July 17, 200915 yr http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090717/BUSINESS07/907179959 JetAmerica cancels all flights BLADE STAFF JetAmerica, the start-up airline that announced plans earlier this year to fly to three cities from Toledo with deeply discounted fares, has canceled all of its planned flights and was beginning the process of paying refunds to ticket-holders, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority has announced...
July 18, 200915 yr Same bunch of schmucks who screwed Columbus, its investors, employees and passengers with Skybus. When will communities stop throwing dollars at these hucksters?
July 21, 200915 yr http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090721/NEWS16/907210393 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article published July 21, 2009 JetAmerica outlay chalked up as 'learning experience' By NEENA SATIJA BLADE STAFF WRITER If nothing else, the JetAmerica saga was a learning experience for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. "I think that we had a successful campaign," Michael Stolarczyk, president and chief executive officer of the port authority, said at the authority's airport committee meeting Monday. "It was a learning experience and we need to continue to move forward." The campaign Mr. Stolarczyk mentioned was the $119,000 the port authority spent marketing for JetAmerica, a low-cost air carrier that offered $9 flights at Toledo Express Airport. On Friday, it canceled all air service before the first flight took off... Contact Neena Satija at: [email protected]
August 4, 201014 yr IMMEDIATE Contact: Carla Firestone - Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Communications Director Mobile: 419-260-9981 -- Office: 419-243-8251 Delta To Begin Service to Minneapolis-St. Paul from Toledo Express November 1, 2010 Toledo, OH – Aug. 4, 2010 – Beginning Nov. 1, Delta Air Lines will provide jet air service to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) via Toledo Express (TOL). The twice daily service, operated with 50-seat regional jets, replaces service to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne Country Airport (DTW). “We focus on air passenger service development everyday at Toledo Express. The Minneapolis-St. Paul market is one that we have targeted for some time now and we are pleased to be able to offer this option to our community,” says Paul L. Toth, President and CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “The success of service to this destination depends on community support.” The proximity to the Detroit market and the concept that Detroit area airports are close enough to drive to have continued to challenge the success of the Detroit destination from Toledo Express. Rechanneling the destination to MSP introduces 40 new one-stop destinations from Toledo Express. “Delta’s new nonstop service from Toledo to our Minneapolis-St. Paul hub will give our customers access to more than 500 daily flights to destinations worldwide,” said Joe Esposito, Delta’s managing director – Network Planning. “Minneapolis-St. Paul’s convenient one-stop service includes flights across the U.S. as well as Amsterdam, Paris, London-Heathrow and Tokyo-Narita.” The new service will be operated by Delta Connection. Currently, nonstop service from Toledo Express is available to Chicago (ORD), Detroit (DTW) Orlando/Sanford (SFB), and St. Pete/Clearwater (PIE). Seasonal nonstop service to Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda (PGD) begins again on Nov. 19. Delta, American Eagle, Allegiant Air and Direct Air operate air passenger service out of Toledo Express. Toledo Express provides a quick and easy alternative to larger, less convenient and more expensive airports. Parking is available within 50 feet of the Toledo Express terminal and daily parking rates at Toledo Express are just $8 per day compared with more than $20 at other airports. “This change comes during a particularly difficult time for air passenger service and we perceive this new market to be a good service for the travel community that utilizes Toledo Express,” added Toth. “We understand that our region has many choices when it comes to air travel. Departing and arriving from Toledo is not only more efficient but also supports the local economy - we encourage our community to check the viability of flying out of Toledo Express first.” Toledo Express Airport, owned by the city of Toledo and operated by the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, is a publicly operated airport located in Swanton, Ohio. Major facilities at the airport include a 10,600-foot primary runway (Runway 07/25) with full parallel taxiways and a 5,599-foot long crosswind runway (Runway 16/34). Other facilities include fixed base operators, air traffic control tower, precision instrument approach and fuel. Toledo Express Airport supports commercial airline activity, air cargo operations, corporate and general aviation activity. Toledo Express Airport, which is home to approximately 30 on-airport businesses, is a major component of the area’s public transportation network. The airport is frequently used to support business-related activities and is home to numerous flight departments, including such major corporations as Owens Illinois, Owens Corning and ProMedica Air. Toledo Express Airport supports several flight schools, including Flight Safety International and serves as the base for the 180th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard. BAX Global, an air cargo carrier, utilizes the airport as its national hub. The airport is served by four passenger airlines including Allegiant Air, Delta, Direct Air and American Eagle. The airport also supports corporate operations, air cargo, law enforcement flights and military exercise and training. Toledo Express Airport has an annual economic impact of $640 million on northwest Ohio. The aviation businesses, on-airport construction, visitors arriving to the area via the airport, and the associated multiplier impacts create more than 7,500 jobs. It is the mission of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority to continuously leverage our strategic geographic position, resources and economic development proficiency to provide increased business opportunities—built upon and around our innovative transportation and logistics expertise—while promoting our community and region within the global marketplace. We will accomplish this through unmatched speed and efficiency of service, collaborative and strategic partnerships, community stewardship and the continued generation and execution of new ideas and innovations.
