YtownNewsandViews

Allegiant is doing quite well. Only airline to profit during the recession.

I believe the numbers were 51% fly out of PIT, 40% out of CLE, and 6% CAK. Those may be off a bit, but PIT is definitely ahead in terms of pax traffic from the MV since it is closer as it is on the NW side of Pittsburgh.

Made this post on another site: I am surprised no-one has brought up FNT-DTW. I think the only significant difference is the fact that DTW has more connections than CLE, but there are some similarities. No need to kill me if you guys disagree, but Flint and YNG are similar metro areas in the rust belt. One airport has done well in recent decades (FNT), while the other one is rebuilding itself (YNG). Route Distance: FNT-DTW: 73 miles (55.3 miles crow distance) | YNG-CLE: 70.3 miles (61.8 miles crow distance). MSA Population: FNT Metro: 425,790 | YNG Metro: 565,773. Household Income: Genesee County: $41,382 | Mahoning County: $39,111. Commercial Airports within 75 miles: FNT: LAN-53 miles, MBS-54 miles, DTW-73 miles | YNG: CAK-68 miles, CLE- 70 miles, PIT-73 miles. FNT-DTW operates 2x on a 50 seat CRJ's, according to Delta's website. Per the Bureau of Transportation Statistics website TransStats, through September 2011 FNT has operated 88.3% passenger loads on this route (44,562 pax / 50,451 seats = 88.3%). Similarly to YNG, FNT prides itself as a "stress-free" facility. YNG is definitely smaller and unless these flights are at the same time as Allegiant, security will be less than a minute. There is naturally differences between the two markets, but there is some definite similarities. If FNT can get 88.3% sold per day on a 73 mile trek south, I can't see why YNG can't get 70-75% of a total of 39 seats per day sold on a 70 mile trek west. Just my two cents...

In the 1990s, Continental launched bus service to CLE from YNG. When they launched that, they said the would expand to aircraft service if successful. Well within a year it expanded into Beech 1900 service, which is what is being proposed right now. Great post MD88PILOT!

Contract with Anderson Motorcoach or another company. It would be far cheaper and absolutely no less convenient. Besides why does the oil and gas industry need yet another subsidy? They gorge at the public trough too much already. I doubt that would be the case with today's fuel prices, but I concede that profitability is not the issue with common-carrier transportation. I'm interested in knowing how many flights per day and the expected average number of people per flight for this proposal. Anyone know? No matter how you slice it, this is not the way to serve this travel market in a way that is the highest and best use of PUBLIC dollars. I disagree and I am a conservative. If you want to look at WASTEFUL public dollars used for aviation, look no further than the Essential Air Service grant which gouges the taxpayers. Cities the size of most suburbs are getting EAS funding for 20% loads to major hubs across the United States. This proposal would be for 2x Monday through Friday and 1x on Saturday and Sunday. The airline would ONLY dip into the fund if the plane does have enough seats sold on it to make a profit. Initially they are bound to dip in, but if the service becomes popular, the airline will not use it and the remaining portion will remain in the hands of the DOT. Many said it was a waste of our tax dollars to give Allegiant a $250,000 SCASD grant back in 2006. Well five years later YNG is the third best airport for Allegiant in terms of passenger loads with 93% of the 150 seat jets sold. Leisure does not equate to business travel, I understand that, but this is a small step in the right direction for YNG.

People flew it in 1995 when COA offered this service: March 279 Late Start April 733 74% May 715 72 % June 730 74 % July 737 75 % Aug 778 79 % Each month that route was profitable, but due to some embarrassing lack of internal controls at YNG when it comes to COA, the route was nixed.

Daily flights from Youngstown to Cleveland taxi toward 2012 reality http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/dec/22/daily-flights-to-cleveland-taxi-toward--/

I'd love to see it happen, but I don't see it ever happening.

Sorry, but the only people I listen to when they predict the future are those who have already been there. How can you sit here and honestly think the Mahoning Valley, the smallest of the three major Metro areas of Northeastern Ohio, would get an international airport/transportation hub over Cleveland or Akron?!

