Great Lakes or (Great Mistakes)

[KGDV]

@lieberma

@KGDV

Yea so are we and I bet we average about 30-40 flights a month and average passenger count per month is about 30!

I had to do a double take since your numbers added up to 1 passenger or less per flight, but now looking at the airport, I see why!

I am surprised you get that many passengers

HA ya but I do like our airport for about 5000 people in town we get an airline and a cargo carrier!! (richland aviation)

[npwinder]

@damiross

@npwinder

I place the blame for lack of passengers on McCook and Great Lakes. If they flew to Omaha or Lincoln especially during college football season, or at least tried to figure out how to lower prices. I think passenger count would be different.
…
I do think there’s waste in the EAS program. But its where two airports are receiving the subsidy yet they’re either close to each other or to another airport.

Neither Omaha or Lincoln are airline hubs. EAS requires service to a hub city.

Ah that part I didn’t know, explains why when Mesa airlines had the contract, the route was:
McCook, Grand Island, Omaha, Kansas City.

Then the return flight was:
Kansas City, Grand Island, McCook

[porterjet]

Two thoughts.

1. Nobody wants to fly from KC to Omaha? and

2. Grand Island has a nice big airport, turn it into a Nebraska hub.

[npwinder]

Thanks for the link. At least the Average Fare price is down to 87.55. Before it was around 100 if you booked far enough in advance otherwise it was around 200.

[damiross]

Great Lakes has been reselected to provide EAS at McCook.

regulations.gov/search/Regs/ … -1997-3005 (click on posted data twice to sort with the latest postings first - check order 2010-)

The subsidy is $1,796,795 per year.
Great Lakes receives $87.21 per passenger for total passenger revenue (base on 4,500 passengers a year) of $392,445.
Other revenue is $2,433 per year.
Total revenue is $394,878.

Total operating expenses are $2.087,308 a year
Operating loss is $1,692,430
The airline is has a profit element of 5% ($104,365)

Bottom line: For each passenger flown between McCook and Denver the taxpayers are out $399.29.

The 4500 passengers a day works out to a tad over 12 passengers a day.
Each day two roundtrips will be flown with a total of 76 available. That works out to a load factor of 15.8%

Yup, a great use of American taxpayers’ taxes.

[porterjet]

Look at the route map, looks like they specialize in EAS service. Such hot routes like Visalia to Ontario, Merced to Las Vegas, Show Low to Phoenix etc.

Cost to taxpayers… yup it’s up there but don’t forget all the people they employ who pay taxes so the net cost to the rest of is less than $399.29.
I don’t know how many employees they have but they operate 35 aircraft serving 64 destinations so 500 would be about right not to mention the secondary jobs.

flygreatlakes.com/route_map/route_map.htm

[damiross]

Schedule for Great Lakes: flygreatlakes.com/time_table … _table.pdf

Many multiple stops flights between here and there!

[npwinder]

According to wikipedia, 48 of their destinations are under EAS. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Airlines

Also according to their website, Traffic was up 2.7% when comparing May 09 to May 10. Though year to date comparisons are down 1.7.
greatlakesav.com/traffic/2010/do … raffic.pdf

Average load factor for the year is 35%up 3.6 pts from the prior year.

It would be interesting to see Grand Island be a hub. Alligiant air also flies to and from Phoenix a couple times a week. I’ve only been there once and never got off the plane, so I can’t speak for anything else on the airport.

[KGDV]

@npwinder

According to wikipedia, 48 of their destinations are under EAS. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Airlines

Also according to their website, Traffic was up 2.7% when comparing May 09 to May 10. Though year to date comparisons are down 1.7.
greatlakesav.com/traffic/2010/do … raffic.pdf

Average load factor for the year is 35%up 3.6 pts from the prior year.

It would be interesting to see Grand Island be a hub. Alligiant air also flies to and from Phoenix a couple times a week. I’ve only been there once and never got off the plane, so I can’t speak for anything else on the airport.

Does alligiant air fill those planes pretty well?

[npwinder]

I don’t know how well the fill the seats. They also fly to vegas now, I don’t think they were a few months ago.

[KGDV]

@npwinder

I don’t know how well the fill the seats. They also fly to vegas now, I don’t think they were a few months ago.

Actually they have been flying there a while but I dont know how long.