May 19, 201114 yr Airship venture stuck on ground at Toledo Express BY JON CHAVEZ BLADE BUSINESS WRITER Three years ago the inventor of an experimental airship designed to haul cargo moved his fledgling company from northeast Ohio to the Toledo area in hopes of elevating his unusual business idea past the start-up phase. Despite numerous meetings with potential investors and assistance from local development agencies, Ohio Airships Inc. remains grounded, figuratively and literally. The company's 110-foot long Dynalifter prototype has proved it can maneuver on a flat surface, but it has yet to fly after five years of development because the company cannot pay for the insurance that would allow the Federal Aviation Agency to clear it for an inaugural test flight. Read more at: http://www.toledoblade.com/business/2011/05/19/Airship-venture-stuck-on-ground-at-Toledo-Express.html
July 22, 201113 yr BAX Global to close hub at Toledo Express; 700 jobs lost BY LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE BLADE BUSINESS WRITER BAX Global Inc., a division of German transportation giant DB Schenker, announced Friday that it will close its U.S. air hub at Toledo Express Airport and sell its fleet of planes as part of what it is calling a “strategic realignment” of its North American business model. About 700 jobs, mostly part-time, will be affected, the company said. Some employees will be given an opportunity to "redeploy to other parts of our business," the company said. "We deeply regret that there will be some layoffs as part of this realignment. However, we are working to redeploy as many employees as possible to other parts of our business," Heiner Murmann, chief executive officer of Schenker, said in a written statement. "Our employees represent the cornerstone of our company and we will treat all affected personnel in an open, transparent and respectful manner throughout this transition." The Toledo Express operation has been a key U.S. hub for the air-freight shipping company. Contact Larry P. Vellequette at: [email protected] or 419-724-6091 http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2011/07/22/BAX-Global-to-close-hub-at-Toledo-Express-700-jobs-lost.html
September 28, 201113 yr Airport lands $750,000 grant Goal is to develop Denver route at ailing Toledo Express BY DAVID PATCH BLADE STAFF WRITER For the second time in five years, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority has won a federal grant to support development of air service at struggling Toledo Express Airport, this time with a Denver route as the primary candidate. The $750,000 grant announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation through its Small Community Air Service Development program is nearly double the funding the port authority secured in 2006 for New York service -- a grant the agency returned unspent last year after failing to land an airline to fly from Toledo. "Obviously, we're ecstatic. We put a … lot of work into that application," port authority President Paul Toth said after receiving notice of the grant award. Read more at: http://www.toledoblade.com/Economy/2011/09/28/Airport-lands-750-000-grant.html
September 28, 201113 yr Hey that's great. I hope an airline does come through with service to DEN. Can it be any airline (UA, WN, or Frontier) or does it have to be Frontier?
January 30, 201411 yr Hilariously, there is now a cheaper flight from SFO to TOL than from SFO to DTW. It's an American flight that involves a layover at O'Hare and is usually about $100-$200 cheaper than flying direct to Detroit on Delta. If I visit Toledo again, I may consider this. *Toledo Express! At least the TSA lines will be a breeze there compared to other airports...
October 12, 20159 yr DHL shifting Toledo cargo stop to Detroit By David Patch, Blade Staff Writer Saturday, 10/3/2015 Four years after BAX Global closed its cargo hub at Toledo Express Airport, the airport has lost a smaller-volume cargo carrier that took over some of that traffic. DHL, which had booked cargo space on BAX Global flights before the September 2011 hub shutdown, now is shifting the Toledo stop on replacement flights to Detroit. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2015/10/03/DHL-shifting-Toledo-cargo-stop-to-Detroit.html
October 12, 20159 yr Blade Opinion - Guest Column about Toledo Express Airport: http://www.toledoblade.com/Opinion/2015/10/11/How-to-revive-Toledo-s-depressed-airport.html
October 12, 20159 yr You often hear the excuse that Toledo Express is too close to Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Yet the Dayton and Akron-Canton airports are thriving, even though Dayton must compete with larger operations nearby in Cincinnati and Columbus, while Akron-Canton must battle the larger airport in Cleveland. Not remotely the same situation. Detroit Metro is many times larger than any airport in Ohio, and it's a major international gateway airport. It's on a completely different level than CLE and CVG. DTW is the second or third busiest airport in the Midwest most years. It only competes with O'Hare and MSP. Dayton and Akron-Canton have benefited from cuts at Cincinnati and Cleveland (and Pittsburgh). Detroit hasn't cut flights and has more passenger volume than the entire state of Ohio. I hate to say it, but it's going to be very tough for TOL to pull off the transition to low-cost flight alternative that has been achieved at other Ohio airports. DTW is too big and offers too many great non-stop flights. And yes, it is too close to Toledo. Drive time from Downtown Toledo to DTW is only about 45 minutes. To Toledo Express, it's almost 30 minutes. Who cares about 15 minutes? Add in road construction, and that's the difference. It was clear from the start that DTW's location was meant to land the vast majority of Toledo and Ann Arbor business. And the introduction of low-cost Uber has only made this situation worse. I can Uber between DTW and Downtown Toledo for cheaper than I can Uber between SFO and Downtown San Francisco despite the