BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Essential Air Service at 

Crescent City, California

Under 49 U.S.C. 41731 et seq. 

)

)

)

)

)

)

)

Docket DOT-OST-1997-2649 

March 4, 3015 

COMMENTS OF AIR EXCURSIONS LLC

REGARDING AIR SERVICE AT CRESCENT CITY

Communications with respect to this document should be addressed to: 

Kent Craford 

Air Excursions LLC d/b/a Alaska Seaplanes & Redwood Airlines 

8907 Yandukin Dr. 

Juneau, AK 99801 

kent@flyalaskaseaplanes.com
Page 2

Comments of Redwood Airlines regarding proposals for 

Crescent City, California air service

Two airlines are vying to serve Curry and Del Norte counties from Jack McNamara Field in Crescent 

City. Peninsula Airways (PenAir) is proposing two flights per day, to Portland only. Alaska Seaplanes 

d/b/a Redwood Airlines proposes six flights per day—three to Portland, and three to Oakland. The full 

proposals can be found at http://flycrescentcity.com/category/public-documents/. 

The information in this document includes Redwood Airlines’ analysis of its competitor’s operational 

history on the East Coast, the data which underlie a Portland-only routing, and the data which support 

preserving flight service to the San Francsico Bay Area.

Contents:

I. Statistical analysis of Peninsula Airway’s (PenAir) above-average cancelation 

rates in the Lower 48 

II. Analysis of PenAir’s Portland-only service proposal, predicated on incomplete

data which excludes the Bay Area

III. Data on Crescent City’s predominate travel pattern—southbound

 
Page 3 

I. Statistical analysis of PenAir’s above-average cancelation rates in the Lower 48 

An analysis of PenAir’s completion and on-time rates in Alaska would not be a fair indication of their potential to 

perform in Crescent City, given the weather extremes and other factors operators face up North. 

However, statistics for PenAir’s Boston network (their only routes in the Lower 48) would be a fair and 

reasonable metric to evaluate the company’s performance, and offer insight into how they might perform 

elsewhere in the Lower 48. 

PenAir’s completion rate for all routes from their Boston hub in 2014 was 92.8%1

. This compares with a 97.9% 

average for all carriers reported by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for Boston (BOS).2

SkyWest’s completion rate in Crescent City in 2014 was 91%, compared to 97.3% for all carriers reported by the 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics for San Francsico (SFO). 3

In other words, PenAir is to Boston what SkyWest is to Crescent City—a below average performer among 

operators at the hub. 

PenAir’s Boston performance statistics were purchased from FlightStats and consists of all routes PenAir serves

from Boston (BOS). They are as follows: 

Bar Harbor, ME (BHB, summer only)

Plattsburgh, NY (PBG)

Presque Isle, ME (PQI)

Islip, NY (ISP, discontinued) 

Data furnished by FlightStats (www.flightstats.com)

1 Data acquired from FlightStats for PenAir Boston route network for period 1/1/14 to 12/31/14, includes all routes: BOSBHB, BOS-ISP, BOS-PQI, BOS-PBG 2 Bureau of Transportation Statistics, available at www.transtats.bts.gov 3 Bureau of Transportation Statistics, available at www.transtats.bts.gov

82.00%

84.00%

86.00%

88.00%

90.00%

92.00%

94.00%

96.00%

98.00%

100.00%

BHB - BOS

(Summer

Only)

ISP - BOS PBG - BOS PQI - BOS CEC - SFO BOS SFO

PenAir PenAir PenAir PenAir SkyWest Total,

All Carriers

Total,

All Carriers

Completion Percentage 2014
Page 4

Pen Air’s low 92.8% completion rate means that 7.2% of scheduled flights don’t make it. 

That average was pulled up by their service to Bar Harbor, which had an acceptable completion rate of 98%. But 

this one route’s performance is an outlier, as PenAir only flies to Bar Harbor in the summer—the high revenuegenerating season. The rest of the year, the route is flown by Cape Air. 

PenAir no longer operates service to Long Island (Islip), having canceled the route after just one year. Islip 

airport commissioner Robert Schaefer cited PenAir’s poor reliability as the reason for service failing there, “It 

was really a businessman route, and they didn’t have reliable flights. They had a lot of cancellations, and they 

admit that was their problem. We tried our best, but they weren’t filling up the planes.”4

 It is this type of 

performance which has earned PenAir’s nickname, “WhenAir.”5

II. Analysis of PenAir’s Portland-only service proposal, predicated on incomplete survey 

data which excludes the Bay Area

Despite long-standing intrastate air service between Crescent City and the San Francisco Bay Area, PenAir

proposes flights in the opposite direction, to Portland. The North-only service plan is predicated on a consultant’s 

representation of local demand. 

That data however is fundamentally flawed. 

Sixel Consulting’s air service survey methodology excludes the Bay Area entirely, but then presents the results as 

a mandate for Portland service. (The survey follows this document as Attachment A).

