Shown above is the director of Lehigh Valley Airport. What struck me about the photo was the empty terminal behind him. Despite the airport's failure, they never stop remodeling, expanding and charging more for parking. Recently, I bumped into Tony Iannelli, Chairman of Airport's Board of Directors. I asked him if the intent was to sabotage the airport? I wondered why they would hire Charles Everett for director, when he failed to produce results, working in the same capacity, for the previous private management company? Iannelli indicated that the problems were industry wide, shared by all airports, of this size and type market. I was not surprised that the recent air show was a financial failure. It didn't seem like a forward looking idea for a commercial airport. Over the years, this blog had a number of posts about the failed ideas pursued by this airport.* Yesterday, Bernie O'Hare
presented Steve Thode's chart documenting the steady decline of LVIA. The comments there support one of my contentions; People would support a convenient local airport, if only it would offer something; LVIA offers expensive parking, with inconvenient flights to nowhere.
*
Flight To NoWhere, February 12, 2009
*
Dressed Up With NoWhere To Go, November 29, 2012
*
Sabotaging The Airport, March 27,2013
photocredit:The Morning Call
I can't fly out of LVIA, because of the cost. It's much cheaper to fly out of Philadelphia than my home. I just came back from Phoenix and it was $400 more to fly from Allentown to Phoenix than from Philly. That's why to me it's worth the hour trip each way for $5 bucks on the turn pike. If I could afford to fly out of ABE, I would. PS: Just a question, do the Iron Pigs (and soon the Phantoms0 fly out of Allentown and have other teams fly in to Allentown on a regular basis?
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that the Airshow was a financial failure. It seemed well attended on both days. Where can I find the numbers?
ReplyDeleteyes, it was very well attended. i believe it was in the black for about $20,000, but inconvenienced airline travelers for days, for an insignificant return. the morning call had an article which contained the figures.
ReplyDeleteThe IronPigs always travel by bus.
ReplyDeleteThe opponents who are farthest away are in Louisville, Kentucky, and Gwinnett, Georgia. The IronPigs go to these destinations once a year. And the schedule is always coordinated so that the IronPigs stop in places like Indianapolis, Indiana, and Fort Mill, South Carolina, to play other International League opponents along the way.
The Phantoms will actually fly a little bit in order to face certain AHL opponents - but not much. Certainly nothing like a National Hockey League team. Much like the IronPigs, budgetary concerns and other economic realities will see the minor league Phantoms take the bus as much as possible
I've had good flights out of ABE - some within the past year - and have scored some good fares. That said, it's hard to have an easy flight to the West Coast from Allentown. With Dulles service (on United) gone, it forces a change in Chicago O'Hare with the risks of bad weather in that airport. Oh well. Newark is not an unreasonable drive.
ReplyDeleteAnd another question: the Harry Bertoia work that used to hang over the staircase to the gates disappeared during the renovation. I have asked several times of the airport authority what's happened with it. Bertoia's children don't know where it is. Bertoia's hundredth birthday anniversary is in 2015 and the Allentown Art Museum is marking the event. Where is the Bertoia bronze work?
ReplyDelete