mileage difference. Crappy cab service was an issue everywhere in Ohio and Michigan, but Uber fixed this. There is potential to pull off the low-cost flights seen at Flint, Akron-Canton, and Dayton, but it has to be on routes or carriers not available at DTW. I think it's unlikely to happen if it comes at the expense of DTW. What's happening in Ohio is a race to the bottom. Ohio is playing musical chairs with the deck chairs on the Titanic. *Keep in mind both Cincinnati and Cleveland used to have major airports. Columbus will never have a major airport. All three are unlikely to ever hit 10 million passengers in the future (but could see more cuts if any Fortune 500's relocate to cities with major airports). "Success" at Akron-Canton and Dayton came at the expense of the Three C's. I don't buy that Akron-Canton and Dayton are sustainable models. Ohio built too many airpots too close together. Now they're all in a deathmatch with each other and Detroit. :| **Where Toledo Express has failed is properly marketing those American Airlines flights to Chicago O'Hare. Detroit Metro does not have many American flights, so it's usually not direct competition, and American Airlines flies way more places from ORD than it does at DTW. At a four-hour drive from Toledo, Chicago O'Hare is far enough away to make you want to fly instead of driving. It also has good transit connections, so people visiting Chicago without a car find it to be a good airport. Most business travelers are loyal to one major airline, so people in American's system generally are not competing with people in Delta's system. Toledo still has four Fortune 500 companies in the area, and they're probably all flying at DTW on Delta right now. Has Toledo Express gone after any of this? If TOL was better at marketing those puddle jumpers to ORD on American, it could probably do 1 million passenger a year. I've seen flight itineraries to TOL with a layover at O'Hare that are cheaper than the non-stop flight to DTW. On cross-country flights, people are more willing to do a layover. SFO-ORD-TOL is not a horrible flight itinerary, particularly for people visiting family in West Toledo or South Toledo (or for cross-country Toledo business travelers hitting the West Coast markets). I suspect management at Toledo Express is really dropping the ball on this potential American Airlines market... I also suspect American Airlines isn't marketing this much either. They don't talk about Toledo in their magazine, despite the fact it has one of the best art museums and best zoos in the world, not to mention the nation's best Lebanese restaurant, and the nation's best coney dogs. Toledo also has the nation's best restored lake freighter.
October 13, 20159 yr Keep in mind, Metro Dayton and Metro Akron-Canton are rougly 1.1 million people alone, without CVG or CLE. That alone can support the airport "model." Toledo is more similar to Metro Youngstown (700,000ish) so it's likely they would not have the same volume of areas that are larger. Youngstown is hurt by half-way between Akron-Canton, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Toledo should have a more substantial airport as a catch-basin for Northwest Ohio (Detroit Metro Airport is a poor excuse; Flint is thriving and is closer to Detroit sprawl than Toledo). It's baffling that Toledo Express Airport is so small. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
October 13, 20159 yr ^Metro Dayton is likely pulling at the expense of CVG, which has abysmal numbers for a market its size, and was on a death trajectory not too long ago. Dayton's location is attractive to northern Cincinnati area residents. Ditto with Akron-Canton being able to pull some metro Cleveland residents. The situation is not the same at Toledo Express since it is far removed from Downtown Toledo (over 20 miles away) while DTW is very close. Also keep in mind Flint is much further away from DTW than Toledo is from DTW. Suburban sprawl doesn't matter in this case. Drive time does, which sprawl only makes worse. Flint Bishop's selling point is it's easy for Flint residents to get to. Flint's drive to DTW is heavier with traffic and much longer than Toledo's drive to DTW. Flint is 80 miles from DTW. Toledo is only 45 miles from DTW. That's a significant difference. It's a different situation. CVG and CLE are small airports with limited non-stop flights. DTW is a massive airport with tons of non-stops, and it's one of the largest and best international hubs in North America. DTW has more passengers than all Ohio airports combined by a huge margin. It is the main international gateway for the entire eastern Great Lakes region along with Toronto Pearson. Toledo Express has a legit excuse for being a failure. DTW is much stronger competition than CVG or CLE. This is the situation with enplanements: DTW: 15,775,941 CLE: 3,686,315 CMH: 3,115,501 CVG: 2,875,844 DAY: 1,120,842 CAK: 771,155 http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/media/cy14-commercial-service-enplanements.pdf Also, suburban sprawlers 20 miles outside Dayton are not the numbers that matter most. Those folks might only fly once or twice a year. As an airport, you really need to go after business travelers, since they are flying 10 to 20 times as much as the average person. Business travelers matter a lot more. Metro Toledo has four Fortune 500 companies. These are large, global companies, and they're all flying at DTW. If anything, there is more business travel coming out of Toledo due to Owens-Corning, Owens-Illinois, Dana, and Andersons. It's a market that DTW has on lock. :| Does Dayton or Akron-Canton go after any business travelers? I've got to imagine they are nabbing at least some business travel at Cincinnati and Cleveland area Fortune 500 companies, particularly since both CVG and CLE have been dehubbed...also, Southwest is becoming increasing business competition with American, Delta, and United. If Southwest beefed up service at CVG and CLE, I'd bet you'd see declines at DAY and CAK. *DAY and CAK have