Air service issue prompts special council session

New Mexico Airlines should pull out of Carlsbad if it's not profitable for them to operate here. I've never flown them, but the comments that I've heard from those who have flown on this airline have not been positive.

munnyhungry wrote:

New Mexico Airlines should pull out of Carlsbad if it's not profitable for them to operate here. I've never flown them, but the comments that I've heard from those who have flown on this airline have not been positive.

y most recent flight with NMA cost me an extra day due the change is scedule they made during the time I left and the time I returned. It cost me and extra $100 to change my flight with Southwest in order to make conection with NMA on my return flight. When they changed the schedule again (I was in Las Vegas)I didn't have time to make another change in flights.

When arrived in Albuquerque for flight back to Carlsbad, I had to get hotel room it cost another $87.

I don't know if I will ever fly with this airline again. It is too expensive for the flight changes and hotels.

NMA had a great schedule, even flying to ELP. Then Forrest and Elkins got their shorts twisted in a knot and started screwing with them.. NMA backed off.
Why should a company do business with an entity that was not conducting business in good faith?

So once again Carlsbad (read Bob Forrest) shoots itself in the foot.

These actions by Carlsbad (rBF) go to a poor market presence for economic development.

Some people (rBF) just seem to like the Big fish in a very small pond mentality.

munnyhungry wrote:

New Mexico Airlines should pull out of Carlsbad if it's not profitable for them to operate here. I've never flown them, but the comments that I've heard from those who have flown on this airline have not been positive.

How weird. I fly them weekly and love it! In fact, I have never heard anything negative from an actual passenger. All I have heard are positive things about how clean the planes are and how good the service is.

Funny how these critics can never cite specific examples, except for schedule changes, which every airline does and it is always a pain.

I dn't think profitability was the issue. It was the government going into competition against them. I'm pretty sure they only changed the schedule because Roswell was trying to bring in a publicly funded competitor.

Don't blame them. Roswell thinks it is the center of the universe. What do they care if they screw up our air service. I am glad they are working things out.

I think anyone who has lost money due to flight changes and having to rent cars and hotel rooms needs to gontact the mayor or atend the meeting. I have heard story after story of people loosint time and money. I never fly out of Cbad it costs way to much money.

Flying on small airlines from small towns has always been expensive, and it always will be. But it is about saving time, not money. If you can't value your time enough to justify the savings, then you won't fly. Therefore, commuter flights are really for business people who know time is money...for tourist flights, it's hard to justify. Nothing new there.

Do the math: a person who makes $100,000/yr. is making about $50/hr. If you save 2.5 hours each way, you've saved $250. When I fly, not only am I saving time, but I can get some work done on my laptop, which I can't do if I drive. So the total time savings is more like $350, and the air fare costs $300, so I've saved $50. Then, I save at least $100 in gas, and by flying, I can usually avoid at least one night hotel and meals at ABQ.(I won't drive at night.) Another savings of $140 there. So, my net savings is about $290 by flying over driving. Finally, flying lets me spend more time with my family, which is pretty much priceless. And, flying is safer than driving, so that's a bonus advantage.

It all depends on how you value things, I guess. I will fly every time over driving if I can.

roger wrote:

<quoted text>
y most recent flight with NMA cost me an extra day due the change is scedule they made during the time I left and the time I returned. It cost me and extra $100 to change my flight with Southwest in order to make conection with NMA on my return flight. When they changed the schedule again (I was in Las Vegas)I didn't have time to make another change in flights.
When arrived in Albuquerque for flight back to Carlsbad, I had to get hotel room it cost another $87.
I don't know if I will ever fly with this airline again. It is too expensive for the flight changes and hotels.

When Mesa Airlines was here, this very schedule/change/cancellation happened to my husband (with WIPP), three times trying to reach the same destination.

No question, time is money, but RELIABILITY IS EVERYTHING.

Looks like the airline owner has joined the good old boys club. Next he'll be on the DOD board and promoting the Cascades.

Same old story. Go along or go away. That's all this town needs. Another partner in crime for the Mayor and his friends. What a sellout.

Told Ya So wrote:

Looks like the airline owner has joined the good old boys club. Next he'll be on the DOD board and promoting the Cascades.
Same old story. Go along or go away. That's all this town needs. Another partner in crime for the Mayor and his friends. What a sellout.

