MBM3
Mar 16, 05, 8:46 am
This should have an interesting impact on the Cleveland market:
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/11147836.htm
WEST OPENING TO AREA FLIERS
Frontier lands at CAK
Airline, airport to announce daily direct flights to Denver
By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
FLYING FROM AKRON to the Western United States is going to get a lot easier.
Akron-Canton Airport officials are expected today to announce that Frontier Airlines will begin serving Akron-Canton Airport to link the area to Denver and other parts in the West.
On June 15, Frontier Airlines will begin two daily flights between Akron-Canton Airport and Frontier's hub at Denver International Airport, said Zoe Guynn, Frontier's manager of corporate communications.
The service will be the Denver-based low-fare carrier's first service to Ohio, said Guynn.
``We didn't service Ohio or really anything in that vicinity. There's a demand for low-fare service like Frontier offers,'' she said. ``We'll be bringing people into Denver and bringing people to the West.''
Guynn said she could not confirm the times of the two daily flights or the fares because they had not yet been approved. But Guynn said there will be some introductory special fares to Denver.
Kristie Van Auken, Akron-Canton Airport's director of marketing, declined to comment on the airport's new airline or confirm whether it is Frontier.
Airport officials have said they were trying to find a way to offer low fares to Western destinations. Carriers such as United Express offer service through Chicago, but Akron-Canton's largest airline, AirTran, does not offer low fares directly to Chicago or other destinations farther west.
Frontier serves 49 destinations across the United States and five Mexican cities -- Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Puerta Vallarta, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and Mazatlan. It has 17 destinations west of Denver, including Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The new service will compete directly with nonstop flights offered from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to Denver through Continental Airlines and United Airlines.
When asked whether Frontier had considered flying into Hopkins, Guynn said she imagined the company's marketing team evaluated it, but determined Akron was the better fit.
``We don't have any plans just to give it a trial run,'' she said.
Under the slogan ``A Whole Different Animal,'' the 10-year-old airline flies airplanes that have photos of different animals on the tails. The airline is comparable to AirTran, Akron-Canton's largest carrier, said Doug Abbey, an aviation consultant and partner with The Velocity Group.
Abbey said getting Frontier to enter the Ohio market at Akron-Canton Airport instead of Cleveland or other Ohio cities is a coup for one of the fastest-growing airports in the country. Abbey said Frontier has entered markets in both large and alternative airports. The airline tried to create a minihub in Los Angeles, but has pulled back on the number of flights to that city when the plan proved unsuccessful, Abbey said.
``I think they're looking to experiment a bit,'' he said. ``Akron-Canton is a testament to that. It's not what I would consider a traditional core market, but one that doesn't have competition, either, and that's very appealing. Their feeling is not only serve the local market, but attract people from Cleveland.''
Continental and United both have two daily nonstop flights to Denver from Hopkins. Continental uses full-size jets that seat more than 100 people, and United uses regional jets that seat about 70. Frontier will have new full-size jets that seat about 130 people, Guynn said.
Abbey said Frontier has had a pretty good record of profitability in recent years, but the airline industry is still a tough market, so ``they need to pick their destinations carefully.''
Jo Ann Lee, general manager for travel operations for AAA Akron Auto Club, said having Frontier enter the market will be great for consumers.
``We have a lot of things that go south and we have AirTran that has opened up the Eastern corridor to us,'' said Lee, referring to AirTran's nonstop service to Boston and New York's LaGuardia Airport. ``We really didn't have much going west. I really anticipate we can hopefully get the fares down a little bit by doing this and get some competition for Cleveland.''
United spokesman Jeff Green said he was prohibited from discussing airfares for antitrust reasons, but said United will be competitive with Frontier's airfares in all markets they serve. United and Frontier both operate hubs in Denver.
Continental spokesman David Messing said the lowest airfare on the two daily nonstop flights from Cleveland to Denver is $251.40, with a 21-day purchase and travel on Tuesday or Wednesday with a Saturday night stay-over. A 14-day advance purchase is $372.40 round trip; a seven-day advance ticket is $496.40 round trip and a walk-up business fare is $1,152.40.
Messing declined to comment about Frontier's entering the Ohio market.