been successful with low-cost flights, and I give them credit for much stronger marketing. Toledo Express has weak marketing, and I suspect management of the airport is not good. Regardless of suburban population or Fortune 500 base, Toledo Express could be doing better with its American flights to O'Hare. Dayton and Akron-Canton took passengers away from nearby airports because they marketed themselves well as cheaper, less stressful alternatives. They're better-run airports too. But it's important to remember they are up against much weaker competition... Toledo Express competing with DTW is like Duluth International competing with MSP. It's a really bad situation to be in, and at this point, I'm not sure if the airport has much hope... If anything, the Toledo Express airport should move north to near Dundee, Michigan so it can market to both Toledo and Ann Arbor area residents (while also being an alternative to DTW). Get Alaska or Virgin America in on this, and it will work. Or have Southwest leave DTW and move to this new airport. I cannot see any good reason why they built Toledo Express where they did, unless they thought some massive sprawl corridor would connect Toledo with Fort Wayne. Obviously, no such thing ever happened. It's time to move the airport! Here's to TAA (Toledo-Ann Arbor)! This Dundee airport will actually work and would be perfect for newer airlines. Delta could use more competition in this market... It was a mistake from the start to not build Toledo Express between Toledo and Ann Arbor. That's really what's going on here, and it's why if I were a betting man, I'd bet on Toledo Express shutting down. I'm not joking when I say TAA would be a very successful airport. All public money should go into making that happen. There are plenty of examples of smaller airports near major hubs being successful around the nation. They key is those smaller airports are convenient to the region. Toledo Express is not convenient for anybody... The Toledo-Ann Arbor airport is a surefire bet that would do better than other small airports in the Midwest. Delta has too much power in that region and people would gladly support better airlines. That Blade editorial sucked and missed the big picture.
October 14, 20159 yr I live in Bowling Green, and in the last eight years, have used Toledo twice, and Detroit countless times. CDawg is right - the availability of flights out of DTW is unbeatable, and even driving through metro Toledo usually saves time and money compared to trying to fly out of Toledo. However, for the ticket I bought for a trip last month to Asia, I checked out a deal from American from CLE via ORD, and happened to look at other airports, including Columbus and Dayton; it wasnt offered through DTW. I bought the CLE ticket, then the next day wondered if it might be available via Toledo, and it was - so I cancelled the first purchase and rebooked the flight from TOL via ORD. I was very happy to fly through Toledo, the airport is only 30 minutes from BG, no traffic, absolutely no wait through security (though DTW is always very quick for me too), and it was a very quick trip to ORD. I will start looking again for tickets through Toledo, but only when I know I cant get a similarly priced direct flight from DTW. DTW is an excellent airport, one of the best that I've been to in the US; I often tell people its one of the best things about living in NW Ohio. Now, about this Tol--AA airport business, CDawg, that makes no sense to me. Why would any Toledoan or Ann Arborite need a second airport so close to DTW? There would be no reason to build something so close to a world-class airport like DTW; if anything, City Airport in Detroit would host flights before anything new would be build in SE Michigan. Recall that the original plan for Toledo Express was to bulldoze all of South Toledo, because the current Executive Airport was boxed in and couldn't expand, as I recall. If anything, the airport should have been built just south of the city, to catch traffic from Lima, Sandusky, and over to Defiance. Express was quite successful in the 1980s and 1990s, as I recall, until the collapse of the airline industry after 9/11 and the completion of the new terminals at DTW. I agree that TOL probably doesnt have much reason to exist, but a metro area the size of Toledo will always need an airport of some size, and it should have regular flights to the major hubs in the area at least - DTW, ORD, ATL, MSP, and maybe Philly/DC.
October 14, 20159 yr Now, about this Tol--AA airport business, CDawg, that makes no sense to me. Why would any Toledoan or Ann Arborite need a second airport so close to DTW? There would be no reason to build something so close to a world-class airport like DTW; if anything, City Airport in Detroit would host flights before anything new would be build in SE Michigan. Recall that the original plan for Toledo Express was to bulldoze all of South Toledo, because the current Executive Airport was boxed in and couldn't expand, as I recall. If anything, the airport should have been built just south of the city, to catch traffic from Lima, Sandusky, and over to Defiance. Express was quite successful in the 1980s and 1990s, as I recall, until the collapse of the airline industry after 9/11 and the completion of the new terminals at DTW. I agree that TOL probably doesnt have much reason to exist, but a metro area the size of Toledo will always need an airport of some size, and it should have regular flights to the major hubs in the area at least - DTW, ORD, ATL, MSP, and maybe Philly/DC. I am not surprised Delta doesn't do anything to MSP considering Toledo's proximity to DTW. I am surprised United doesn't do a flight to ORD. Did Continental ever do a flight to CLE when it was hubbed there? If any of Toledo's big business has a route they need to happen and it can pick up enough ancillary passengers to fill at least a 64 seat CRJ, maybe another route could pop up. I could see a flight to CLT or PHL if business traffic warranted it in the future.
