Akron-Canton has biggest fare reduction

It’s officially official. CAK has really low fares compared to most other airports in the U.S. According to the Business Courier of Cincinnati… “The Akron/Canton Airport posted one the biggest reductions since 1995, to $292 in the second quarter of 2008 from $376 in 1995, a 22.5 percent decline.” Of course, they were contrasting us with Cincinnati home to the highest fares in the nation. I know the airport is trying to change that but it is hard to argue with a hub carrier like Delta, which offers dozens of nonstop flights both domestically and internationally. It is a tight rope to be sure.

So, why is this issue so widely reported? Airline seats are commodities folks. One coach seat, generically speaking, is pretty much like any other. So customers usually choose the lowest fare when booking an airline ticket. CAK is enjoying a serious increase in passengers- up nearly 7% compared to last year- because our lower fares are attracting more passengers looking for good deals. Low fares are good for our region too. People and businesses like to live and work in affordable communities. We are one of them.

Why do we have low fares? That’s easy. AirTran Airways. Plain and simple. They are committed to a low cost model and pass those savings on to customers. AirTran moves approximately 45% of the total passenger traffic through CAK. Customers love them too, because they fly big comfy jets, offer XM radio in every seat and have a business class section on every flight. What’s not to love?

So, I’d like to thank all those new customers who have given us a try lately. I hope you had a wonderful experience – parking to plane- at CAK. We’d be honored to welcome you back soon.

Comments

You know what would be really coo? If SW came to CAK. 2008 has been one of the most destructive years in the aviation industry, counting dozens of casualties from ATA to FlyZoom to XL Airways in the UK, ,Skybus etc... Southwest Airlines has been the only airline to maintain steady profit this year despite the fuel crunch. It has only been recently for the first time that they posted a loss.

Another thing that would be cool is if you guys extended your West outreach by offering non stop service to either SoCal or the Pacific Northwest. Of course there is also the option to move up north to Canada eh? OK maybe this sounds alittle biased since I am Canadian :) But it WOULD be cool, admit it. You guys would be like the first regional airport in the country to be international. Though I know some flight movements between CAK and Canada already exist.

Anyways, keep up the good work and congrats Kristie on your promotion, Fred will be missed.

Liam

Now that the DL-NW merger has been cleared by the justice department, do you anticipate the new Delta continuing to serve CAK nonstop to Detroit-Wayne?

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