OUR OPINION: Check United’s GFK service
January 10, 2013 at 1:41 pm in Grand Forks Herald
For residents of the Grand Forks, of course, the key to United’s continuing to operate out of GFK is the phrase, “Use it or lose it.” Every day brings news of airlines starting or stopping service at airports around the country. Continue Reading
I’m not an airlines marketing specialist, but it doesn’t seem like United has put any punch behind this service:
1. Don’t airlines normally launch a new route with promotional fares that make travelers take a second look at the new option? If they were offered, I missed them.
2. The 50-seat passenger jets both Delta and United use may be be fine on the 1-hour flights to MSP, but they can be trying on flights lasting more than an hour. So why not bring in a SLIGHTLY larger plane to signal your commitment to the market and create a competitive advantage against Delta? Just sayin…
Like or Dislike:
12 
1
If they are only filling a RJ200 half full, which means they are only selling 25-30 seats, why would you bring in a bigger plane? They would not use anything larger than a 900 which holds 74 passengers. Otherwise they would have to use a mainline United plane and that they are not going to do. What is funnier yet is Patrick Dame knew it was not going to work. GFK’s boarding numbers are an illusion. The growth in boarding numbers is purely due to Allegiant and Allegiant alone. Simply, this was a bad idea to start with. I wonder what has happened to all those people who said that GFK needed westbound service for years? They sure do not seem to be using it. Back to the idea of promotional fares for the new service. Even if they had it would not have mattered. Maybe a few extra seats sold in the beginning but you still would be in the same situation they are now finding themselves in. Now let us just hope they do not try and bribe Frontier to come in. Frontier’s business model is to take money to provide service and once the money runs out they have gone bye-bye. Google Frontier discontinues service and see all the towns they have done this to. Look how fast Delta cut their SLC route from Minot. The day they announced this service I said as soon as the money runs out they are gone. Guess what? They are gone. Giving airlines money to provide service is a waste of tax dollars.
Like or Dislike:
13 
0
I agree, bringing in a larger plane would serve no purpose. What GFK needs is a cheap and reliable way to get to Bismarck. Unfortunately, with the economies of scale and the cost of fuel, that will not happen with our current fleet of aircraft. The very small jets might pull it off, but they are expensive to procure and operate.
I also agree that Allegiant is the reason for the season; and with good reason. When I lived in PHX if I could arrange my travel to meet Allegiant’s schedule, I saved 50%. Quite an incentive to be flexible when you can.
Like or Dislike:
5 
0
From Grand forks, you can drive to Bismark cheaper and almost as fast when including the flight, check in, the waiting, getting out of another airport. I only fly if trip is over a 15 hr drive one way. At that rate, either way its still a day of traveling. see the countryside or sit in plane and get stuck in layovers in airport, the waiting, dealing with security. Delta does need competition, flying is getting far too expensive as compared to driving.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Area travelers have built up a relationship with Delta. Love-hate perhaps, but a relationship nonetheless. We have frequent flyer miles invested, know the reservation routine (online and phone)…there is a comfort level. My point was: to break that “habit” a new-to-the-market carrier would have to set itself apart. I understand that, on face value, it doesn’t make sense to bring in a bigger, more comfortable plane. Look at it as an investment… to set yourself apart as a better option.
Like or Dislike:
4 
1
I wonder how many of those seats are bought by Peggers. It likely is cheaper to fly United to Denver from GF than whatever line flies out of Winnipeg to Denver. We can hope that is the case and more Peggers find out it isn’t just Aligiant that works for them.
Like or Dislike:
3 
1
From the count of cars from Winnipeg I would say a lot of seats sold from GFK are Canadians. According to GFK Flight Support 75-85% of Allegiants passengers are Canadian.
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
Isn’t that what I said. The question is about United.
Like or Dislike:
0 
2
Contact GFK Flight Support they might be able to answer that since they handle the ground service for them also.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
10 
22
I like your comment. It was insightful and accurate.
Like or Dislike:
0 
1
The Hate with Delta is true…not having choice keeps the prices high and the service iffy. Delta needs competition going to MPLS and Chicago for connecting flights. We fly often,rarely west though.
Has anyone done any numbers on how many fly out of Fargo on United or Delta to connect in MPLS or Chicago and/ or even to Denver and points west? I’m sure the airlines know. It would be interesting to know.
We need the same options here. There must be more people flying east and south than west.
Many flying west and longer distances to Alaska, Hawaii and International get better deals and bigger planes out of MPLS and Chicago…not sure about those connections out of Denver.