October 14, 20159 yr I thought that there was a flight to MSP, maybe that was a few years ago. The TOL website says the only flights are Allegiant direct to three Florida cities, and the AA flights to ORD. The Fortune 500 companies in Toledo are mostly connected to the auto industry, or are so globally diffuse that there probably isn't enough traffic to go to any one airport, even in the US - at least, not with DTW so close. A lot of the money in Toledo is on the NW side of town, quite close to DTW already. Rather than a new airport, I would rather see regular direct train or, less ideally, bus service to DTW from the new transit hub at the Amtrak station. Couple that with some regular transit from points SW, South and SE from Toledo, and getting to DTW would be a breeze. Continental stopped their daily flights to CLE in 2008.
October 14, 20159 yr "Secondary Airports" have certainly fallen out of favor the past few years by the major airlines. Even DAY and CAK, which were seen as thriving a few years ago, have lost considerable numbers of passengers the past few years. The trend is nationwide as secondary airports in Manchester, NH; Bellingham, WA; Wilmington, DE; Islip, NY; and Newport News, VA have all declined in recent years. Trenton, NJ seems to be one of the few exceptions to the trend, but Frontier has slashed destinations there recently as well. It certainly makes it hard for TOL to compete when DTW is so close and has many nonstops and low cost carrier options. For much of the Toledo area, DTW can be accessed in under 45 minutes. For many office parks in suburban Cincinnati and Cleveland the drive time to their respective airport is the same, if not longer than Toledo is to DTW. Likewise across dozens of metro areas in the US, many downtowns, intl headquarters, and significant cities are a 45 minute drive to their respective airport.
October 14, 20159 yr My friends who live on the northside of Chicago have to take at least an hour to get to Ohare, so I think Toledo is quite luck to have such easy access to such a great airport - there's no urban traffic to fight, and I-75 and I-275 are six lanes from downtown Toledo to DTW. Not much to complain about, really, except the lack of regular public transit.
October 19, 20159 yr Now, about this Tol--AA airport business, CDawg, that makes no sense to me. Why would any Toledoan or Ann Arborite need a second airport so close to DTW? There would be no reason to build something so close to a world-class airport like DTW; if anything, City Airport in Detroit would host flights before anything new would be build in SE Michigan. Recall that the original plan for Toledo Express was to bulldoze all of South Toledo, because the current Executive Airport was boxed in and couldn't expand, as I recall. If anything, the airport should have been built just south of the city, to catch traffic from Lima, Sandusky, and over to Defiance. Express was quite successful in the 1980s and 1990s, as I recall, until the collapse of the airline industry after 9/11 and the completion of the new terminals at DTW. I agree that TOL probably doesnt have much reason to exist, but a metro area the size of Toledo will always need an airport of some size, and it should have regular flights to the major hubs in the area at least - DTW, ORD, ATL, MSP, and maybe Philly/DC. I get where you're coming from on this. My main point was that Toledo Express could not have been built in a worse location if they tried. There is practically nothing between Toledo Express and Fort Wayne (or South Bend) except for Defiance, Bryan, Napoleon, and Wauseon (all small towns). Toledo Express was built in Oak Openings, which is nuts since not only is that far removed from the city, but it's also a world biosphere containing the highest level of plant and animal diversity in the state of Ohio (a lot of endangered species in that park). I heard the construction of Toledo Express Airport practically made extinct some animal species. The Massasauga Rattlesnake used to populate that area, but they're never seen in Ohio anymore. So basically, they built Toledo Express Airport on the most biologically important piece of land in the state of Ohio, and there was no good business justification for it. Oak Openings should never have been chopped up like that, and it's a crime against mother nature. I just picked partnering with Ann Arbor because it's much larger than Sandusky, Fremont, Findlay, Lima, etc. No matter where you build it, it's going to compete with DTW, since DTW is such an awesome airport with so many non-stop flights. Also, secondary airports still do work well on the West Coast. Oakland International is booming (it is much busier and has higher passenger numbers than any Ohio airport). Long Beach Airport is healthy. Burbank Airport, which looks a lot like Toledo Express, is also healthy. Burbank or Long Beach are the models here. In both of those cases, they are competing directly with LAX, but sell people on short TSA lines, low stress experience, cheap regional or alternative flights, and locations convenient to certain sections of the LA metro area. Toledo Express just isn't convenient. Why on earth they built that airport in Oak Openings is baffling. There must be some weird history on how that happened. They were never going to realistically level part of South Toledo for an airport. Toledo had a strong protest movement back then that was able to get I-75 rerouted away from the water while also saving a lot of historic landmarks. Toledoans also protested street widenings and demolitions in a lot of the city (East Toledo in particular had an extremely strong protest movement for a Midwestern urban area). Toledo actually had the Midwestern version of the freeway revolt seen in San Francisco, and they largely succeeded in preventing freeways from destroying the urban core (though sadly many buildings still ended up being lost due to the incredible economic decline of the city and widespread arson fires). Notice how I-75 snakes around key areas of the city rich in historic landmarks. That was done on purpose, because Toledo did not allow the government to build the freeway through downtown. Even collapsed urban corridors like Cherry and Dorr were demolished later than in other major cities. In short, that airport didn't have a shot in hell of being built in South Toledo. It would have been far too expensive, and tens of thousands of people would not have given up their homes without a fight. I think the airport proposal you're referring