Officials with the Tallahassee Airport announced via social media that SkyWest, operating as United Airlines, will discontinue service to various markets across the country, including Tallahassee, after October 1.
United Airlines announced the addition of daily direct flights to Houston from Tallahassee International Airport in June, 2020.
The statement noted that while the airline industry has been impacted globally by the pandemic, Tallahassee continues to see the demand for air travel rebound locally and ” we remain focused on expanding service options for our customers.”
The latest passenger report by Tallahassee Reports indicated that June 2021 traffic was approximately 90% of the pre-pandemic June traffic in 2019. In addition, passenger traffic at the Tallahassee airport has increased in each of the last four months.
Other markets impacted by United’s decision included San Angelo, Texas. The cancellation of service there was attributed to the current worldwide pilot shortage along with with major industry occurrences.
San Angelo officials said: The San Angelo to Houston route has not met market expectations for passenger load factors. Upcoming ticket sales through September are not projected to be profitable enough for SkyWest Airlines, the operating company of United Express Airlines in San Angelo. SkyWest representatives said they have had to withdraw services from several airports of our size around the nation, including many in Texas.
It was also noted that a rise in early retirement in 2020 caused major airlines to hire a significant number of pilots from the regional carriers, leaving smaller communities across the country underserved.
United Airlines to Cease Tallahassee Operations added by Steve Stewart on
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The city of Tallahassee has taxed this airport where no business involved in the airport services can turn a profit it seems. Most of the retail space there is gone and the rental car area looks like a ghost town. Rental car prices are sky high, and many have merged just to stay in business. Flights are way out of line of what you can get out of Jacksonville or Orlando. You also have to wonder why the citizens of Tallahassee voted for a four lane to Gaines Street, with the amount of traffic at the airport?. Maybe thery aren’t aware of just how bad it has gotten.
@ Wonderer…
I believe you misspelled your own name and it should be Wanderer, as in your mind wanders from the facts…
Not only have you mismanaged the local level you’ve exceeded your own expectations on to the national level…
The Pentagon, due to the botched Biden Administration decisions, will enact commercial airlines to Aid in the Afghanistan situation. American, Delta, and United will participate and this is known as the Civil Reserve Air Fleet.
This is only occurred two other times in history and the buck stops with Biden and the local government. If the local government had been more proactive in building up their economy, then Biden’s bad decisions would not have assisted overburdening United Air Lines to have to make the decision to cut Tallahassee. You did it to yourself and bad decisions have consequences. You are welcome.
So… Hank is shilling for Maddox… and Wonderer is in the cubicle next to Hank’s…
… got it
Sorry Hank. You forgot the number one rule on this forum. Everything is the fault of some part of local government.
@ Hank,
Maddox’s failure to boost the economy because of his sideline, corruption, which ironically was his main focus is the main factor here. You may rationalize the incompetence if you wish, but you fool no one but yourself.
I believe when the airport thrived the most, Maddox was out of office mis-managing the Democratic Party of Florida.
Why can’t Tallahassee be a hub for the snowbirds… then, make their connecting flights to South Florida, which would increase connecting flights to South Florida destinations?
Didn’t see any due diligence on that front. They were too busy participating in their self-serving corruption. You’re welcome.
https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/08/06/united-airlines-vaccine-mandate/
So many employees chose severance or retirement that they don’t have the staff.
@Hope
How did those things make it harder to catch a direct fight to S. Florida? The lack of flights are fundamentally about economic and employment variables of the population.
Maddox was, by far, the best advocate for the airport – so I guess because he is no longer on the commission, the state of the airport has lessened?
@ Hank,
Perhaps you missed the federal corruption trial of a former City of Tallahassee Mayor and City Commissioner and all the unindicted co-conspirators. Does that answer your question?
I love flying in and out of the Tallahassee Airport; it is super low stress and easy to navigate. For me it is worth the extra money for the ease of process. As a midlevel sized city, there are clearly going limitations regarding flight options – a simple market principle. Additionally, our demographic relies on air travel less than other economically active populations – thus fewer flights per person compared to other similarly sized metropolitan areas. I don’t understand how this is the COT’s fault.
Again, a nationwide search is needed to bring in a qualified city manager who can do a nationwide search for an airport director. Because of the politics and the abuse in local government by The Usual Suspects there should be an airport Authority. Not Usual Suspects appointed to an Advisory Board.
Not only is their poor marketing and mismanagement there is abuse to the taxpayers by allowing free advertising for The Usual Suspects ( Pittman, Parks and Crump, and Yordon) to advertise their law firms and advertising companies.
There is no reason the airport cannot be a well-managed state-of-the-art facility. Simply eliminate all the Jokers and replace them with competent managers and elected officials.