Okay, so he can't do he right thing by keeping the city out of his business, and he can't win by working with them either? Seems like some people just love conflict.

Classic Carlsbad.

Frequent Flyer wrote:

<quoted text>
How weird. I fly them weekly and love it! In fact, I have never heard anything negative from an actual passenger. All I have heard are positive things about how clean the planes are and how good the service is.
Funny how these critics can never cite specific examples, except for schedule changes, which every airline does and it is always a pain.
I dn't think profitability was the issue. It was the government going into competition against them. I'm pretty sure they only changed the schedule because Roswell was trying to bring in a publicly funded competitor.
Don't blame them. Roswell thinks it is the center of the universe. What do they care if they screw up our air service. I am glad they are working things out.

Really?
Your comments sound like a certain airline exec....or could be a former commissioner candidate. Hey, it doesn't matter. The people here in Carlsbad will eventually take this place back over and if, no...WHEN the complaints don't disappear, he'll be out on his A$$ just like Mesa. He'll find that can't buy everyone off here and continue using us as his doormat.

7-22-2008
Subject: Vision Air
Today, we had an unfortunate a bit of information given to us. Vision Air has announced that they are going to furlough approximately 25% of
all their employees and airplanes, using their turboprops to replace their fuel guzzling jet aircraft. While Vision is still interested in
coming to New Mexico, it will not happen any time soon. We have no live prospect at this time. Rob Mayes, Farmington City Manager, has confirmed what I have just told you.
As we discussed in the past, if we did not have anything favorable to report by October, we would pull the plug, fold our tent and go away.
Effective the end of this month, Kent Myers will be on an advisory status with TEAPI, his pay in suspension. This leaves approximately $15,000 in our treasury. We will batten down the hatches and try to weather this storm, at least until the end of the year. I do not want to suspend the organization until we have a clearer picture of what is going to happen.
Our original goals for TEAPI have not changed; New Mexico still needs a great intrastate air service. We need to continue to communicate and
see where the market place takes us. After you have had a chance to digest this, I would like to have a conference call next week on Thursday, July 31. Early next week, we will get out a conference call dial in number for you. In the meantime, if you have any different thoughts or courses of action, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Bill Armstrong, Jr.
five seven five-6two two- two 488

Vacationing on the ground wrote:

<quoted text>
Really?
Your comments sound like a certain airline exec....or could be a former commissioner candidate. Hey, it doesn't matter. The people here in Carlsbad will eventually take this place back over and if, no...WHEN the complaints don't disappear, he'll be out on his A$$ just like Mesa. He'll find that can't buy everyone off here and continue using us as his doormat.

LOL, and YOU sound like a certain supended consultant... or is that you Bill? Either way, you both look pretty damn stupid at this point.

If Mesa was so bad, why where they here for twenty-odd years? The city threw it away on a bet, just like they were told, and now they have no one to blame but themselves.

Agreed PW, usually the reason to change any contractor is for the $CHANGE$. Besides I have fond memories of riding Mesa with a Buddy Ticket many times where we would fly on extremely windy days and land on one wheel while the nose was pointing adjacent to the runway. Of course the pilots would leave the cockpit doors open just to increase the vertigo. I always thanked the pilot for letting me live another day.

phenomenalwoman wrote:

If Mesa was so bad, why where they here for twenty-odd years? The city threw it away on a bet, just like they were told, and now they have no one to blame but themselves.

Statements like these are pretty silly. Where have you been? Mesa suspended all EAS operations nationwide without notice during the past 12 months (including Farmington and Roswell), leaving dozens of communities without service. Carlsbad would be one of them if the City had chosen Mesa again.

The division of Mesa that provided EAS has now gone out of business, and some EAS commuities still have no service at all. In fact, New Mexico Airlines parent company just picked up two cities Mesa abandoned in Georgia.

The City made a smart move. We still have air service, wile much larger cities formerly served by Mesa do not. Carlsbad gets its share of things wrong, but this time there is absolutely no doubt we got it right. Mesa began dropping EAS cities nationwide less than three months after New Mexico Airlines took over.

Either you are really in the dark, or really a former Mesa employee/spouse/friend.