April 22, 2008Passenger numbers flat at Roanoke RegionalMarch passengers at Roanoke Regional Airport fell less than .5 percent from last year to 28,503 in 2008. For the first quarter, traffic was up nearly 2 percent to 77,225. While Allegiant Air only operates a couple of flights daily, its passengers were up nearly 30 percent in March, and Northwest Airlines was up more than 17 percent. Taking the biggest hits were Delta Connection (down 12.7 percent) and United Express (down 10.6 percent). Cargo was up in March (3.6 percent), but remains down for the year (3.2 percent). Are people flying instead of driving? Are people doing neither? We've looked a flying in candidates for jobs here at the paper and have had a terrible problem finding reasonable fares (spelling corrected at 3:41 p.m., April 22 after ridicule received from airport officials) without spending a lot of time looking at different airports, travel days and planning weeks ahead. Meanwhile, the numbers just keep looking better for flights in and out of Greensboro. But is it worth the drive and the parking? It's tough to say. What say you? |
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Comments
[April 22, 2008 10:43 AM]
Other JohnI don't fly hardly at all, but I almost always found it far less expensive to drive to a larger airport than to fly locally. That's been the case for flights out of Roanoke and Norfolk (my former hometown airport). I could save $200 on a round-trip flight to St. Louis by driving to Charlotte or Raleigh, even factoring in parking and gas costs. Convenience is nice, but paying that much more for it is not worth it to me. If I can drive somewhere in 12 hours, I'll do it. Any longer than that and I'll likely fly.
[April 22, 2008 10:46 AM]
KevinIt's funny that people from Roanoke drive to Greensboro to get better fares. The folks in the Triad constantly complain that they have HIGH fares and drive to Raleigh/Durham or Charlotte to get better fares.
[April 22, 2008 11:03 AM]
deanI have not flown out of Roanoke, but I know their prices are much higher then Greensboro. With gas prices on the rise I don't plan no long distance trip anywhere.
[April 22, 2008 1:44 PM]
AngelaDean - if you have not flown out of Roanoke - how do you know the prices are higher out of Roanoke? Have you checked the prices out of Greensboro lately?? A lot their fares are higher than Roanoke's. For those of you who have not noticed oil is over $115 a barrel! Fares are high everywhere. not just Roanoke.
[April 22, 2008 2:09 PM]
BizEd : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/localeconomy/You can pay for a couple of barrels of oil with these price differences:
A coworker is flying to Chicago in mid-May. The direct flight from Roanoke to O'Hare is $505. The direct flight from Greensboro to O'Hare is $207.
That's worth the drive, the gas and the parking, isn't it?
[April 22, 2008 3:23 PM]
BizEd : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/localeconomy/An alert reader points out that I said Allegiant operates several flights daily. It's actually a few flights weekly.
And, the reader also reminds everyone that Allegiant flew four more flights this March (24 compared to 20), while overall the number of flights at the airport fell 5.4 percent.
[April 22, 2008 3:50 PM]
AngelaDoesn't Greensboro have a much larger population than us and therefore in SOME cases, yes, they will have lower fares. Not in all cases though. How much is it in gas to drive back and forth to Greensboro and pay to park? Plus, come back at night and drive home two hours after flying all day. Is it worth it to go to Greensboro? I would rather fly out of Roanoke and not have to stand in over hour long screening lines in addition to driving. It hardly seems worth it to me. Roanoke is much more convenient.
[April 22, 2008 3:55 PM]
SherryThere is a website some of you may find helpful: www.airfarewatchdog.com; sign up for free and receive daily emails of the best airfare available out of Roanoke. You can find some pretty good deals. I'll post a copy of today's in a second post.
[April 22, 2008 3:57 PM]
SherryToday's list from Airfare Watchdog:
We may have added fares since the time we sent this report!
So please visit our Roanoke Area Airfares page often, as we update fares throughout the day. And make us your browser's home page.
To ensure that you continue to receive emails from us, add farealert@airfarewatchdog.com to your address book.
To put your newsletter on hold for up to a year, change the frequency you receive our fare alerts, or update your email address, please click here.
If you would like to unsubscribe please click here. Today's Best Airfares: Roanoke Area Edition April 22, 2008
Hello Sherry,
Leaving town, eh? Well, just be sure to consult today's roster of fares for the Roanoke Area, neatly listed below.
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* Domestic fares listed below do not include all taxes and fees. Most international ones do.
* Fares listed may not be available for all days of travel, especially not for holiday travel periods (such as the upcoming Memorial Day weekend) when fares will most likely be higher.
Happy Flying!
-- George Hobica & Tracy Stewart
Roanoke Area Area Airfares As of Tuesday, April 22, 2008 3:25 PM EST * Unadvertised - can be dropped at any time.
