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By Bump Diamond
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Air Service, Schmair Service
December 5, 2005
It's not like I'd miss a ski day to read the Wall Street Journal, but there you go. Busted. Still, a nugget fell out of the pages, to wit:
In a column called "Takeoffs and Landings," author Conor Dougherty has a riff about airlines boosting service to several major ski resorts, including more non-stop and jet flights.
For example: Jackson Hole will have 144,000 seats on arriving planes this ski season, up 12% from a year earlier, while Montrose Regional Airport, which serves Telluride Ski Resort, has nonstop flights from six big metro areas, including NYC and LA, up from 2 in the 2000-01 season. Yampa Valley Regional Airport, which serves Steamboat, also increased the number of flights.
Why? Many ski areas have subsidized air service for years. Telluride recently added a 2% sales tax on lodging and restaurants and uses it to subsidize air service. Jackson Hole's biz community pays from $800,000 to $1 million a year to carriers, including American and Delta. As resorts have become better at predicting their passesnger loads, thus spending less for unfilled seats, they have been able to add new flights.
Mammoth, natch, figures in on all of this.
Direct quote: "Some ski resorts, though, are a bit behind. (Mammoth) still doesn't have commercial air service, so skiers like Kenn Bicknell, a San Francisco librarian, have to fly one hour to LA and then drive five hours to the resort. 'If I could just jump on a plane, I could go the same morning I want to go skiing,' he says. Mammoth says it plans to add air service form L.A. next year."
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Comments
What about international skiers who want to get to Mammoth? Impossible unless you own a car and/or are going to stay for two days. As an ex-local I find it insulting that my family and I can't get back for an extend stay without undue process and extortion.
Posted by: Dale Johnson | at 5:45 PM on December 5, 2005
Bump, Dale Johnson said he felt insulted...undue process and extortion. I just can not feel any sympathy. Reno is NOT that far away, only 3 hours including a stop at In-n-Out. AND the 5 hour drive from LA is one of the most scenic highways in America. Besides, the airport location is extemely dangerous to land and potentially will disrupt wildlife. What about all those Bald Eagles I watched flying above Hot Creek last month? I think they will be insulted when jets fly in their zone.
Posted by: monica | at 5:53 PM on December 9, 2005
It is going to be very sad when commercial aircraft land and depart in such a great open space as Eastern California. There are few people who truly realize what is about to transpire, and an entire news column could be written about this! Also I am well aware of Ridgecrest/China Lake!
Posted by: mike | at 6:27 PM on December 30, 2005