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Posted on Wed, Mar. 16, 2005

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.


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Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or [email protected]


From Denver, you can get a flight to Boise, ID on this airline!

We are flying outta Akron/Canton to Tampa in a week. AKC Airport is taking Hopkins to town these days! I highly recommend flying outta AKC instead of Hopkins ro anything.

GO FALCONS!!!

170 days.....

What always gets me is the walk-up rate. In this case, over 800 more in price to get your ticket the day off the flight, rather than 3 week notice. I can see if the plane is at 75% capacity, but if the plane is less than 75% capacity you would think they would sell you a ticket for $100.00 just to make money. I never understood that.

Hmmm this makes this trip a better possibility.. up to about 10% chance of going from 1%. . .

I read in the B-J a while back that the Canal Fulton airport is seeing a huge increase in travelers and they are planning continual growth. . .

Another thing I never understood. If a person is obese, and too big to fit into one seat, we all know what happens. That person has to / or suppose to buy a second seat. If the plane is full I do not have a problem with this policy, but if the plane is not full, let it slide.

But if you do have to purchase a second ticket, why do they still only give you 1 meal. I think if you bought a second ticket you should be allowed a second meal.

I think if you have to buy a second ticket for the other side of your ass, you should probably skip the second meal. Not like the first one won't kill you anyways.

Interesting. R/T flight from Philly to Boise on Frontier is only about $325. Not too bad, but pushing for that one would probably but the ka-bosh on a bowl trip.

So far we're sticking with the Temple game for our roadie until the final schedule comes out.

transfer2BGSU wrote:

1987alum wrote:Interesting. R/T flight from Philly to Boise on Frontier is only about $325. Not too bad, but pushing for that one would probably but the ka-bosh on a bowl trip.

Don't worry. The Athletic Department takes a number of employees to the bowl games!

Ah, the perks are looking better all the time.

bgsufan1972 wrote:What always gets me is the walk-up rate. In this case, over 800 more in price to get your ticket the day off the flight, rather than 3 week notice. I can see if the plane is at 75% capacity, but if the plane is less than 75% capacity you would think they would sell you a ticket for $100.00 just to make money. I never understood that.

When you show up the day before the flight, chances are you gotta get somewhere NOW, and they're going to make you pay for that.

bgsufan1972 wrote:What always gets me is the walk-up rate. In this case, over 800 more in price to get your ticket the day off the flight, rather than 3 week notice. I can see if the plane is at 75% capacity, but if the plane is less than 75% capacity you would think they would sell you a ticket for $100.00 just to make money. I never understood that.

For every 5 people that walk up and refuse to pay 800 dollars, there is one person who has a business meeting, mother in florida just died, or daughter just made the NCAA tourney in Seattle =), who is willing to pay the 800 dollars. The airlines still get paid off. Instead of selling 5 tickets at 100 dollars a pop and the additional costs (although small) of extra people, they deal with one person who paid 300 dollars more than 5 would have paid at the discounted rate.

unless BG's playing Boise State, why would you wanna go to Boise??

golfertk14 wrote:unless BG's playing Boise State, why would you wanna go to Boise??

No reason.

But since BG *IS* playing Boise State, this is completely valid, and a good idea and doesn't deserve being questioned.

TG1996 wrote:

golfertk14 wrote:unless BG's playing Boise State, why would you wanna go to Boise??

No reason.

But since BG *IS* playing Boise State, this is completely valid, and a good idea and doesn't deserve being questioned.

I think that's his point. Other folks were discussing how businessmen, et al, might be flying to Boise; golfer's assertion is that there really is no reason to fly to Boise unless BG is playing there. Golfertk, am I off base here?

i musta missed hearing that we're playing BSU..my bad!