Airfares from Roanoke (ROA) US Domestic Airfares Akron, OH $174 RT * NEW! No min. stay (DL) Albany, NY $174 RT * No min. stay (DL) Buffalo, NY $174 RT * No min. stay (DL) Cedar Rapids, IA $265 RT * Sat. night min. stay (NW) Green Bay, WI $265 RT * Sat. night min. stay (NW) Kansas City, MO $174 RT * No min. stay (DL) Knoxville, TN $205 RT * Sat. night min. stay (NW) Manchester, NH $174 RT * No min. stay (DL) Milwaukee, WI $174 RT * No min. stay (DL) Orlando Sanford, FL $04 OW * Nonstop flights (G4) Portland, ME $174 RT * No min. stay (DL) Providence, RI $174 RT * No min. stay (DL) Tampa, FL $174 RT * No min. stay (DL) US Domestic Weekend Airfares Akron, OH $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Akron, OH $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Albany, NY $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Allentown, PA $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Altoona, PA $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Altoona, PA $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Appleton, WI $196 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Appleton, WI $206 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Binghamton, NY $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Binghamton, NY $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Birmingham, AL $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Bloomington, IL $182 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Bloomington, IL $172 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Bozeman, MT $284 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Bozeman, MT $294 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Buffalo, NY $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Burlington, VT $198 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Cedar Rapids, IA $204 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Cedar Rapids, IA $214 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Chicago O'Hare, IL $180 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Chicago O'Hare, IL $170 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Cleveland, OH $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Cleveland, OH $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Columbia, SC $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Columbia, SC $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Columbus, OH $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Columbus, OH $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Dallas, TX $260 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Dayton, OH $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Dayton, OH $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Denver, CO $294 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Des Moines, IA $228 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Des Moines, IA $218 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Fargo, ND $260 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Fargo, ND $270 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Ft Wayne, IN $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Ft Wayne, IN $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Green Bay, WI $194 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Green Bay, WI $204 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Greenville, SC $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Greenville, SC $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Harrisburg, PA $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Harrisburg, PA $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Hartford, CT $176 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Houston IAH, TX $262 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Houston IAH, TX $252 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Huntsville, AL $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Indianapolis, IN $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Indianapolis, IN $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Jamestown, NY $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Jamestown, NY $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Kansas City, MO $222 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Kansas City, MO $232 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Knoxville, TN $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Knoxville, TN $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Lansing, MI $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Lansing, MI $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Los Angeles, CA $294 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Madison, WI $202 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Madison, WI $192 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Memphis, TN $182 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Memphis, TN $192 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Milwaukee, WI $190 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Milwaukee, WI $180 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Minneapolis, MN $230 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Minneapolis, MN $240 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Moline, IL $202 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Moline, IL $192 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) New York JFK, NY $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) New York LGA, NY $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Newark, NJ $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Oklahoma City, OK $258 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Oklahoma City, OK $248 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Omaha, NE $234 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Peoria, IL $180 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Peoria, IL $190 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Philadelphia, PA $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Philadelphia, PA $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Pittsburgh, PA $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Pittsburgh, PA $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Portland, ME $208 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Rapid City, SD $290 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Rochester, NY $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Rochester, NY $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Saginaw, MI $150 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Saginaw, MI $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Salt Lake City, UT $284 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) San Francisco, CA $284 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) San Francisco, CA $294 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Seattle, WA $294 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Sioux Falls, SD $256 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Sioux Falls, SD $246 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Springfield, IL $176 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Springfield, MO $210 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Springfield, IL $186 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) St Louis, MO $192 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) St Louis, MO $182 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Syracuse, NY $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Traverse City, MI $194 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Traverse City, MI $184 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Wausau/Mosinee, WI $208 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Wausau/Mosinee, WI $218 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) White Plains, NY $160 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Wichita, KS $254 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Wichita, KS $244 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) International Weekend Airfares Calgary, AB $250 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Montreal, QC $158 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA) Montreal, QC $148 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Winnipeg, MB $198 RT NEW! Travel this weekend (UA) Winnipeg, MB $210 RT NEW! Travel next weekend (UA)
[April 22, 2008 6:24 PM]
duane : →http://cox.netIf people were not in such a hurry, a nice alternitive is Amtrak out of Clifton Forge or Lynchburg. I've done this many time to visit Northern, Va. With Senior or disabilities discount I've traveled Round trip for $40.00. And the most travel fun I have ever enjoyed in my life was traveling cross country on Amtrak's Superline. Double deck trains from Chicage going West.
[April 22, 2008 8:43 PM]
deanAngela DUH!!!!! No I just assumed Roanoke was more expensive. The attitude some people have. When will we all just get along.