to was part of something called "Toledo Tomorrow," which was just a crazy modernist pipe dream representative of the era. None of it ever got built except for the Ohio Turnpike and Detroit Pike, and it was never part of any official plan. It was just the modernist pipe dream of Paul Block: In its simplest terms, Toledo Tomorrow was a large, $150,000 scale model of a future Toledo that went on display July 4, 1945 at the Stratford Auditorium of the Toledo Zoo. But it was much more than that. It was part of an effort by The Blade and its publisher, Paul Block, who footed the bill for the exhibit, to give the city a push into the second half of the 20th century. ...Thirty-six years later in 1981, at a University of Toledo conference, Block said it was never intended as a master plan, but more as a boost, a way to get people thinking in a city that needed it. “I conceived it as a stunt,” he said. The exhibit. From the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library's "Images in Time" website: http://www.toledohistorybox.com/2011/02/15/toledo-tomorrow-exhibit/ So how did Toledo Express end up at its remote location?
October 19, 20159 yr My friends who live on the northside of Chicago have to take at least an hour to get to Ohare, so I think Toledo is quite luck to have such easy access to such a great airport - there's no urban traffic to fight, and I-75 and I-275 are six lanes from downtown Toledo to DTW. Not much to complain about, really, except the lack of regular public transit. Agreed. Toledo is incredibly lucky to have such good access to DTW. The Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail line will hopefully get a spur to Downtown Toledo's Amtrak station. It could be like the new Union-Pearson Express train in Toronto. If you've haven't ridden that train yet in Toronto, it's absolutely amazing. It's the best airport connection in North America and takes you right to Union Station in under 30 minutes. I look at the Detroit-Toledo-Ann Arbor triangle as being feasible for this given the sheer size and magnitude of DTW. Like in Toronto, it will be expensive, but still cheaper than cabs or Uber. If you look at the Detroit-Toledo-Windsor-Ann Arbor-Flint region, it's about the same size as Greater Toronto. All of the cities in the Southeast Michigan/Northwest Ohio region use DTW. Toledo really should be marketing the hell out of its access to Detroit Metro. It's critical for a lot of Fortune 500 companies to be near a major airport, and I'd argue DTW is a big part of the reason Toledo has been able to hold onto some of its corporate base in the face of massive economic decline and population loss. Companies will leave areas without a major airport. This has happened in other Ohio cities. With DTW, Toledo doesn't have to worry about this. DTW is also a huge selling point for corporate relocations to Toledo. Detroit Metro Airport is Toledo's ace in the bag.
October 19, 20159 yr I thought that there was a flight to MSP, maybe that was a few years ago. The TOL website says the only flights are Allegiant direct to three Florida cities, and the AA flights to ORD. The Fortune 500 companies in Toledo are mostly connected to the auto industry, or are so globally diffuse that there probably isn't enough traffic to go to any one airport, even in the US - at least, not with DTW so close. A lot of the money in Toledo is on the NW side of town, quite close to DTW already. Rather than a new airport, I would rather see regular direct train or, less ideally, bus service to DTW from the new transit hub at the Amtrak station. Couple that with some regular transit from points SW, South and SE from Toledo, and getting to DTW would be a breeze. Continental stopped their daily flights to CLE in 2008. Toledo's Fortune 500 base is construction materials (Owens Corning), bottling/containers (Owens-Illinois), agribusiness/railcars/shipping/retail (Andersons), and automotive parts (Dana). Toledo's Fortune 500 companies are global in reach and have customers all over the world. Toledo also has tons of parts suppliers for Detroit, and there is no downplaying the importance of Jeep, Chrysler, and GM to the economy of Northwest Ohio. It is heavily connected with Detroit and always has been (which is the main reason Toledo is more economically depressed than the rest of Ohio). Detroit and Toledo are economically attached at the hip. When I worked in Toledo, besides the "Glass City" moniker, it was also referred to as the "Auto Parts Capital of the World." Even in the face of industry decline with Gen Y, the auto industry still travels a lot. If you've flown at DTW, chances are you were on a plane with Chrysler, GM, and Ford people. You also were probably flying with parts suppliers from Detroit and Toledo. The auto industry is very global, and it's heavy on marketing. A lot of the biggest trade shows and conventions in North America are automotive related. If anything, that makes me think Toledo has more business travel than most cities its size... And though I forgot to originally put it in my post, Ann Arbor also has a fair amount of business travel. A lot of regional automotive offices are located there. Sandusky, Findlay, Fremont, etc. likely don't have as much business travel. :| I just assumed TAA would produce the most business travel in a Long Beach or Burbank type of scenario... But it can only happen if the airport is moved to a better location. The Toledo Blade is usually a top notch news organization, so I was surprised they missed this obvious argument. It was a glaring oversight in that editorial. Regardless of whether the airport moves to Dundee, Michigan or moves to somewhere between Toledo, Sandusky, and Findlay (something near Walbridge, Ohio would make sense), it can't do worse than its current location... A TAA Airport (Toledo-Ann Arbor) in Dundee, Michigan or a TSF Airport (Toledo-Sandusky-Findlay) in Walbridge, Ohio would do way better than Toledo Express even in its heyday. I think such an airport would match Burbank's or Long Beach's passenger numbers with the right airline. There is some stability in those two small LA area airports, more stability than has ever existed at Toledo Express. *Why not just move Toledo Express to Toledo Executive Airport near Walbridge, Ohio? That would capture the TSF market, and offer a good alternative to DTW. Just combine Executive Airport with Toledo Express. I wonder why they didn't do this from the start? Sandusky was bigger back then, and I think Findlay was about the same size.