It was a travesty that the Amazon was not located near the airport where it would build up the Southside, but only the well-connected are contenders in Tallahassee.
Bill Proctor and Curtis Richardson should be livid. Crickets…
I moved to Tallahassee 3 years ago and was STUNNED by the lack of air service and connections from the “International (???? seriously) airport here. Having moved from State College Pennsylvania, home of Penn State University, population 41,808 to Tallahassee, population 197,974, the state capitol and home to 2 MAJOR universities and one of the largest community colleges in the country, I was expecting so much more. My first flight in to TLH was having to wait on the ramp for a gate (there were 7 other empty gates at the time) because they only had enough ground crew to work one plane at a time. I couldn’t believe it. And as i drove out of the airport I was greeted at the entrance, across the street and almost my whole drive by unbelievable amounts of litter and trash on the sides of the road, couldn’t believe what I was seeing for where i was. Wondered if the governor ever looks out his window on the way to the airport. Must not. UNV in SCE has 5 gates, all can be used and are manned. As opposed to TLH, UNV/SCE supports 4 airlines, American, United, Delta and Allegiant. Direct flights to PHL, DCA, IAD, DTW, ORD, PIE & SFB. I have never been on a non full flight in or out of there on any of the airlines. My LAST flight out of TLH, with the layovers, took me 15.5 hours to get to PA. I had to get up at 3am, 1st stop was MIA, 500 miles in the opposite direction I was going. I can drive to PA in 16 hours. Now all my flights are out of ECP. More airlines, more direct flights, better fares and only 90+ miles from here. Flight last week From ECP to PA took at total of 4.5 hours TLH has really dropped the ball on this one.
The TLH challenge is that it does not have enough industry. State government and tourism are both fickle, with travel being the first thing cut in both. And of course lately remote meetings further reduce travel needs. Amazon’s business may help the air cargo business, but a distribution center doesn’t generate lots of passenger air trips.
And the other thing is that we keep subsidizing newcomers, but airport customers then take advantage of delta’s lower- to- be- competitive fares, instead of choosing the new entrant at the same or a slightly higher price. So when the subsidy goes away there is no customer base to support the new airline’s continuance in our mark.
P.S. I still price trips out of MCO, Panama City, JAX and my experience is that when I add gas, car rental and/or parking fees (which aren’t cheap in TLH, but can be avoided by drop off) when necessary, food and my time, most trips cost about the same as TLH.
As an out-of-towner who used the Tallahassee airport in December of 2019 – I found it to be extremely isolated and I’m not sure why there hasn’t been a greater focus on developing the surrounding area. A simple public transit bus route connecting the airport to FSU and/ or downtown would make TLH a much more inviting place to use for those of us coming in for business or to see some college sports.
It would require an upfront investment but could yield a significant longterm benefit by encouraging tourism/ visitation.
Even Starkville, Ms. has a public transit link to the Golden Triangle Airport and their population is a small fraction of Tallahassee’s.
I remember when Scott Maddox and his coterie used to brag about what a great job they did with the Airport…
P.S. My wife and I have a 20 year running joke, whenever I’m dropping her off to catch a flight and I’m about to pull up to the front I tell her to be quiet because I don’t want to miss the turn for our gate.
Tallahassee airport sucks!!
Its obvious United does not know we have tacked the moniker “International” to our airport. Somebody better call United and tell them!!!!
I fly all the time and have not flown out of TLH since 2007..MCO or TPA for me every time as you can get direct flights to almost everywhere and avoid Atlanta Mess at much less cost.My only hope is Amazon coming to Tally somehow generates enough demand for Southwest to come to town and bring some real competition for better service and lower fares
The Tallahassee Airport’s existence, use, and potential has been poorly marketed, developed, and managed for decades. It boggles the mind that the airport that serves the State’s capital and multiple colleges is so inexplicably underutilized… not to mention the completely inexcusable lack of focused, planned, and practical economic development in the areas that surround the Airport… case in-point, the new Amazon complex.
When you have a Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and state attorney who think their PR stunts are more important than the business climate in Tallahassee this is what you get. Delta Air Lines pulled out of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce years ago, have they ever renewed their membership?
Legitimate and well-managed companies and corporations don’t put up with corruption and political nonsense like we have seen in Tallahassee for over the last 20 years. It is time for the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce to clean up their act and it is time for the State Attorney Jack Campbell to resign or be disbarred, or both. Campbell’s embarrassing performance at the recent chamber junket was unconscionable if not illegal.
I have read in the past that our Airport has High Landing Fee’s. Can you do a follow up on that? Can you compare all the Fee’s charged by our Airport with other International Airports?