Right now we have nothing. All I am saying is if we get one flight, it will be 100% or 1000% more then we have right now. If we sell out the plane and JetBlue makes money then we will get additional flights, but we need to get one flight before we get two and then maybe eventually daily shuttle service to JFK.
Lets just concentrate on getting one flight and making it successful then the rest will follow.
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
8 comments:
As I stated in an earlier post... if ORH gets one JetBlue flight a week, you know something? That's one more JetBlue flight per week than:
Atlanta
Kansas City
St Louis
Oklahoma City
Little Rock
Minneapolis
Detroit
Indianapolis
Memphis
and Cleveland ...just to name a few. Don't believe me? Check it out yourselves...
http://www.jetblue.com/wherewejet/?intcmp=hd_wherewejet
Harry T
Worcester,MA
Sorry Bill, no service announcement this year. http://www.telegram.com/article/20120718/NEWS/120719526/1116
JetBlue isnt coming for the reason that Allegient left and the head of JetBlue probably has in his Worcester file the "don't let the door hit you on the arse on your way out Mo" newspaper quote by another local "head of economic development" type soon to be indicted.
Tough break Bill. I admire your willingness to keep working on this and think that you will eventually succeed.
Is that you wearing No. 23?
When I look at the big picture here, what I see is Massport having legal ownership of the airport for 2 years and substantive ownership (complete control by leasing the place) for 8 years. That is 10 years in total. Dare I ask what Massport has brought to the party during that time and where in God's name is the CC that s/b all over MP.
I'd be curious to go back to July, 2010 newspapers and compare what was said then vs. what is happening or not happening now.
I'd like to see as many burned rubber strips from large commercial jet landings on the Worc Airport runway as there are burned rubber strips on Main St right now.
"When I look at the big picture here, what I see is Massport having legal ownership of the airport for 2 years and substantive ownership (complete control by leasing the place) for 8 years. That is 10 years in total. Dare I ask what Massport has brought to the party during that time and where in God's name is the CC that s/b all over MP."
They have done substantial, very expensive renovations. I won't list them, but it's tens of millions of dollars (just look at the runway resurfacing). Something the city could never have afforded. They're also tying us together with Hansom to get us a new FBO/$5 million hanger and offering incentives to bring in prospective clients.
First, much as all of us want commercial service, the money is apparently in general aviation and things like company private jets. I think that is what MassPort is focusing on for now for Worcester. Also, I feel that Worcester is a back up plan for when Logan reaches capacity. Right now, I believe Logan is at 85%, so MassPort has no huge need for ORH...yet. While they have done a lot to improve the airport and try to bring in people, Worcester I feel is ultimately a back up plan and they're not going to bend over backwards when they have bigger fish to fry. However, when I see old lists of what improvements/expansions/repairs that need to be done for ORH (there was a lot), I see the bulk of them either done, planned, or in progress. Give MassPort a little credit, think of where we would be without them.
That is at least my humble take on things. Thanks.
"First, much as all of us want commercial service, the money is apparently in general aviation and things like company private jets."
MS, I was under the impression the airport was losing money and during MP's 10 year tenure 99.999% of the so called airport flight operations have been gen'l aviation.
"They have done substantial, very expensive renovations"
We have a beautiful, relatively new (16 year old?) terminal. I am not so confident about the synergy of being hooked with Handscome, b/c if Defenese spending continues to be cut Handscome could be on the chopping block either partly or in its entirety. But that said, Handscomes possible complete demise could certainly help Worcester. Handscome just had a sizable workforce cut this past spring.
Spending zillions in capital improvemnets at the airport and expecting comm flights to come a knockin' is kind of like erecting a new school building and expecting the MCAS & SAT scores to automatically increase as a result of the "build it and good things will happen" mentality that seems to dominate much public spending.
Jahn, I do apologize. I should have better explained my thoughts. Let me preface this with the fact that I am not a business man, nor an aviation aficionado. I work emergency services and what I have learned about Worcester Airport comes from my own research based on my personal interest in the airport.
My comments about general aviation over commercial air service stems primarily from this article in the Worcester Business Journal. It raises some valid points to mull over about economic growth and the success of Hanscom Airfield vs ORH.
http://www.wbjournal.com/article/20120402/PRINTEDITION/304029994
The benefit of being tied to Hanscom is because they are a successful airport whereas Worcester is...hurting. Not a lot of companies would be willing to invest in a struggling airport that has some significant drawbacks preventing it from growth. However when ORH is linked with another successful airport, more people would be willing to make that risky investment because there's still a payoff. Why do you think we have a chance with JetBlue when they already service pretty much every major surrounding airport? MassPort is leveraging something they want at Logan so that the risk of Worcester becomes more beneficial.
You are completely correct. Worcester Airport is losing money. That fact has delayed me from furthering my own career. I don't think increased general aviation is a cure all for the airport, but every little bit counts when you are trying to stymie the hemorrhaging.
Furthermore, I don't think MassPort is entirely concerned if ORH loses money. As I have said before, I feel Worcester is their back up plan for the future. They are preparing for when Logan's capacity reaches 100% so they don't find themselves in a tough spot then. This is because it is far cheaper to pour money into and slowly improve an existing airport than to build a new one from scratch (pretty well impossible in this day and age). Of course MassPort will do everything they can to grow ORH now (who want's to lose money), but it isn't their end game. This isn't erecting a new school and expecting MCAS and SAT scores to improve, this is building a second school early as the first reaches capacity to prevent those scores from dropping due to overcrowding. They're being proactive.
Of course I want to see major commercial flights out of Worcester Airport. I want to see it flourish. I just feel that our desires and MassPort's master plan differ tremendously. We have to give MassPort some credit, they have done a lot to grow and bring this airport up to snuff. If the city of Worcester still owned this airport, we would be no where near what we are now and I bet ORH isn't too far off of where Massport wants it to be. That is what I was hoping to convey. These are my personal beliefs and I apologize for any misunderstandings (including my own).
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