Just a little more than a year ago, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport had the dubious distinction of being tied for the fourth highest air fares among the country’s top 100 airports.
As recently as the first quarter of this year, the airport’s numbers had improved just two places to sixth most expensive.
Then came JetBlue.
The recently released Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ numbers for the second quarter of this year — the first full quarter of JetBlue service — indicate Savannah’s fares have dropped 13.7 percent to 25th most expensive.
“This was the largest drop of any of the 100 airports rated,” said Lori Lynah, the airport’s director of marketing and air service development. “It’s a clear indication of the difference having a low-cost carrier makes, especially one as popular as JetBlue.”
The ripple effect JetBlue would have on the airport was obvious months before the low-cost carrier actually arrived in February. In anticipation, Delta, United and U.S. Airways added to their Savannah service, giving passengers the weekly option of 45 more flights and 5,000 additional seats.
Once JetBlue started service to Savannah from New York’s JFK International and Boston’s Logan International, Savannah fares began dropping as other airlines scrambled to compete.
“One of the most important aspects of having a carrier like JetBlue is that its presence tends to lower fares across the board, not just in the New York and Boston markets,” Lynah said. “Delta still holds 48 percent of the Savannah market, but their fares are more competitive now.”
Airport executive director Greg Kelly agreed.
“While we expected to see our average airfare drop this year, we are pleased to see that it dropped so much in such a short time,” he said, adding that moving out of this particular top 10 has been a goal for years.
“Seeing us go all the way down to 25th is especially rewarding. It’s good to see us finally moving in the right direction,” he said.
“With Visit Savannah and the Hilton Head Chamber of Commerce working hard to attract new visitors to the region, it’s critical that we continue to support those efforts with more available seats and lower fares.”
But, Kelly cautioned, it’s really up to the flying public to support the airport.
In the second quarter 2014, Savannah’s top markets were JFK, Boston, LaGuardia, Chicago and Philadelphia, with JFK alone accounting for nearly 300 passengers a day. Nearly 70 percent of those passengers are traveling from New York to Savannah, with only 30 percent originating in Savannah.
“Our momentum is heading in the right direction in terms of more seats and lower fares,” Kelly said. “Airlines respond to demand, so the more demand they see locally, the better the results will be in terms of routes, capacity and fares.
“We have a tremendous opportunity as a region now to improve air service and air fares even more, but it will all depend on how many people choose to fly in and out of this airport.”
GAINING ALTITUDE — SAV BY THE NUMBERS
• 1.43 million — passengers through September 2014, up 16 percent from previous year to date.
• $434.32 — average airfare from Savannah in 2Q 2014, down 13.7 percent from second quarter 2013.
• 869,609 — total available seats in second quarter 2014, up 11.3 percent from 2Q 2013.
• 82.5 percent — total load factor in second quarter 2014, up 3.7 percent from 2Q 2013.