Instead of conducting an unbiased, open-ended scientific survey of travel destinations, and what flight options 

will get them there, this survey limited survey respondents’ options to support a pre-determined conclusion—

Portland-only service. 

Sixel’s survey did not ask where people want to go, but rather where else they want to go, with the implicit 

premise that such options would be in addition to existing Bay Area service. 

Understandably, survey respondents indicated a desire for new flights to Portland. But Sixel’s conclusion

converts this support for additional fight routes to Portland into a preference for flight routes to Portland. 

This leap in meaning has profound implications, and may ultimately cost the Border Coast its flight to the Bay 

Area. 

Those implications become clear in the interplay between the attached Sixel airline recruitment document 

proffered to PenAir, and PenAir’s subsequent proposal for Crescent City. 

4 Article: PenAir to pull out of MacArthur Airport, Newsday, 05/20/14 

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/towns/penair-to-pull-out-of-long-island-macarthur-airport-1.8101674 5 http://kdlg.org/post/penair-ceo-addresses-concerns-about-flight-prices

 

 
Page 5

For ease of reference, we have summarized the two here.

PenAir’s proposal begins by asserting the following:

“A CEC Air Service Survey found that Crescent City businesses have more ties with offices in Portland 

than any other U.S. city.”6

This slide from the Sixel airline recruitment document provided that information: (note the absence of the Bay 

Area and Sacramento data):

To believe that Crescent City businesses have more ties to Portland and Seattle, at the exclusion of San Francisco 

and Sacramento, strains credulity.

6 Peninsula Airways proposal for Crescent City Essential Air Service, page 2

 

 
Page 6

PenAir’s proposal goes on to say, “Indeed, more survey respondents wanted nonstop service to Portland than any 

other city/hub.”

Now see the following slide from the Sixel recruitment document (notice again the exclusion of the Bay Area):

The survey respondents were asked which new hub would work best for their travel needs. But in presenting the 

data to PenAir, Sixel misrepresented the results to say respondents wanted Portland over “any other hub.” It is no 

surprise that PenAir is so confident in their Portland-only service proposal, given this flawed data.

Sixel Consulting went even further in misrepresenting the data, and made the following statement in a recent Del 

Norte Triplicate guest editorial, “Our research along the Border Coast has shown Portland to be the most 

requested city for non-stop service from Crescent City.”7

7 Del Norte Triplicate, February 26, 2015

 

 
Page 7

This advocacy for Portland-only service is in stark contrast to what Sixel was recommending for Crescent City 

just five years ago. Back then, the consultant advised the BCRAA that just two flights per day between Crescent 

City and the Bay Area wasn’t enough, and more capacity was needed to keep up with demand, especially for daytravelers. As the Del Norte Triplicate reported then:

“The Border Coast Regional Airport Authority were told by a consultant Thursday they should focus on 

converting their Sacramento flight to a third flight to San Francisco instead of thinking about Oregon. The 

flight should leave before 7 a.m. to catch connections and return after 9 p.m. for those who are only 

spending a day in the Bay Area, said Jack Penning, director of market analysis for Sixel Consulting 

Group out of Eugene, Ore.”8

But despite their earlier conviction about accommodating strong southbound demand, the consultant has now 

done a “180,” dropping the Bay Area like a hot potato and advocating for flights northbound instead. This better 

suits PenAir and their Portland-based network ambitions, but is it really what’s best for Curry and Del Norte 

Counties? 9

Even the consultant’s own (current) survey reveals that only 19% of locals polled cited flights to a new hub as a 

top priority.

From this, Redwood Airlines draws an obvious conclusion—for the majority, Bay Area flights are just fine. The 

direction of current flight service isn’t the problem, it’s the reliability. And if PenAir’s Boston experience is any 

guide, their flights to Portland aren’t likely to be any more reliable than SkyWest’s flights to SFO. 

8 Article: Focus on SF, consultant tells airport, Del Norte Triplicate, March 6, 2009 9 PenAir CEO Danny Seybert explained in a March 2, 2015 meeting of the Crescent City Council that his company hopes to 

establish a new network in Oregon for flights originating in Portland.

 

 
Page 8 

III. Only Redwood Airlines proposes service South, where the majority of traffic is going

US Department of Transportation statistics cited in the Sixel Consulting study show an obvious pattern—Crescent 

City travelers are predominantly flying south. 

See chart on next page.

The data presented here show that 33% of people flying out of Crescent City are just going to the Bay Area. 74% 

are flying to destinations all within California. And 85% are flying in a southern direction, including those in-state 

and other popular destinations like Las Vegas and Phoenix. 

Given this demonstrable demand for southbound flights, Crescent City would be poorly-served by moving to 

northbound flights only. There is no debate that demand exists for northbound travel, and this is why Redwood 

Airlines is offering flights to Portland in addition to Oakland service. 

But to fly North instead of South would be a terrible mistake in our opinion, and would leave the Crescent City 

Airport exposed to greater leakage to Arcata and Medford airports.