That will never happen, I can assure you of that. In regards to that 70-mile flight, a major benefactor of these daily flights would actually be the oil and gas companies. They have to fly workers in and out of the area back down South every single week. Instead of having to bus them to the other airports an hour away, they can hop on this short flights and connect in Cleveland to where they have to go. I agree, a YNG-CLE does not wow me, but the airport has done surveys with Allegiant passengers, as well as some oil and gas companies, and they are showing support for this route to the tune of well over 80%. YNG ran these flights in the mid 90s and they had 70%+ load factors. If they get the same load factors this time around, they will definitely succeed. They aren't for everyone, but 2 daily flights on a 19 seater can be filled.

Note this article: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/12/pittsburgh_airport_says_region.html

Hey guys. Allegiant is doing quite well at YNG. Their load factors were 93.3% in November, which is third best in their entire system. We are hopeful they will add an additional destination sometime in 2012 and add a 3rd weekly flight to Orlando-Sanford. We are also looking into some daily connecting airline service to serve the oil and gas industry. In regards to the name change, people support a name change overwhelmingly. The issue is they can't quite agree on one name right now. There is one name on that list that is about 5% ahead of the other 7. You guys can guess which one it is :).

Great news to keep these jobs in Ohio and OUT OF Mexico! Thank you Ford and the Kasich Administration!

YNGAir Partners, a non-profit organization that is assisting the airport in acquiring additional airline/cargo service, is conducting a survey on their website on a potential name change for the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport. The survey runs through December 23rd and they want people from all across the state to take part in this survey. It is worth noting they get passengers from as far away as Columbus and just south of Buffalo, NY. Please vote in the survey, esp if you live within 2 hours of this airport, by clicking here:

Dur Dur Durrr... I meant the United States. Jokes on me!

Last two were pitiful.

I laugh at your analysis of my analysis. The whole point of my argument is that "bringing jobs to Ohio" is a stupid economic strategy. I want Ohio to build on the economy we have, not try to take away somebody else's economy. Handing out giveaways to existing Ohio companies to move across town (Bob Evans, American Greetings, Diebold) is not economic development; it's squeezing the balloon. And it creates few jobs and does nothing to keep intelligent young Ohioans in the state. Kasich's strategy is taking us to the past. Strickland at least was trying to build on our strengths. Once again, the economy went NOWHERE under Strickland. He didn't have the slightest of clues of how to work with businesses and to make the business climate more attractive. Governor Kasich, just like other bright Governors across Ohio, are fighting to increase jobs in our own state. If they want out of Illinois, then there are thousands looking for jobs in this state that would love to work for that business. Incentives are bound to be part of every deal. Often times a portion of the incentives will be required to be paid back in due time or have many strings attached. That should be nothing different in this case. I am amazed so many of you guys are attacking him for TRYING to bring jobs to Ohio. The previous Governor lost supporters like myself because he failed to do just that. Keep fighting the good fight Governor Kasich. The naysayers want you to fail. However, most Ohioans want more jobs in Ohio and support your efforts to bring them here!

I laugh at your analysis. Our new Governor has been more aggressive at bringing jobs into this state in less than 1 year than Strickland did in 4 years. Strickland, someone I supported in 2006 for Governor because Blackwell was an awful alternative, did not do enough in my eyes for this state. I did not start to criticize him until midway through year 3 and he lost a supporter in myself. I commend Governor Kasich for doing all he can to bring business to this state. With the oil boom in Northeast Ohio, I anticipate a rejuvenated Ohio economy in 2-3 years!

Sounds like you want the failed policies of the last Governor.

The Youngstown Resurgence is on its way back. The manufacturing is great, but the drilling jobs and the economic development to come with it is that much bigger!

What is this melt shop you speak of and will it be by V&M as well? Two continuous miles of steel producing facilities does a lot to turn a wasteland into a productive setting. I'm trying to picture where they'll put the melt shop, which promises to be of similar size to the 200,000-square-foot finishing plant. I am so happy for Youngstown, where old-timers said the steel mills would never come back and we young people had every reason to believe them.

You guys have stuff all over this place lol!

BREAKING from today's first ever Utica Shale Conference in Ohio at the Youngstown Covelli Centre: Vallourec to build yet another steel plant in Youngstown; $57 million expansion could create 100 jobs Link: http://www.cleveland.com/shalegas/index.ssf/2011/11/vallourec_to_build_yet_another.html

CNBC in Youngstown: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000058180

The demand for apartments down there are on the way up, lots of new businesses going in, it is a great sight to see! Video and story below: http://www.wkbn.com/mostpopular/story/Downtown-Youngstown-Booming-Again/b33KvadXZUiqZvHr5txbsg.cspx