Bill Randell’s FlyORH: Bring Allegiant Back to Worcester
Friday, August 30, 2013
Last Tuesday, Allegiant made a major announcement. They were to announce 10 new cities and 18 new routes. I actually thought Worcester had a real good shot!! They went back to Hagerstown after they left here. Right now Allegiant flies to four Florida destinations:
1. Sanford
2. Fort Lauderdale
3. St Pete
4. Punta Gorda
If they were to announce they would not pick Sanford or Fort Lauderdale with JetBlue starting daily service to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale November 7th. Maybe St. Pete, but what about Punta Gorda where Direct Air proved that there was demand? They really would not have to advertise a lot but merely ride the JetBlue wave providing service to the Gulf Coast two or three times per week.
In the end, we were not part of the announcement last Tuesday, but Portsmouth, a city that they had left previously, was included. Starting October 25th , two flights per week to Sanford. The next day I was able to catch Allegiant CEO, Andy Levy, on Squawk Box where he said Allegiant has a big push on the East Coast to Florida!! Sounds like Worcester to Punta to me?
For those people who complain that Allegiant left Worcester once before, why do we want them back? First they are a good airline and very good business people. They left for a reason. What it was I do not know, but I am sure they would consider coming back if JetBlue does well at ORH.
Don’t kid yourself either. If JetBlue does not do well at ORH, they will leave just like Allegiant. This is business plain and simple. That is why it is so important that we make Orlando and Fort Lauderdale wildly successful for JetBlue starting November 7th. If we do this, more routes and airlines will come to Worcester.
That leads me to the fact that November 7th is really not that far away. Obviously MassPort and JetBlue know what they are doing a lot more then me, but I hope there is more advertising about ORH service the next couple of months? To date, I have seen some Facebook ads, some Google Adsense ads and one billboard on Route 290. The billboard is on the wrong side of Route 290. You are driving through Worcester on Route 290 West and the sign is on the East side? Prime location be on the West Side next to Gateway Park.
As the kick off gets closer, it is vitally important that we support JetBlue. I am doing my part flying out of ORH in November to Fort Lauderdale. If we do, the possibilities going forward are endless
Related Articles
- Bill Randell’s FlyORH: A JetBlue TrueBlue Member Speaks His Mind
- Bill Randell’s FlyORH: What Worcester’s Airport Needs Right Now
- Bill Randell’s FlyORH: A Young Flyer Wants To Earn JetBlue Points
- Bill Randell’s FlyORH: Your JetBlue “To Do” List
- Bill Randell’s FlyORH: Fly JetBlue From Worcester To Bogotá?
- FlyORH: The JetBlue Inspiration For Worcester’s Airport
- Bill Randell’s FlyORH: JetBlue Points Don’t Expire
- FlyORH: Worcester Civic Leader Juan Gomez on JetBlue + Puerto Rico
- Bill Randell’s FlyORH: JetBlue Prices At ORH On Target
- Bill Randell’s FlyORH: JetBlue’s New TrueBlue Badge
- Bill Randell’s FlyORH: Let’s Get Professional With Worcester’s T1
- Bill Randell’s FlyORH: Should We Buy JetBlue Points?
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It