Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Tallahassee International Airport (KTLH) sends support letters to JetBlue

Courting season continues for Tallahassee International Airport and JetBlue Airways.

As of Tuesday, 40 support letters for direct service to South Florida were mailed to the New York-based airline, and by Wednesday, nearly 10 more were sent to the airport. Business leaders representing a cross section of industries drafted letters indicating their number of employees and how often they travel for work, along with personal horror travel stories.

It’s clear leaders, not to mention residents, are indicating they want more service and the “Jet Blue effect,” which often occurs when the airline expands to a new market — causing a dramatic dip in fares, said TLH Aviation Director Chris Curry.

“We believe if we can bring a low-cost carrier like JetBlue into our region, we can generate traffic well outside of our catchment area (90-mile radius around the airport),” he said. “Letters of support continue to stream in every day.”

Last year, cities like Jacksonville and Savannah, Georgia, got additional JetBlue flights. Campaigns are common, but how each city approaches its courtship of JetBlue can differ dramatically. Some flood the airline with correspondence and pleas for service.

In addition to the letter writing campaign, the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and Visit Tallahassee are committing funds for an incentive package, the details of which have not been disclosed. Whatever the offer, the decision is solely the airline’s.

“We have a finite amount of planes, and we want to position them in locations where they can do the most good,” said Morgan Johnston, spokesman for JetBlue Airways.

“We certainly pay attention to customer demand in any new potential city and we‘re always examining new routes,” he added. “Our decision on a new route is based a number of factors around market demand, and not just that city but in any city.”

The Jet Blue effect won’t come easy or quickly. The process, including analysis, planning and execution, could take between eight months to three years, according to a JetBlue blog explaining its approach to expanding service.

“We often say that we “earn our right to grow,” which means that we deliberately limit our growth and select only the most attractive opportunities that are most fitting with our current strategy, resulting in a solid network that we can defend and build up, little by little, even in the face of economic challenges like high fuel prices.”

JetBlue carries more than 32 million passenger a year to 90 cities in the United States, Caribbean and Latin America. There is an average of 875 daily flights, the airline reports. The airline increased its Florida presence by adding more flights from Fort Lauderdale to Albany, N.Y., and Orlando. By January, service to Daytona Beach will be added.

Tallahasee Mayor Andrew Gillum said the airline would be a “game changer” in Tallahassee.

“This strong showing of community support should demonstrate to JetBlue that they can find a successful and profitable home here,” Gillum said of the letters.

“The (nearly) 50 letters from across our business community makes a very strong statement about the need to improve air service and lower fares in Tallahassee. Chris Curry is a dynamic leader at Tallahassee International Airport, but he can’t do it alone. We must use every tool at our disposal to win the fight to improve air service — so please keep those letters coming.”

Here's what some local leaders said in their support letters:

“As president of Florida State University, I am pleased to enthusiastically support the proposed service expansion of JetBlue Airways to Tallahassee International Airport (TLH), which would greatly facilitate the movement of students and faculty as they travel to and from the school.” — John Thrasher, former state representative and FSU president.

“As president of one of the two major research universities located in the Tallahassee area, I strongly believe that the regional community would greatly benefit from, and support, JetBlue service... Our university’s travel related business needs would vastly improve with JetBlue Airways non-stop service through the Fort-Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.” Elmira Mangum, president of Florida A&M University.

“My company spends on average 60 to 70 percent of our time traveling out of the Tallahassee International Airport. However, with the merger of U.S. Airways and American Airlines, the service out of TLH has been reduced while the cost of flying has skyrocketed. As a result, I am now traveling to Jacksonville, FL (2.5 hours away), Tampa (4 hours away), and Orlando (3.5 hours away) for flights.” — Jenny Harris Frasure, senior partner of Innovation Costing Solutions LLC, a governmental financial consulting firm.

“Business needs your services. But there is also a hunger among those of us in this region who like to travel. I am convinced JetBlue would be welcomed with open arms.” — Marjorie Turnbull, president of Turnbull Consulting and former county commissioner and state representative.

“Read the article in the Democrat today! Tallahassee NEEDS more options for flights to South Florida. $400 is a ridiculous fee to fly. Our students would be off the road, and not to mention the seven-hour drive. Southwest Airlines would be a great addition, too.” Dorothy Fulcher Meigs, resident.

Source: http://www.tallahassee.com

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