I wish they would lower the rates on my credit cards.
Got to admit, this quote probably burned a little;
With almost half of Sioux Falls airline customers leaving town to fly, there need to be better alternatives, Huether said. “That’s unacceptable,” he said.
Tom Lien, the airport authority chairman, said the board is trying to bring other carriers to Sioux Falls and to encourage airlines to lower rates here. Airlines, not the board, set fares, he said.
“When you were working in credit cards, nobody told you what to set your rates at,” Lien told the mayor.
I’m sure we will hear another speech on Monday at the informational meeting about how the press got it wrong . . . blah, blah, blah, words, words, words.
Tom Lien is my new hero.
Actually, various sectors of government do their best to tell the industry where to set their rates. South Dakota may not have such laws, but they exist almost everywhere else.
Add to that recent changes from the CARD act which dictates what fees and charges can be added to a card and the new financial reform bill which controls “reasonable and customary” interchange fees… and it can easily be said that someone is telling the credit card companies how much they can charge.
Lien might think he is being a funny guy, but he would be better served to look for solutions instead of just making excuses. The airlines may set the fares, but those fares are based upon what it costs them to do business in Sioux Falls. If the board can make adjustments to reduce those costs or perhaps even offer incentives… the airlines may be able to reduce fares.
If Lien doesn’t have any ideas or even any ambition to look into the issue, then maybe we need a new chairman.
I think Lein is just keeping it real, the reason you can save $200 a ticket in Omaha is because Southwest is there, not due to anything special that Eppley Airfield has done.
So yes, if Lein can put together a package to entice a decent low cost operator, we will see fares across the board come down and traffic will increase.
The dirty little secret is that FSD is one of the few areas in the country that the airlines are making decent money on, there’s enough activity that they don’t care what they lose to Omaha right now.
I suspect Lien didn’t mean to be so sharp but Huether deserved it.
How about a non-stop airport bus 3 times a day connecting Sioux Falls with Omaha and Minneapolis. Airports would fee to the max so maybe off airport pickup drop-off within hotel bus distance.
I use Omaha and will continue unless Allegiant adds more $99 locations here. This airport thing is starting to look like another Washington Pavillion debacle.
I’ll go out of my way at more expense not to support unconstitutional city government. When they return to democracy and respect citizens, I’ll reconsider.
how long before lein either resigns, or is “asked” to leave.
If Tom Lien is not a Huether player, he could become a welcomed patriot helping to lead this city out from tyranny. Home Rule has become a dictatorship. Citizens expect a return to constitutional democracy.