the Rapor and the Harrier Jump Jet. Both did things I’ve never seen aircraft do, and it was their abilities to basically stop in midair and turn on a dime that impresed me, more than the pure speed (which was also way cool). With all due respect to the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels, the Raptor was the best headliner yet. Oh, and seeing a B-1 Lancer in the air was great too.
- The layout. It’s great that the food vendors are scattered around the grounds, along with the static displays. You don’t have to walk across the whole fest to get food or to see something cool (though I did because I wanted to see as much as possible). Even if you didn’t spring for a flight-line seat, you could see things real well from almost anywhere.
- Getting to drive on the runway. Well, after the show. To accommodate all the vehicles leaving, they had one departure route that sent us through a gate, onto a taxiway and then on the runway for a bit, before escaping out the south end of the airport. What a thrill! My father-in-law, driving, said, “You think the Raptor was something … wait until you see what a Ford Taurus can do!”
The “hmm” moments (borrowing a phrase from My Last Bite):
- Granted, they maybe weren’t expecting such big crowds, but there need to be more port-o-potties and loudspeakers if you’re gonna attract so mant people. I counted only 28 port-o-potties for the general public, not counting those for the VIPs and chalets. Those lines were pretty insane, and given the jam-packed schedule, it was hard to “go” without missing something. I had to jump off line to catch the Jump Jet, then go back and try again. And those of us on the far end of the grounds could barely hear any of the announcements as the nearest loudspeaker was seemingly miles away. Something to consider as the show continues to grow.
- Long lines for the static displays. Anecdotally, I heard of several-hours-long waits to get in some of those planes (including my poor half-brother). It seemed like there was no time limit for hanging out inside some of the aircraft, and perhaps something could be done next year to keep things moving a bit.
- No B-2 Spirit Bomber fly-by Saturday. Unless it was so stealth we just didn’t see it.
One I’m not touching is traffic. Yeah, the delay was long coming south on Illinois 2 by the bypass, and maybe things could be done better next year. But it was pretty standard fare for such a big event (80,000 or so each day - a football game’s worth!) so it wasn’t too bad. Plus, we got to see the Navy Leap Frogs and a few planes perform at the opener from the comfort of our car. It’s been said that traffic is relative - people will complain if it’s more than they’re used to … but this wasn’t crazy for such a big event.
What were your highlights and suggestions for next year?
August 19th, 2009 04:13pm
Thomas V. Bona
Looks like it’ll be another strong spring next year at Chicago Rockford International Airport.
Allegiant Air, the largest carrier here, is now selling tickets through May on its Web site. It’s good news for RFD - it’s got as many or more flights as a year ago through January, and the peak schedule next spring is pretty comparable. It’s down 4 flights a week in March, but otherwise pretty much the same.
Considering last March was the airport’s second-best month ever, this spring will still be pretty strong. It really depends on what Direct Air does - they’re adding a third flight to Punta Gorda, Fla., this winter and spring, but no word on Myrtle Beach - and whether any other routes are added by other airlines.
August 19th, 2009 01:22pm
Thomas V. Bona
(Hat tip to airline industry vet Joel Chusid for the link)
Travel expert Rick Steves suggests ways to limit fees while getting cash abroad. Good stuff I’ll try to remember for my next trip. Not counting Canada, I’ve only been abroad twice (a summer in the Dominican Republic, including a weekend jaunt to Haiti, more than 10 years ago and a honeymoon in Ireland back in 2007). Hopefully we can go somewhere like England or elsewhere in Europe in 2011, when my vacation time expands a week. But I’m pretty clueless when it comes to international travel (not Clark Griswald clueless, but still). Fortunately, my wife is an expert - she probably knows all of Steves’ tips already.
August 5th, 2009 04:23pm
Thomas V. Bona
Not a surprise here. With high fuel prices and the start of the recession in 2008, Chicago Rockford International Airport saw a 4 percent drop in cargo volume. That sent it down one spot to 19th in the nation, according to preliminary rankings released by the Federal Aviation Administration last month. RFD was passed by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
It wasn’t a good year for cargo airports. More than half of the 121 cargo airports listed saw drops bigger than Rockford’s. Only 31 increased, and only three airports bigger than Rockford’s increased.
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August 5th, 2009 02:50pm
Thomas V. Bona
Courtesy of Today in the Sky, UAL is moving 2,800 workers from Elk Grove Township to the Tower Formerly Known as Sears. Good news for downtown Chicago. Obviously, a lot of incentives were given, and the price was right. Of course, as a coworker said, downtown’s gain is the suburb’s loss. It will be interesting to see if there are problems having its ops center farther from ORD…
August 5th, 2009 01:33pm
Thomas V. Bona
Late last month, the FAA released its preliminary 2008 passenger rankings for U.S. airports. Chicago Rockford International Airport rose in the rankings for the sixth straight year, despite a slight drop in traffic. That’s because others fell worse than RFD did, thanks to high fuel prices and the start of the recession. The airport is now 213th in the nation, up from 215th at the end of 2007.
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August 5th, 2009 12:11pm
Thomas V. Bona
Just back from my vacation in Santa Fe, an amazing city with a much lusher climate than I expected from the southwest (the mile-plus altitude helps). It even hailed one day, though a shopkeeper said, “This almost never happens” while I resisted the $700 boots she was selling. (It wasn’t hard to resist).
Anyway, we flew from Midway to Denver, then drove down to Santa Fe. Mainly it was an excuse to fly for the first time on Frontier Airlines (and to catch a Rockies game and some excellent beer in Denver). I’m glad I flew Frontier - had an excellent couple of flights; moreover, Frontier as we know it may not be long for this world.
While I was gone, Southwest Airlines made a preliminary bid to buy Frontier. This is big news in Denver - Frontier is the second-biggest airline there and Southest in number three. Both are low-cost carriers, and the sense is there’s not enough room there for both. Cranky Flier, like others, expects Southwest to operate Frontier as a standalone subsidiary for a bit, then phase out its planes and gobble up some of its employees:
Ultimately, however, I think this is just about one thing. Southwest can eliminate a competitor for just over $100 million. They must believe that they can benefit by more than that by simply getting rid of Frontier. … There really isn’t much room for three carriers over in Denver, and this is a cheap way to fix that problem.
Cranky thinks it’s potentially good news for United, which will see a competitor disappear, another one shell out millions and cut competition at some non-Southwesty routes to Mexico and smaller western cities. Wall Street Journal is not so sure, while Airline Bulletin thinks United could make its own bid. This will be interesting to watch - Republic is still in the Frontier bidding, though for how much?
Anyway, the smart money is on Southwest getting what it wants and eventually ending Frontier as we know it. That would be sad, in that Frontier has a unique product - the in-seat DirectTV was worth the $6, I love the animal pictures on the tails and the prices are right. Had the smoothest landing I’ve ever had into Midway (though, to be fair, most of my landings were on old ATA planes so the bar wasn’t too hight). If I had an excuse to fly though Denver again, I might trek down to Midway for Frontier.
Though, if Southwest gobbles them up, it’s not the end of the world - Southwest also had a unique product that I enjoy as well. When it comes down to it, I’ll fly whichever airline gives me the best fare at the most convenient airports, though things like Frontier and JetBlue’s in-seat TVs and AirTran’s satellite radio are nice tie-breakers.
Thoughts on the changing airline landscape?
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