October 19, 20159 yr *Also, when you consider the location of DTW, it's most similar to Seattle-Tacoma International. The only difference is that DTW markets itself as "Detroit Metro" while SEA markets itself as "Seattle-Tacoma." Everyone knows DTW is also the airport for Toledo and Ann Arbor. They could easily rename it DTA (Detroit-Toledo-Ann Arbor International), and it would make perfect sense. Romulus was a really smart choice for the Detroit Metro Airport. The reason they didn't build it north of Detroit where the bulk of suburban Detroit lives was likely because of Toledo's Fortune 500 base. Historically, Toledo had seven Fortune 500 companies. Flint never had a big corporate base, so the airport made a lot more sense in Romulus than up in Oakland County or Macomb County where it could have also pulled the Flint and Thumb region. DTW has always been able to pull the vast majority of Toledo's business travel. So I guess if you compare DTW with SEA, the chances of survival at Toledo Express Airport look slim... Tacoma doesn't have any commercial airport. It just has the short runway general aviation Tacoma Narrows Airport, which is like Toledo Executive Airport.
October 19, 20159 yr All very good points, CDawg. It dawned on me that when DTW was built in the 1920s, it was kind of in the same location as Toledo Express is now in relation to the metro area. Perhaps Toledoans after WWII thought the city would spread out the same way? As for Toledo Express, my hunch is that was the cheapest land to build on. There was no consideration of environmental factors in the 1950s, unless they were concerned about the capacity of the land to handle use such as an airport. Otherwise, it was not useful for farming or agriculture, so it was probably considered a wasteland. I know that the the poor agricultural quality of the Oak Openings, and thus its low price, led several realtors to sell land to African-Americans before and after WWII - and many took them up on it - they were able to get out of the city and have some land - thats the Spencer-Sharples area today. In the 1960s, there was a proposal to build a "new town" north of the airport for 50,000 residents, complete with a new GM factory, but that was scuttled in the Nixon Administration's move to block grants and the end of urban renewal funding; the same developer who proposed New Town went on to create Portside a decade later.
October 19, 20159 yr ^Good point about Spencer-Sharples. I completely forgot about that history. You're right that in the 1950's they probably didn't care about the ecological importance of Oak Openings. It probably was the cheapest land in the region back then. It was sand dunes mixed with poorly-drained swamp forests. The importance of Oak Openings Preserve today is far greater than it would have been in the 1950's. They probably just didn't grasp the gravity of Oak Openings back then ("Oh God, a rattlesnake! Kill it!"). It's quite likely that knowledge came later once the environmental movement got into full swing: The Oak Openings Region of Northwest Ohio is a globally rare ecosystem declared by the Nature Conservancy as “One of America’s Last Great Places”. The region is much more than just Oak Openings Preserve Metropark. The Florida Everglades is on the same list as the this region. Who would have thought a sandy stretch of land in Northwest Ohio would be included with such prestigious company as the Everglades? They are both included on the Nature Conservancy's list of America’s Last Great Places. It is home to more endangered native plant species than any other place in Ohio. More than one-third of all Ohio’s rare plant species can be found here. ...The Toledo airport destroyed hundreds of acres of Oak Openings Region land in the 1950s. http://www.ohio-nature.com/Oak-Openings.html I've got to imagine if they knew this information back in the 1950's, Toledo Express Airport would not have been built there. *This is all really depressing to think about. Not only was the airport built in a terrible location for Toledoans, but it also destroyed a large chunk of Oak Openings. This had to have been one of those "what's the cheapest way we can get this damn thing built?" type of decisions...
