FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — It’s no secret the Fresno Yosemite International Airport continues to slowly make improvements and upgrades as it looks to be a mode of transportation that everyone from the valley and beyond can rely on.
But a concern that we’ve heard from you that’s been on your mind for some time is the cost to fly out from here.
Karl got a chance to sit down and talk to the new Aviation Director of the airport Mark Thorpe AND brought up this concern.
“Yeah, I mean, the traditional answer that an airport gives is, well, we don’t control airfares,” Thorpe said. “And all that’s true, but what I think an airport can do is be creative.”
Some of those examples included making the time needed for those trips to be an exceptional one. Others included trying to handle other issues that can make the experience better which would then attract more flight service to the customer.
He also knows there will still be some concerns when it comes to taxpayer dollars, so he wanted to provide some reassurance that it’s being used to continue making the Fresno Airport the best it can be.
Plus continue the momentum that has been ongoing.
“What I would like to do is, you know, be very creative,” Thorpe said. “Again, I think at the core, you’re always, you always wanna make sure of safety and security first and foremost. So that’s something that we need to continually focus on and have resources to improve that and always make that world class. It’s part of the duty we have as an asset and a part of the national aviation system and national security system. But beyond that, I think also we can be very creative in some of the commercial things we do.”
Going back to that question of airline affordability, it was something that we decided to also ask the eight airlines that use the airport.
Karl reached out to Aeromexico, Alaska, Allegiant Air, American, Delta, Southwest, United, and Volaris Airlines to ask this question…
“Is there anything your airlines can do to make air fare prices cheaper for the daily consumer? Are there any factors that play a role in how prices are adjusted?”
As of now only Southwest and American Airlines responded to the question.
American Airlines:What I can offer you is that American’s fares out of Fresno are competitive for the market, and we cannot comment on future pricing plans on specific markets or routes.Southwest Airlines:First off, we’re in a quiet period prior to releasing our second quarter financial results on Wednesday. Secondly, forward pricing is a topic we’re not able to discuss prior to reporting it to the US Department of Transportation.
We have yet to hear back from the other airlines.