Toledo Inches Closer to NYC Service

**Matt Molnar** · 03-23-2007, 04:22 PM

Toledo Blade:

Port officials told of gains in attracting Toledo-New York City route

It's been seven months since Toledo Express Airport won a federal air-service development grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help subsidize the start-up of a Toledo-New York City route, and there is still no airline to fly it.

But Kristopher Nichter, director of marketing, business development, and community affairs for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, told the agency's board of directors yesterday that progress has been made in securing an airline for the route and that an announcement could be made within 60 days.

The struggling airport has lost significant air travel passengers since 9/11, but officials said yesterday the new route could give Toledo Express a big shot in the arm. More...

This route is gonna kick so much ass!

Seriously though, there are smaller cities than Toledo that have direct NY service. Someone should do it.

**PhilDernerJr** · 03-23-2007, 04:29 PM

Once this goes through, expect all the major US airlines to make A380 buys for this route.

Hygh yeelds OMG!!1!!1!1

So I guess it's Allegiant that woudl fly it, or whatever other carrier around here would be willing to fly to Toledo? Probably out of LGA.

**hiss srq** · 03-23-2007, 04:29 PM

USAirways Express or b6 is my bet. Maybe a little Delta Connection action in the mix with CR2's?

**Nonstop2AUH** · 03-23-2007, 04:44 PM

With Open Skies coming, can't wait to fly to Toledo on a BA 777

**hiss srq** · 03-23-2007, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by Nonstop2AUH

With Open Skies coming, can't wait to fly to Toledo on a BA 777

LMAO I will take the EK A-340 myself. :lol:

**stuart schechter** · 03-23-2007, 04:59 PM

I'll wait for the 747-8's to come out. I'll be on the first one to Toledo!

**USAF Pilot 07** · 03-23-2007, 05:46 PM

Hey now, direct NYC service from Toledo is probably a big deal in Toledo! I wonder if it was the Top Story on the Evening News, or if they had to interrupt regularly scheduled TV programs to announce this breaking news!

**Nonstop2AUH** · 03-23-2007, 07:49 PM

Hey, not to dis the place, this was probably the #1 story on ToledoAviation.com today. I am sure folks in the heartland are just itching to see what a $500 a night hotel room looks like.

But is that Toledo Ohio or Toledo Spain? I could see CO doing a 757 from EWR to the latter, if it has an airport. Just 70km south of Madrid, which would makes it Madrid for Ryanair and the like...

**Tom_Turner** · 03-23-2007, 09:52 PM

Well, its mostly economics of course, but it is shame to think you'd be in Toledo (and similar small-ish) US cities and not be able to hop a direct flight to NYC.

It'll be good for Toledo. Nothing wrong with a bit of subsidy here and there in the transportation IMO.

T

**Mateo** · 03-24-2007, 09:25 AM

Or that Bristol, England has direct service from New York while Bristol, Tennessee does not.

Markets without nonstop air service to EWR/JFK/LGA:
#41: Harrisburg/Lebanon/Lancaster/York, PA.
#53: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA.
#55: Fresno/Visalia, CA.
#59: Mobile/Pensacola/Ft. Walton Beach, AL/FL. (the first surprising one)
#65: Charleston/Huntington, WV
#66: Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, MI
#67: Wichita/Hutchison, KS
#69: Green Bay/Appleton, WI
#71: Toledo, OH
#76: Springfield, MO
#77: Spokane, WA
From here it drops off significantly, so I won't finish out the top 100, but you get the point, which is that Toledo, while being a decent sized market, is hardly the largest without service to NYC.

Notes:
--Sacramento (#19) hangs on by a thread with just the one JBU flight.
--I used BDL as the airport for Hartford/New Haven (#28). HVN goes to Philadelphia, but even if you live in someplace like Waterbury, you'll probably choose Bradley over HPN. Hartford-Brainerd/HFD, the downtown airport, doesn't have commercial service.
--The smallest market with a nonstop flight, in case you were wondering, is #182: Charlottesville, VA.
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**USAF Pilot 07** · 03-24-2007, 11:51 AM

Looking at that list, DL used to have a nonstop from JFK-PNS (Pensacola)... I guess they got rid of it. Anyone know if that is just seasonal service, or if loads just weren't good enough to keep that route alive? I would think a PNS-LGA route would do a lot better, especially since I'm not sure how many people are connecting from PNS flights to international flights. I would imagine most of the traffic to be O & D traffic.

**njgtr82** · 03-24-2007, 12:12 PM

PNS surprises me as well. That area has a large military population and does get a good amount of seasonal traffic. I was stationed there for almost a year and when I flew home I took Air Tran from Fort Walton Beach via ATL. The flights there and back were pretty full.