(L-R) Joplin Airport manager Steve Stockam and Sixel Consulting Group consultant Michael Mooney listen to questions posed by audience members at the first of two special meetings on January 13, 2011, to sell the use of the airport to the community.
"Use it or lose it" was the admonition made by Michael Mooney, the air service strategy and development consultant for Sixel Consulting Group, the Eugene, Oregon firm hired in part to negotiate with American Airlines for a connection between Joplin and Dallas/Fort Worth. He described DFW as American's largest hub offering 750 daily departures, including 38 international flights [like to Paris] and said that since American is a member of One World Alliance, they are able to cross sell products with 10 international airlines under the same banner.
Operating under an Essential Air Service agreement with the Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration that allows them a federal subsidy of roughly $2.78 million for providing two daily non-stop flights, American Eagle, an affiliate of American Airlines, has announced that service will begin on February 11, 2011.
Two flights using 64-66 passenger ATR-72 aircraft will leave Joplin daily at 7 a.m. (arrive DFW at 8:45 a.m.) and 3:30 p.m. (arrive DFW at 5:15 p.m.) and return to Joplin at 1 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. The large craft that is able to reach a cruising speed of 318 miles per hour offers ample cargo space front and rear, overhead bins above each seat row (two rows of two seats), a lavatory, galley and two onboard flight attendants, according to a promotional report issued by Sixel.
SAMPLE ARRIVAL TIMES VIA DFW LEAVING JLN AT EITHER 7 A.M. OR 3:30 P.M.
Joplin-New York LaGuardia: arrive LGA at 2:20 p.m. or 10:50 p.m.
Joplin - Washington, DC: arrive DCA at 2:25 p.m. or 9:10 p.m.
Joplin - Atlanta: arrive ATL 12:25 p.m. or 10:10 p.m.
Joplin - Denver: arrive DEN 11:15 a.m. or 7:55 p.m.
Joplin - Los Angeles: arrive LAX at 10:45 a.m. or 8 p.m.
As an aside and a possible respite from winter weather, we found that American offers a flight from Joplin to Puerto Vallarta via Dallas/Fort Worth and back for an affordable price and with reasonable schedules.
Getting passengers back
The use of Joplin Airport fell out of favor with the FAA's selection of Great Lakes Airlines as Joplin's EAS carrier providing service to Kansas City. From 2007 to 2009, when Air Midwest and Great Lakes provided transportation, Joplin traffic declined 72%, from a passenger count of just over 30,000 to less than 7800. This decline has been attributed to late flights, poor connections and too high ticket pricing.
"It appears to me that American has come in with competitive pricing," Mooney said, although he wouldn't let Globe reporter Debby Woodin write down his approximation of fares. He believes that "pricing is complex."
Mooney encourages everyone to go to American's website here to check the cost of travel which he reiterated is "initially priced very competitively." As an example, a non-refundable ticket to LaGuardia from Joplin via Dallas/Ft. Worth with travel on a Tuesday is as low as $199 with $198 as the price for the return.
"American understands that they can't out-price the market," Joplin Airport manager Steve Stockam said. "They have to be competitive with Springfield," for instance.
An audience member tried to pin Moody down, given his relationship with the airlines, as to what was the best day or time to check fares. Moody laughed. He knew that fares may change minute by minute depending on many factors.
American recently announced that their fares are no longer offered on Orbitz or Expedia after an on-going fee dispute with those booking agencies. While they will honor airline tickets previously purchased through Orbitz.com or websites powered by Orbitz.com, they encourage travelers to check fares on their on website, offering a "lowest fares guaranteed" policy.
"Think about the drive time and the parking fees [parking is free at the Joplin Airport]," was Mooney's argument for considering a flight south in order to go north. "You're at point zero when at the gate in Dallas/Ft. Worth factoring in the drive time to Springfield or Northwest Arkansas," he said, impressing everyone with the need to break the habit of driving to another airport.
American is looking for a yearly passenger count of about 43,000 passengers. Before laughing over that figure, consider that in 2001 the total passenger count from Joplin on NW Airlink traveling to Saint Louis/Memphis reached a peak of 60,821.
Mooney reminded everyone that if American is not satisfied with the traffic and revenue results at Joplin, they can file a 120-day notice with the DOT and exit the market. "American took a leap of faith" to come into the Joplin market, he said. "It would be hard to get another airline here."
In getting the passenger numbers up, Mooney said a "grass roots joint effort" was needed. "We don't have a 900-lb. giant like Walmart that had business people show their XNA [Northwest Arkansas] ticket stub before doing business with them," he concluded.
For a previous article go here.
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