Being in a position where I'm traveling considerably more than ever before, I have completely abandoned CHO. The only things "convenient" about it are it's proximity to Charlottesville and the extremely friendly TSA staff. The fares are ridiculous, and unless you're going to one of the hubs you're looking at a 2 hour layover somewhere in most cases. And CHO is probably the only airport in America where the restaurant/gift shop can't be accessed from the security area. Bad decision, that one.
When you factor in the 90-minute drive to RIC and the sometimes massive savings it's a no-brainer. Let's see - sit in Atlanta for three hours or drive for 90 minutes with my wife...and save money?
But beware of flying Jet Blue out of Richmond. Whoever stood up in a Jet Blue board meeting and proclaimed "We shall make our hub at JFK, the second-most weather-delayed airport in America" should be made to sit on the tarmac in New Haven for four hours every day.
There is one other good thing about CHO. The United commuter flight to Dulles will absolutely renew your faith in God.
Posted by 8/11/2007 9:56:55 PM
OK, the ground is flat, there is lots of land, and its not that expensive.
West end Richmond and Short Pump are huge, plus the new 288 road.
The ultimate: a mega airport just east of Zion Crossroads. It would steal most of CHO and RIC traffic and complete the missing link that would make all land between Short Pump and Zion Crossroads a city of its own.
Posted by 8/13/2007 4:25:14 PM
What a great idea!
CHO would probably close though.
Posted by 8/15/2007 10:08:12 AM
I travel from CHO every week. I love it. There are no lines, crowds, "people movers," long walks to the parking lot or the gates. The terminal is clean and all of the passengers are well behaved, too.
Of course my employer pays the fares and I would be very unhappy if I had to pay them. But I might, now that I am spoiled by this nice friendly CHO airport.
For years the RIC airport board has been ripping off the passengers with some of the highest fees in the nation (passed on to pax in fares.) Even nine years ago when RIC could have been the Mayberry airport - it was a shamble with no services whatsoever - the airport board was getting fat and rich. Just look at some of their houses. One of them is as big as CHO's terminal!
Posted by 8/15/2007 11:33:43 AM
The "you get what you pay for" ad campaign has to be the most boneheaded marketing idea I've seen in awhile because, among other reasons, it's patently false. In fact, the ad campaign makes a great argument for not using CHO.
Let's see, for an average roundtrip of $700 from CHO to LGA, you get an oft-delayed, bumpy as hell '80s-relic Saab 340 turboprop piloted by Colgan's minimum-wage-earning, just out of high school pilots, while for a third of that amount flying RIC-LGA, you get a shorter flight on a more comfortable regional jet.
I hate JFK and won't fly JetBlue out of RIC for that reason, but if you were to fly that route (also costing a third of the CHO-LGA price) you'd get an even more comfortable seat, better snacks and a wide variety of entertainment options.
I would like to see Ms. Hutchinson fly the Saab 340 to New York then take JetBlue's Embraer 190 back to Virginia and then ask her which aircraft made her feel like a "sardine." Or better yet, go to Dulles and fly one of JetBlue's A320s or Southwest's 737s -- each of which have at least 34" seat pitches vs. the 30" offered by the Saab 340s -- and then ask her the same question.
I hope they're not paying anybody for this marketing wizardry.
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Discuss " NEWS-Jet Blues: Richmond airport steals CHO thunder " Below
When you factor in the 90-minute drive to RIC and the sometimes massive savings it's a no-brainer. Let's see - sit in Atlanta for three hours or drive for 90 minutes with my wife...and save money?
But beware of flying Jet Blue out of Richmond. Whoever stood up in a Jet Blue board meeting and proclaimed "We shall make our hub at JFK, the second-most weather-delayed airport in America" should be made to sit on the tarmac in New Haven for four hours every day.
There is one other good thing about CHO. The United commuter flight to Dulles will absolutely renew your faith in God.
West end Richmond and Short Pump are huge, plus the new 288 road.
The ultimate: a mega airport just east of Zion Crossroads. It would steal most of CHO and RIC traffic and complete the missing link that would make all land between Short Pump and Zion Crossroads a city of its own.
CHO would probably close though.
Of course my employer pays the fares and I would be very unhappy if I had to pay them. But I might, now that I am spoiled by this nice friendly CHO airport.
For years the RIC airport board has been ripping off the passengers with some of the highest fees in the nation (passed on to pax in fares.) Even nine years ago when RIC could have been the Mayberry airport - it was a shamble with no services whatsoever - the airport board was getting fat and rich. Just look at some of their houses. One of them is as big as CHO's terminal!
Let's see, for an average roundtrip of $700 from CHO to LGA, you get an oft-delayed, bumpy as hell '80s-relic Saab 340 turboprop piloted by Colgan's minimum-wage-earning, just out of high school pilots, while for a third of that amount flying RIC-LGA, you get a shorter flight on a more comfortable regional jet.
I hate JFK and won't fly JetBlue out of RIC for that reason, but if you were to fly that route (also costing a third of the CHO-LGA price) you'd get an even more comfortable seat, better snacks and a wide variety of entertainment options.
I would like to see Ms. Hutchinson fly the Saab 340 to New York then take JetBlue's Embraer 190 back to Virginia and then ask her which aircraft made her feel like a "sardine." Or better yet, go to Dulles and fly one of JetBlue's A320s or Southwest's 737s -- each of which have at least 34" seat pitches vs. the 30" offered by the Saab 340s -- and then ask her the same question.
I hope they're not paying anybody for this marketing wizardry.