Lee of AAA said the cheapest fare she could find for United or Continental's nonstop flights from Cleveland to Denver were $366 round trip with both airlines with a 14-day advance purchase. The lowest fare with a layover at Chicago Midway was with ATA, at $138 round trip with a 14-day purchase.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/11147836.htm
WEST OPENING TO AREA FLIERS
Frontier lands at CAK
Airline, airport to announce daily direct flights to Denver
By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
FLYING FROM AKRON to the Western United States is going to get a lot easier.
Akron-Canton Airport officials are expected today to announce that Frontier Airlines will begin serving Akron-Canton Airport to link the area to Denver and other parts in the West.
On June 15, Frontier Airlines will begin two daily flights between Akron-Canton Airport and Frontier's hub at Denver International Airport, said Zoe Guynn, Frontier's manager of corporate communications.
The service will be the Denver-based low-fare carrier's first service to Ohio, said Guynn.
``We didn't service Ohio or really anything in that vicinity. There's a demand for low-fare service like Frontier offers,'' she said. ``We'll be bringing people into Denver and bringing people to the West.''
Guynn said she could not confirm the times of the two daily flights or the fares because they had not yet been approved. But Guynn said there will be some introductory special fares to Denver.
Kristie Van Auken, Akron-Canton Airport's director of marketing, declined to comment on the airport's new airline or confirm whether it is Frontier.
Airport officials have said they were trying to find a way to offer low fares to Western destinations. Carriers such as United Express offer service through Chicago, but Akron-Canton's largest airline, AirTran, does not offer low fares directly to Chicago or other destinations farther west.
Frontier serves 49 destinations across the United States and five Mexican cities -- Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Puerta Vallarta, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and Mazatlan. It has 17 destinations west of Denver, including Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The new service will compete directly with nonstop flights offered from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to Denver through Continental Airlines and United Airlines.
When asked whether Frontier had considered flying into Hopkins, Guynn said she imagined the company's marketing team evaluated it, but determined Akron was the better fit.
``We don't have any plans just to give it a trial run,'' she said.
Under the slogan ``A Whole Different Animal,'' the 10-year-old airline flies airplanes that have photos of different animals on the tails. The airline is comparable to AirTran, Akron-Canton's largest carrier, said Doug Abbey, an aviation consultant and partner with The Velocity Group.
Abbey said getting Frontier to enter the Ohio market at Akron-Canton Airport instead of Cleveland or other Ohio cities is a coup for one of the fastest-growing airports in the country. Abbey said Frontier has entered markets in both large and alternative airports. The airline tried to create a minihub in Los Angeles, but has pulled back on the number of flights to that city when the plan proved unsuccessful, Abbey said.
``I think they're looking to experiment a bit,'' he said. ``Akron-Canton is a testament to that. It's not what I would consider a traditional core market, but one that doesn't have competition, either, and that's very appealing. Their feeling is not only serve the local market, but attract people from Cleveland.''
Continental and United both have two daily nonstop flights to Denver from Hopkins. Continental uses full-size jets that seat more than 100 people, and United uses regional jets that seat about 70. Frontier will have new full-size jets that seat about 130 people, Guynn said.
Abbey said Frontier has had a pretty good record of profitability in recent years, but the airline industry is still a tough market, so ``they need to pick their destinations carefully.''
Jo Ann Lee, general manager for travel operations for AAA Akron Auto Club, said having Frontier enter the market will be great for consumers.
``We have a lot of things that go south and we have AirTran that has opened up the Eastern corridor to us,'' said Lee, referring to AirTran's nonstop service to Boston and New York's LaGuardia Airport. ``We really didn't have much going west. I really anticipate we can hopefully get the fares down a little bit by doing this and get some competition for Cleveland.''
United spokesman Jeff Green said he was prohibited from discussing airfares for antitrust reasons, but said United will be competitive with Frontier's airfares in all markets they serve. United and Frontier both operate hubs in Denver.
Continental spokesman David Messing said the lowest airfare on the two daily nonstop flights from Cleveland to Denver is $251.40, with a 21-day purchase and travel on Tuesday or Wednesday with a Saturday night stay-over. A 14-day advance purchase is $372.40 round trip; a seven-day advance ticket is $496.40 round trip and a walk-up business fare is $1,152.40.
Messing declined to comment about Frontier's entering the Ohio market.
Lee of AAA said the cheapest fare she could find for United or Continental's nonstop flights from Cleveland to Denver were $366 round trip with both airlines with a 14-day advance purchase. The lowest fare with a layover at Chicago Midway was with ATA, at $138 round trip with a 14-day purchase.