Wish Bowling Green had an airline. (Louisville, Owensboro: leasing, subsidized, maintenance)

[hogsrus]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

I've long advocated that the Commonwealth of Kentucky should do everything it can to bolster Louisville and northern Kentucky as those are the state's two major urban and economic centers. Having said that, I'm also happy that Pikeville is getting air service and I think they deserve it; northern Kentucky (Kenton County Airport Board) also completely screwed itself over by allowing Delta to have basically the greatest monopoly on a single major airport in the nation...until Delta changed course.

With all that outta the way...



This agrarian mentality is why I left Kentucky. Yes, Louisville does tend to look down on the rest of Kentucky, but without it, the state would be Mississippi north! It does have several Fortune 500 companies, a strong manufacturing sector in an era when manufacturing is still reeling from major cutbacks in this country, a major river port, one of the world's busiest cargo air facilities at Louisville International Airport, IU-Southeast (arguably the best university in the metropolitan area and part of the world-renowned IU system), and a very slowly blossoming tech sector that even some people here in California are beginning to notice.

I'll give Pikeville--and London, Morehead and maybe even Somerset (my opinion of it also notwithstanding)--credit for something: TRYING. These might be the only towns in eastern Kentucky seriously making noble attempts to improve their towns. But Pikeville having a small airport, a small college of medicine and three Walmarts within a half hour drive do not a hub make.

When horse racing (really just central Kentucky) and UK basketball (with a few UofL fans sprinkled in) comprise the culture of a state of more than 4.2 million people, y'all certainly have a long way to go before being, uhmmm...sophisticated and able to change the status quo. And to me, that's sad.

Auh...don't be sad Mr. Ears....after all you live in Cali

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by hogsrus

Auh...don't be sad Mr. Ears....after all you live in Cali

I'm not sad--although I don't like where in CA I'm living at the moment.

[kygman]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

I'm not sad--although I don't like where in CA I'm living at the moment.

Somehow, that doesn't surprise me in the least.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by kygman

Somehow, that doesn't surprise me in the least.

Hey, sunshine.

I actually liked the Bay Area. But not OC--at least not yet, anyway.

[hogsrus]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

I'm not sad--although I don't like where in CA I'm living at the moment.

Ah...keep lookin Mr. Ears, the grass is always greener over the septic tank.




Speaking of over, I flew over Cali one time...

[BLS2753]

In today's airline environment, any service to now non-served smaller communities, would require expansion of the Essential Air Service program (federal subsidy). That program is contracting, rather than expanding. Paducah is hanging on by a shoestring now. Basically, if a community cannot consistently fill flights to 80% capacity, airline service isn't going to happen. And the 50 seat jets are going away, with 70-100 seat capacity being the new norm for the smallest demand routes.

[hogsrus]

Originally Posted by BLS2753

In today's airline environment, any service to now non-served smaller communities, would require expansion of the Essential Air Service program (federal subsidy). That program is contracting, rather than expanding. Paducah is hanging on by a shoestring now. Basically, if a community cannot consistently fill flights to 80% capacity, airline service isn't going to happen. And the 50 seat jets are going away, with 70-100 seat capacity being the new norm for the smallest demand routes.

True but, in some cases the need still exist (Pikeville) and, has been politically ignored for too long. The A.R.C. comes to mind first. 70-100 seat jets require larger airports and longer runways which eliminates some smaller ones. Expand airport(s')?

Stay tuned...

[Peter1948]

Hogs, your thoughts about Louisville are completely biased and wrong. Without Louisvile exporting tax money to your county, you would live in a place with more poverty than most of undeveloped Africa. The facts do not lie: EKY had the lowest GDP, highest obesity, highest cancer, and lowest educational attainment in the US.

I can assure you no one in Louisville cares about Pikeville but if it were smart, Pileville would sync in with the two largest airports in her OWN state that are just as close as Nash.

EKY residents need to look to Louisville as their big city. Rural Tennesseans look
To Nashville. Folks in the GA mountains go to ATL. It's time for the state to work together to promote itself all around. Pikeville shouldn't be Gatlinberg but it has to attract tourists to fill even one daily flight to the region. You do not get that is how a region grows. Pikeville even needs tourists yes from big bad Louisville to infuse money into the area. However I understand you are representative of an area which has been so isolated for decades that they mistrust anyone else especially a place with " cards fans".

I agree as much as I love Louisville, like Ears, I am also often glad I am gone away from the agrarian mindset of people (and their politicians) like Hogs

[hogsrus]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

Hogs, your thoughts about Louisville are completely biased and wrong. Without Louisvile exporting tax money to your county, you would live in a place with more poverty than most of undeveloped Africa. The facts do not lie: EKY had the lowest GDP, highest obesity, highest cancer, and lowest educational attainment in the US.

I can assure you no one in Louisville cares about Pikeville but if it were smart, Pileville would sync in with the two largest airports in her OWN state that are just as close as Nash.

EKY residents need to look to Louisville as their big city. Rural Tennesseans look
To Nashville. Folks in the GA mountains go to ATL. It's time for the state to work together to promote itself all around. Pikeville shouldn't be Gatlinberg but it has to attract tourists to fill even one daily flight to the region. You do not get that is how a region grows. Pikeville even needs tourists yes from big bad Louisville to infuse money into the area. However I understand you are representative of an area which has been so isolated for decades that they mistrust anyone else especially a place with " cards fans".

I agree as much as I love Louisville, like Ears, I am also often glad I am gone away from the agrarian mindset of people (and their politicians) like Hogs

OK...thanks

[tuckessee]

I've noticed a lot larger planes flying out of BG this year, not just little Cessnas, but small airliners, daily. So the airport business is visibly growing. As for utilizing Nashville, I'd rather drive 45 minutes than 2 hours to the airport. Growing up Nashville was THE city, and still is. When we wanted big city amenities that Warren county couldn't offer, like real malls and better restaurants, we went to Nashville. Christmas time was the time to go see the decorations at Opryland and hear about the yule log. Before the Hot Rods, we always went to Sounds games. I'm a huge Titans fan, and that's a difficult thing to be. Before I could drive I remember going to Louisville maybe twice, once for Kentucky Kingdom and once to the state fair. Heck, most of the time we'd go to the Tennessee state fair in Nashville. I used to ignorantly hate Louisville, as some rural Kentuckians do, but I've been all over that city now, I like it a lot, but it feels like a different state in between Kentucky and Indiana. This part of Kentucky and Tennessee just blend in together.