September 2, 20168 yr Port authority gets grant to help pay for customs area The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority has received a $502,561 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, leaving Lucas County taxpayers to foot the rest of the bill for a new $1 million customs office at Toledo Express Airport. The port authority said it built the customs office, which opened in April, at a cost of $1,005,000, because U.S. Customs and Border Protection was refusing to clear international flights through the previous customs office at Toledo Express, instead sending them in some cases through Erie-Ottawa International Airport at Port Clinton. More below: http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2016/09/01/Port-authority-gets-grant-to-help-pay-for-customs-area.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
April 15, 20178 yr Rumor has it that a non-Allegiant airline will begin new service to a new nonstop destination. If the rumor is true, this is long overdue and will be a significant change in the local air service portfolio.
April 16, 20178 yr American will fly to Charlotte beginning in August. Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
April 18, 20178 yr From multiple news outlets: http://www.toledoblade.com/business/2017/04/17/American-Airlines-announces-new-daily-flight-from-Toledo-Express-to-N-C.html http://www.13abc.com/content/news/419614413.html http://www.wtol.com/story/35162398/new-air-service-route-coming-to-toledo-express-airport http://nbc24.com/news/local/new-route-announced-for-toledo-express
January 15, 20187 yr Toledo Express air travel up 9 percent last year, port authority says By David Patch | BLADE STAFF WRITER Published on Jan. 7, 2018 | Updated 6:33 a. m http://photos.mycapture.com/TLBL/REMOTES/21683572E.jpg Passenger travel through Toledo Express Airport grew 9 percent in 2017, the fifth straight year-over-year increase, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority announced Friday. The 196,937 passengers who boarded or disembarked from planes at the local airport were the most since 2008, and was largely attributable to a new route between Toledo and Charlotte, N.C., that American Eagle Airlines introduced in August, the port authority said. http://photos.mycapture.com/TLBL/REMOTES/21683561E.jpg http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2018/01/07/Toledo-Express-air-travel-up-9-percent-last-year-port-authority-says.html
March 4, 20187 yr Toledo leaders look to Detroit 'Aerotropolis' as airport development model ByDavid Patch | BLADE STAFF WRITER Published on March 3, 2018 | Updated 1:35 a. m When BX Solutions lost a freight-handling contract with Amazon.com and ended operations at the former BAX Global air-cargo hub at Toledo Express Airport, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority tried offering the facility directly to Amazon for its use as a regional logistics center. The offering price when the deal was posed 2½ years ago? One dollar. The response? No deal. So say both the port authority and Brian McMahon, a local real-estate developer who was present for the talks. “All the air-cargo companies we talked to said the building was not right for them,” said Joe Cappel, the port authority’s vice president for development. Amazon wanted a million-square-foot building, Mr. McMahon agreed last week, so the former BAX facility never had a chance. Continued: http://www.toledoblade.com/business/2018/03/03/Toledo-leaders-look-to-Detroit-Aerotropolis-as-airport-development-model.html
January 23, 20205 yr https://www.toledoblade.com/local/transportation/2020/01/22/toledo-express-airport-passenger-business-grows-for-seventh-year/stories/20200122118 Toledo Express Airport passenger business grows for 7th straight year
November 3, 20222 yr well, hmm ... what next tho? CITY INFRASTRUCTURE RUSSELL LEUNG What’s Next for Toledo Express Airport and Midsized Air Travel Hubs? The aviation industry is currently experiencing serious turbulence across the board, from widespread flight delays to disastrous financial losses from COVID-19. As a result of these resource crunches, regional and midsized air travel hubs are receiving the short end of the stick. This story looks into a recent development in airline service for Toledo and how it reflects larger trends in the business. September 12, 2022 On Sept. 6, an Embraer ERJ145 jet departed Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport at 3:58 p.m. One hour and 17 minutes later, the aircraft parked at the gate at O’Hare International Airport and deplaned its passengers. The conclusion of that flight marked an unceremonious end to American Airlines service between Toledo and Chicago — in fact, it was AA’s final trip between Toledo and any destination, leaving Allegiant Air as the airport’s sole commercial airline and a less-than-rosy outlook for local travelers. “This is unlike anything the airline industry has ever seen, ever, probably in the history of aviation,” Joe Cappel, vice president of business development for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, which oversees the airport, said. “It’s kind of the perfect storm of things that led to this scenario where we are now.” more: https://www.midstory.org/whats-next-for-toledo-express-airport-and-midsized-air-travel-hubs/
October 17, 20231 yr Toledo Express Master Plan Update. https://www.13abc.com/2023/10/17/eugene-f-kranz-toledo-express-airport-updating-its-master-plan/ This needs to be fast tracked IMO.
October 17, 20231 yr The master plan itself --> https://www.tolmasterplan.com/?fbclid=IwAR3CrHXvt5-KbU4ztCw9EPi26x0BwcwLbbW49jor_4Ek-7v69UOTLQAECOs_aem_AXXfl-d0ulR5P3R9gI-B0bBabXsMCZQGGVJpDC-b5XNxickrjdyzHBoWxWCuziIFN34&mibextid=Zxz2cZ "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
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