PG to Mexico, that's awesome and I hope that some Caribbean destinations might be added. I agree that getting out of the North is an expensive and cumbersome adventure. If Horizon can promote some worthwhile packages I'll definitely spending more money in PG.

In a global world, the airport is our most important piece of infrastructure for tourism and business. Not for Goods, but for people certainly. I would like to see the airport lobby more for flights to destinations other than Vancouver. Air Canada has direct to Calgary, and I don't know how well used that flight is, but I hope it's a success. I would like to see WestJet add direct to Calgary and Edmonton to our repertoire.

Support the flights to Seattle - SEA is a well connected jumping point to the world, and Horizon is a great regional airline.

It used to be at one point that Air BC was the most profitable airline in Canada with PG as its #2 service centre next only to Vancouver. The only thing holding it back was Canadian government regulations limiting its ability to compete for direct service outside of Canada. Then for political purposes Air BC was merged into the Air Canada corporate structure directly and Air Canada was forced to aquire the failed Canadian Airlines with its billions in employee compensation issues thus forcing through government political interferrence Air Canada into recievership and ultimately foreign ownership.

The PG Airport sees Air Canada and West Jet as unending sources of revenue for their expansion plans to the point that the PG Airport Authority will not allow for a parking stall with a plug in (even in minus30) for airline employees... unless the airlines pay $4000 for each parking stall (airlines refuse to be gouged)... which is more than even Toronto Pearsons charges the airlines for their parking stalls for the busiest airport in Canada. If caught pluging their cars in, the airport ensures they are unpluged and issues with employees having a car to start at the end of a shift are ignored.

The idea is to milk the captive natives for every dime they can to subsidize managment at the airport, thus limiting oportunities for the existing airlines to explore potential in service from PG airport. With current airline usage to Vancouver as an indicator it is far from clear where the additional traffic will come from for the new Horizon service and yet the powers that be at the airport, who are so good at milking the existing airlines, then plan to subsidize $400,000 of our local tax paying dollars for a service that competes with those they already do business with.

I predict the new service fills less then half its capacity and uses up the $400,000 subsidization in its first 2 months. Not because demand is not there, but rather because the plane offered is too large for the expected initial service levels. This will hurt the other airlines with subsidized empty seats flying out of PG and could lead to reductions in our traditional service routes offer by the existing airlines.

IMO plan to buy your bus tickets for future trips to Calgary is a possibility.... We went from the huge promissing potential of Air BC with PG as its service hub, to a foreign owned Air Canada (with less service), and now another foreign owned subsidized new entrant....

IMO it is not good business sense when that sour taste is left in the mouth of the major airlines (as well as tax payers) who have supported this airport at such time as it is realized that Horizon is bringing in a far bigger plane then this proposed service can handle and thus a guaranteed $400,000 subsidization designed to disadvantage those that supported our airport in the past.

Possibly the best thing to ever happen here. Definitly helps make the winter more bearable.

Ben

You are as predictable as the massive chip on your shoulder in regards to your continuous rants about Robert Dziekanski and the ice jam. You obviously have a lot of time on your hands to continue these pointless rants.

You call for this air service to Prince George, but the airlines would have to make it worth their while. Prince George has nothing but ice jams and bitter, simplistic journalists, so I fail to see why any airline would waste their time.

You see, Ben, Dziekanski was in search of a better life in Canada, which ruled out PG, so he opted for Kamloops because, as you stated, "Kamloops and.....are already there ahead of us" and always will be I might add.

Firstly the Kamloops Service provided by Horizen is for a four month period only. December to March I beleive and services skiers from the greater Seattle area to Sun Peaks. Not sure if the Kelowna service is yeary however I suspect it is with all the year round tourism etc: (Big White)

Secondly the addition of Horizen Air to Seattle with connections to various parts of the world, could and probably will pull business away from the 12 week service by Transat (Westjet) to P-Vallarta. Plus it will pull business away from Jazz, and Westjet to Vancouver. We are working with a limited number of travellers in the Central Interior, I suspect that over 90% of the population go nowhere in the winter.
We should therefore not,be suprised if the Horizen service (if it is succesfull) will kill off Transats service to P-Vallarta.

Daily service from Seattle to Prince George will help to offset the horrendus costs of having an International service, with customs etc; to service approx 80 passengers per week for an 12 week period from December to March. At present these facilities are used by approx 960 passengers a year. The balance of the year the facility remains empty. Which means it is empty 341 days per year.

Only in the backwoods of Prince George would this operation be referred to as a success. Anywhere else it would be a dismal failure. Just in the cost of retail space alone, if the Airport Authority did the proper accounting assuming retail space at $8.00 sq ft per month multiplied by say 10,000 sq ft you would be losing $80,000.00 per month or apprx $880,000.00 per year. Only when you use Taxpayers and Government money can you afford such luxeries.

"Kelowna is shooting out the lights..." - is this something good or something bad?????? This article does seem to drift all over the place. Shoulda squeezed in an "Amphibex" reference. =:)>

"You are as predictable as the massive chip on your shoulder in regards to your continuous rants about Robert Dziekanski"
Sean, it sounds like you could be the one with the "chip". The article only made a small reference to the polish immigrant and no mention of the ice at all. Where was the "rant"?
From your post (and others by you), it sounds like you are the one with the chip on your shoulder.
Enough said, I may be "ranting"

Here is a prime example of the kind of economic promise that exists to help this region get out of the forest destruction business. Creative people need only step forward to realize and pursue other ideas that don't entail chain saws and this one has great promise.

For instance... forget the airlines. Anyone in PG have the resources to buy a plane and run charter flights to Latin America? If not, how about a loan or grant from the province to get a charter service going? How many would that employ? I can think of several ideas along these lines

As well there is a middle class in Mexico and the rest of Latin America. Wonder how many of them would like to experiance a REAL winter? This does not just have to be about Canadians going south.

What PG and the rest of BC really needs are more creative people getting creative and a lot less whineing about a 19th century industry and mind set finding that it's slowing dying. Change is not a dirty word.

Thats pretty creative getting a loan or a grant to run a charter to Latin America.

Once again the Government becomes the **Bank**

Peoples holidays are not Goverment business. Where you go, who you go with, what you see,how you get there, and how much you spend is none of my business, and I could care less. All I ask is that you do it on your own dollar, and get your hand out of the taxpayers pocket.

"As well there is a middle class in Mexico and the rest of Latin America. Wonder how many of them would like to experiance a REAL winter?"

Very, very few. Middle class Mexicans go to places like Tahoe or Whistler to see snow.

Ben Spell Check: Puerto Vallarta

I fly Alaska to Mexico each year......I usually drive to Kelowna and grab a leg to Seattle then to P.V.

I'm looking forward to the new service. Having a home 3 hours north of P.V. It ill make it a lot easier to get here more often. Let alone Big League Baseball weekends in Seattle!!