Biz Flyers Opt For Alternatives Around, To Cincinnati

<B> Biz Flyers Opt For Alternatives Around, To Cincinnati</B>

By Robert Selwitz

High quality service and high ticket prices go hand in hand at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Widely acknowledged as one of the nation's best, the facility also has been under increasing pressure to do something about what many travelers feel are sky-high rates.

According to a recent report prepared by the not-disinterested Port Columbus International Airport, flights in and out of Cincinnati average $60 more than those from Columbus or Cleveland. And according to U.S. Department of Transportation data, passengers flying from Cincinnati pay the sixth highest per-mile fare in the country.

While Cleveland is too far away to be an alternate destination for Cincinnati, Columbus is just 90 miles north. Of course, said airport spokesman Joe Feiertag, "it becomes a question of what someone's time is worth. I wonder how many firms want their people driving 90 miles, or an hour and a half, to save $60?"

Joining Delta and Comair, as well as a slew of other airlines, low-cost Vanguard on April 15 initiated nonstop 737-200 service between Cincinnati and Chicago Midway. Four daily flights cost $49 one way, compared with Delta's $230 Saturday-night stay roundtrip fare.

This might cause some pressure on general fares. Since Cincinnati is Delta's second largest hub, and combined with its Comair regional commuter service, Delta accounts for more than 90 percent of passenger flights, "prices do tend to be high," Feiertag said.

However passengers feel about fares, though, they continue to flock to the airport in droves. Indeed, the 21.2 million passenger total for 1998 was 6.4 percent ahead of 1997's 19.9 million, and the 1997-98 growth rate was the fastest among major U.S. airports.

Though bargain airlines have served the facility, currently Vanguard will have the field all to itself as it attempts to succeed as Cincinnati's sole low-cost carrier.

The carrier roster is quite different at Port Columbus International Airport. There, Columbus has had an aggressive "catchment campaign" since 1994. "Since we have been able to attract a number of low-cost carriers, we feel we have something special to offer business travelers--those destined for anywhere within a 150-mile radius," said director of air service development Christine Stern.

With the service access and real savings available by flying via Columbus, "we are an attractive alternative for those headed to Cincinnati, Dayton and West Virginia," Stern said.

The presence of Southwest Airlines and its lower-cost counterparts means that, in certain circumstances, Columbus can offer major savings over flying via Cincinnati. Stern urged those "with ticket-buying responsibility to consider the potential of saving serious money by flying to Columbus and driving to a destination instead of simply flying to Cincinnati.