Topic: Most Expensive Airfare in the Nation

[HerdEcon]

Charleston, WV, was the only WV airport included in the study. The regional airport between Charleston and Huntington would have been a good thing.  Instead, we watch Tri-State struggle, Yeager throw millions of $$ off a cliff to lengthen runways, the Air National Guard complain, and air cargo go to other airports and get trucked in.


https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/west-virginia-has-the-most-expensive-domestic-flights-in-america-study-says/amp/

[svherd]

Charleston, WV, was the only WV airport included in the study. The regional airport between Charleston and Huntington would have been a good thing.  Instead, we watch Tri-State struggle, Yeager throw millions of $$ off a cliff to lengthen runways, the Air National Guard complain, and air cargo go to other airports and get trucked in.


https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/west-virginia-has-the-most-expensive-domestic-flights-in-america-study-says/amp/

No doubt. In the last week, I've booked flights to LA and Vancouver for meetings and it was over 1K from HTS or CRW. Flying out of Cincy and Columbus, around 680 round trip on each. Even with parking, save the company over $200 per trip.

HTS still waiting on another flight to add. They are saying they have it worked out with American to add a Chicago route. American tells them, they don't have enough pilots to add routes right now. Why don't they look at Breeze, Contour, etc?

[marshallmark]

No doubt. In the last week, I've booked flights to LA and Vancouver for meetings and it was over 1K from HTS or CRW. Flying out of Cincy and Columbus, around 680 round trip on each. Even with parking, save the company over $200 per trip.

HTS still waiting on another flight to add. They are saying they have it worked out with American to add a Chicago route. American tells them, they don't have enough pilots to add routes right now. Why don't they look at Breeze, Contour, etc?

Breeze wouldn't be in Charleston but for the state subsidizing them - no way they do that with another airport

[bighat]

I always fly out of Columbus.  You get stuck somewhere else on trip back out of Charleston.

[svherd]

Breeze wouldn't be in Charleston but for the state subsidizing them - no way they do that with another airport

We have the million dollars to blow on some airline. The 750K government grant and the 250K matching funds raised via the dreaded Soar campaign. I really wonder if the management and board at HTS have any real intentions of trying to add a flight? They seem content with what we have. God forbid Allegiant would pull out.

[marshallmark]

We have the million dollars to blow on some airline. The 750K government grant and the 250K matching funds raised via the dreaded Soar campaign. I really wonder if the management and board at HTS have any real intentions of trying to add a flight? They seem content with what we have. God forbid Allegiant would pull out.

If Allegiant pulls out, I expect HTS to close.  Shame its come to that.

[Flat Tire 2]

Breeze serves the city in Florida where I live, and it is the only airline serving the airport. Breeze has a couple of flights to the NYC and Northeast area of the US; Breeze is doing very well as expected for an affluent resort area. The airport receives a subsidy from the state due to its low passenger volume. The airport is now faced with a problem due to the high totals of passengers using Breeze and  it might lose its subsidy. This airport has unbelievable amount of private jet usage and one private jet company is paying for the cost of US Customs office at the airport.

[TomorrowHERD]

A long LONG time ago, I knew someone who was a higher up in Southwest Airlines.  She was from WV, if the regional airport was to go through, SWA was going to be a primary tenant at that airport, and she had been approached about being the terminal manager for SWA if it went through....   

[Thundering In MD]

We missed our window to develop a regional airport between Huntington and Charleston.  Land has been developed. 

[marshallmark]

We missed our window to develop a regional airport between Huntington and Charleston.  Land has been developed.

I was on the Huntington Chamber of Commerce Exec. Cttee during the time when the regional airport was being seriously discussed.  A couple of things:  We had the $$ to build it, and the infrastructure to support it.  Sen. Byrd had secured the funding for the "waypark" and the state had committed to the access roads, water lines, sewer lines, power structures, etc. to make it happen.  Land had been selected although not, obviously, secured.

Fed Ex had committed to bringing a regional sorting facility to the regional airport.  Two of the three major airlines serving Charleston and Htgn back then committed to coming to the regional airport (US Air and either Delta or United - can't remember which).  The Air National Guard was interested but they also were interested in having Yeager to themselves, so that was still up in the air.

The only caveat from Sen. Byrd was that Charleston had to be all-in. We met with the leaders of Charleston probably 1/2 dozen times during the late 1990s and into the 2000s, particularly Mayor Kemp Melton who (in my opinion) never had the intellectual understanding of what a regional airport would mean to the metro valley.  He was not the problem, however - Kent Carper, who still is a Kanawha County Commissioner in spite of being arrested last year for showing his willy to a female in one of Charleston's parks, was the real opposition.  He actively lobbied against it, telling us one time, "Why would I want to drive 1/2 hour to an airport when I can have one 10 minutes from my office?"  Unbelievably short sighted and parochial. 

Then... 9/11 happened.  All of the available $$ dried up and went to Homeland Security and we missed the window. 

I still think that it could have been a game-changer for the corridor.