GF Airport needs to do a survey in the region and see what people want and need…instead of guessing and bringing in flights they can’t fill therefore giving our area a bad rep to the airlines.
Even many years ago when Fargo was not a populous as they are now they had more choices for airlines. Maybe GFK could learn from them and do what they did or are doing.
Like or Dislike:
5 
1
You don’t think that GF has done the market research about all those #s?
Like or Dislike:
0 
2
This comment is quite confusing. Are you comparing flight options from hubs to feeders? Of course they use mainlines out of the hubs. That is why they are hubs. Though many flights from hubs are on RJs now. As for doing a survey I did a survey. My survey was with mayors and economic development people from around the state. These people’s wishes were past ridiculous. They have no idea how routes and plane use is decided. They all acted like they were a major destination and need major service. GFK would benefit more from a flight to Detroit than westbound service. By the way Denver is a hub for SWA, UAL, and Frontier so of course they have major connections out of there. Furthermore, there has not been any competition on the GFK-MSP route since the 1980′s. That was when NWA bought Republic. There is no competition because no one would compete with Delta at Delta’s hub. Simply, if another carrier flew this route and you chose that carrier, to really get anywhere
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
To finish my comment. To get anywhere you would have to then fly to that airline’s hub and connect again. Grand Forks needs to learn to be happy and accept who and what they are instead of always trying to be what they are not. For more service Grand Forks needs their economy to grow to create the need for more service just like Minot and Williston.
Like or Dislike:
5 
2
Excellent point. Despite the grandiose title of “Grand Cities”, GF/EGF are just small towns on the edge of the prairie. They get the air service that is appropriate. Naturally, when it comes to fares, that is a problem. In the old days, NWA used to absorb the GFK/MSP leg of a connected flight. That ended. I recall comparing fares once: it cost 3X more to fly from GFK to MSP than MSP to Seattle.
Like or Dislike:
5 
1
GD, if we had a national airline instead of one based on private avarice we would have much more geographically distributed economic development.
Like or Dislike:
2 
3
NWA , NWA mesaba line was a much better airline than Delta is. Looking overall, all airlines have gotten worse the past 5 years. charging more for everything adding fee’s, giving less.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
Eldred: part of the problem was airlines were undervaluing & undercharging for their product for so many years that now that prices are coming more into line with reality people are in sticker shock.
I agree the extra charges just make me mad. Roll everything in (Southwest Airlines) & the price on the screen is the price I pay
Like or Dislike:
3 
1
Numbers are bit dated since I took airport planning 7 years ago. But both Gfk and far to route was phx and sea. Also Skywest could use a 63 seat CRJ 700 for the flight and the united flights are starting to go to about 35 pax at least in the morning afternoons haven’t picked up like they’d like.
Like or Dislike:
4 
1
For what it’s worth I love the smaller RJ. I love that the left seat is both an isle & window. Perfect
Like or Dislike:
3 
0
Hardly anyone flies the Saab 340 anymore though.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
The ERJ is a 1 and 2 configuration.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
I called the saab the oversized mosquito on how it hummed in your ear the entire trip. Plus I think it literally followed hwy’s 2, 32, 10 all way to MSP
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
IFR = I Follow Roads
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
There is a good chance I will have to go back south (AZ) for a few days in February for work. Just for fun I plugged the trip in the normal way (Delta through MNPLS then to PHX). I then plugged it in going United through Denver. They were roughly the same.
What was interesting is if I stay overnight in Denver (my mom lives there), the trip goes from $780 to $550.
This was a completely unexpected finding. Looking at the schedule now. Mom is always complaining she never sees me
Like or Dislike:
5 
0
Why does GF have any air service at all? I fly to Bogota 3 times a year and save over $200 each time by driving to Fargo and flying out. It’s only $100 cheaper to fly out of MSP than Fargo and that’s not worth the drive.
Like or Dislike:
1 
1
If the GF had been smart 25-30 yrs. ago they would have taken up with Fargo to build a regional airport between GF and Fargo. If I remember correctly the plan was in the works and GF balked at it. Yes 35 mi. is likely too far away but compared to what GF has now it would have been preferable.
Like or Dislike:
3 
1
wouldn’t have mattered to me, it’s either a 45 min drive to GFK or a 1 hr drive to FAR, 30 min to HLB. Plus the airport would not be complaining about the garbage dump, GF lagoons.
Like or Dislike:
1 
1