It's not even likely that there'd more than two aircraft on station at one time. You're not going to go from zero airlines to multiple, and if one airline was serving ORH, they'd be likely to stagger time on station to keep things running smoothly. Even if there was more than one aircraft there at one time, there are adequate facilities, as pointed out above.And, don't forget, not all flights are on mainline jets. It's entirely possible that you'd see more Q400s, 1900s and CRJ/ERJs than 737s. You don't use a jetway for those. (Check out the remote terminal at YUL for a good example of how turboprops and RJs get handled.)
I'll second one of the anonymous replies, though: the taxiway and the ILS need some serious attention. The taxiway could/should be extended to the end of 11/29 without much hassle. And better ILS would mean more reliability in marginal weather -- that's a huge deal.
Right now, Rwy 11 is Cat. I, and there's no ILS on 15/33, which is more than long enough to handle turboprops like the 1900. (By the way, 15/33 IS the second runway. And no, a third runway isn't necessary. Likewise, moving the terminal, fire station, etc., isn't a wise move unless there's demand for a bigger terminal.) Upgrading ILS to Cat. II (preferably on both 11/29 and 15/33) would get a lot more bang for the buck.
Same Time Next Year
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It’s been nearly a year since I wrote about the problems that come from
having 11 bosses who are not on the same page about anything, as well as
suggestion...
4 months ago
11 comments:
Im the anom. you refer to:
Spending a few million on an ILS now wouldnt make sense. Even adding a button-hook to the end of the runway to allow for easier turn-arounds as opposed to a full parallel wouldnt make sense until an airline came in.
It does makes sense however, to prepare for it fully right now (get all estimates and timelines done) and make it a part of a package to the right airline if/when those neogitations occur.
O'kay then who are you?
Anonymous, you evidently have knowledge of the airport. What's your opinion on some of the topics that have been brought up on this blog and by the T&G lately? Do you think the airport will become viable? Do you think it should keep 139 cert and if so do you think that the current staffing (maintenance, security/fire) is sufficient or under/overstaffed?
David
What position can one get with only a high school education and have an $18,000 a year job and have your employer pay $12,000 annually toward your family health insurance plan AND work only 2/3's of a year?
Teachers Aid.
Anyone wonder why we're broke?
And Oh !!!! I forgot.............pension ,too
Let try this again anonymous..
O'kay then who are you?
David/Bill,
Im an industry person who is rooting for the success of ORH.
I think the airport could/should become viable. The political infrastructure is better aligned than most of ORH's peers. You get the feeling that with a couple of calls O'Brien, McGovern and others will be ready to smooze with an airline...and that's a very good thing.
Airline expertise and netowrking, however, is lacking. There is none at the airport as far as I can tell.
Massport is far more concerned about the success of BOS than ORH. ORH seems to be a pawn in their broader chess game. IMG is tied into Massport too. An alignment with Massport is ok, but the city needs to control the airline process as it is the only one with a vested interest in its success...and I mean that not from the P&L of the airport, but for the broader economic development of the city/western suburbs (which is far more important than the airport's finances in the mid/long run).
Does the business community really believe in ORH? If so, they need to be ready with a package now to offer when the right carrier shows an interest. Engineering something during the courtship rarely works out.
Ops is a problem and probably why Skybus overlooked ORH as they were hyper-sensitive to it during their New England swing a couple of years ago. But it's not that much of a problem. If the city had a detailed (not pie-in-the-sky)plan for the fog/ILS when Skybus walked through the door, then they probably would have remained interested.
Bottom line: A package incorporating the ops piece, revenue assurances via the business community, an overall business case of why ORH makes sense from the revenue side of the equation, and generic incentives (landing fees, parking, etc.) needs to be put together and then properly marketed to the right airline people...and not just your average "Director- Market Planning".
Good points. I strongly agree that the city/airport admin needs to develop a stronger marketing package to offer potential customers. I do believe that the customer base is there, it's just a matter of destination variety and targeting popular destinations. Not to beat a dead horse, but customer sales grow stale when only one destination is offered (ie Worcester to Orlando). Not to mention that direct flights are more in demand than layovers or shuttle's to hubs. The ILS is huge. Why this problem has not been corrected is beyond me. ORH is perfect for the right airline as they pretty much have a blank slate to develop, no competition with other airlines there, a decent customer base. Hopefully the powers that be can sell this as part of an incentive package.
David
question from the less educated:
we had a nice carrier in Allegient, I flew from Worcester to FLA and was quite impressed..if we couldn't make this one work where is the rationale that the city can do it with another carrier? It seems we should be talking about the next new carrier coming in to be complimenting Allegient NOT to be once again looking for a new savior..
Lastly on the airport issue..there seems to be no polititcal willingness to create a better access to the airport..with out Gary Rosen's approval:>) how does it happen??
My own short lived business experience in this city has shown that there is a lot of early interest and then a drop deepah than the Grand Canyon.
There seems to be problems with almost every single thing that happens of consequence in this city
Hi Other Anon,
The reason the ILS isnt upgraded yet is because it is expensive...a few million.
Not putting the upgrades in yet makes sense, but ORH needs to show that they are ready to put it in if a carrier makes the right commitment.
Paulie, RE: Allegiant. Their model is unique. Their scheduling is complex. They measure a market's success differently than a major carrier. And of course major carrier's measure success different than LCCs, etc. Anon's comments that "ORH is perfect for the right airline as they pretty much have a blank slate to develop, no competition with other airlines there, a decent customer base" is right on and there are a few carriers that should be approached for this model:
-Expressjet (it's beyond me how ORH wasnt in Jim Ream's / Liz Compton's face when they were considering new markets...and of course XJET chose excatly the wrong ones)
-Midwest
-AirTran (too big unfortunately, but still worth a shot)
-Mesa
-Skybus (again)
...and a few others
Last Anonymous:
Do you know why Allegiant left ORH??
Thanks
Bill Randell
PS Great insight!!!
I thought it was because a city employee kept pulling the fire alarm during Allegiant flights according to this blog
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