That’s because Crescent City is a heavy local traffic market—more people are traveling to the Bay Area or 

Portland than anywhere else. This predominance of local traffic is what attracted us to bid in the first place, 

because our no-TSA, high frequency business model is so well-suited to hub origin/destination-only traffic.

PenAir’s service plan on the other hand, despite its connectivity offerings at PDX airport, would make same-day 

travel to the Bay Area impractical if not impossible. PenAir has yet to reveal their proposed schedule for 

Crescent City, and while a very early morning flight could be available between CEC and PDX, that may not be 

the case. 

It has not been the case in PenAir’s Boston Essential Air Service markets. 

In Presque Isle, ME, PenAir’s first morning flight doesn’t depart for Boston until 8:00am.10 This is because their

crew scheduling does not allow for them to leave any earlier.11 PenAir’s evening return flight to Presque Isle 

departs Boston at 6:00pm. PenAir’s morning flight from Plattsburgh departs at 8:10am, and the evening return 

leaves Boston at 5:50pm.12

A similarly timed program in Crescent City would mean a traveler connecting at Portland wouldn’t realistically 

arrive in the Bay Area until noon. If they wanted to return to Crescent City the same day, they would likely need 

to be done with their business by 1:00pm to allow for TSA security screening in the Bay Area, a layover in 

Portland, and the return flight home. 

And that’s if everything runs like a top. 

Possible? Perhaps. Practical? Absolutely not. Even if PenAir extends a superior schedule in Crescent City—

TSA, transit and layover time through Portland will effectively kill same-day air travel to the Bay Area.

By contrast, Redwood Airlines will have an early flight out of Crescent City direct to Oakland, allowing the 

business traveler to arrive prior to business hours.13 A convenient evening return flight with no TSA hassle will 

allow a full day’s business in the Bay Area, and still get them home the same day. The same will be possible in 

reverse.

10 PenAir flight schedule PQI – BOS as published on www.penair.com for flights on March 9, 2015 11 http://airlineinfo.com/ostpdf89/870.pdf 12 PenAir flight schedule PBG – BOS as published on www.penair.com for flights on March 9, 2015 13 Redwood Airlines EAS Proposal sample schedule, Page 12 
Crescent City’s Top 25 O&D Passenger Markets

Year Ended Second Quarter 2014

6,470

1,610

1,300

1,170

1,0901,090

700

680

480

470

410

370

360 0.5

350 0.5

330 0.5

300 0.4

270 0.4270 0.4270 0.4

240 0.3

230 0.3

220 0.3

180 0.2180 0.2180 0.2

2.2

1.8

1.6

1.51.5

1.0

0.9

0.7

0.6

0.6

0.5

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 

San Francisco 

Sacramento

Los Angeles International

San Diego 

Ontario

Santa Ana/Orange County

Phoenix 

Las Vegas 

Denver

Burbank Bob Hope 

Chicago O'Hare Houston

Intercontinental

Palm Springs 

Dallas/Ft.Worth 

Washington Dulles 

San Luis Obispo 

Newark Liberty 

Philadelphia

Salt Lake City

Fresno 

Boston 

Honolulu

Austin 

Bakersfield 

Minneapolis/St. Paul

CEC PasCEC PDE

Many CEC Passengers Connected at SFO by Switching Carr

Separate Coupons, Causing the SFO O&D Numbers to Be In

Page 10
Page 10

PenAir’s proposal is geared towards infrequent travelers who have less time pressure, and who are willing and 

able to go long distances out of their way. 

Redwood Airlines is catering to all travelers, but with a thoughtful focus on the convenience required to attract 

higher-margin business travelers who purchase tickets last-minute and are willing to pay higher fares. It’s those 

travelers that lead to the virtuous cycle—greater flight frequency, more seat availability, and less subsidy need 

over time. 

In our conversations with hundreds of Border Coast residents over the last two months, one thing has become 

very clear—the lucrative, most frequent and highest margin fliers don’t fly out of Crescent City anymore. They 

won’t put up with the poor reliability. They drive to Medford. They drive to the Bay Area. And if PenAir is 

selected, they will drive to Arcata. 

If we are to regain their business, and make Crescent City air service sustainable, we must provide people reliable 

service where they want to go and when they want to get there. PenAir’s proposal doesn’t do that. Redwood 

Airlines’ service will. 

-End-
January 2015 

 Crescent City: Essential Air Service Option 

 Bids Due January 14, 2015 
January 2015

 Section One:

 The Crescent City Market
Page 3

The Immediate Crescent City Catchment Area is Home to 

77,300 People Living Within 45 Minutes of the Airport

As of 2013 US Census estimates, the Del

Norte County Regional Airport immediate

catchment area – see to the right in light

green – was home to 77,317 people.

The Airport’s catchment area grew by

10,320 people between 2000 and 2013 –

an increase of 17.2%.

There is no effective alternate airport for

catchment area travelers, as Medford is

three hours away by two lane road over

the Coast Range, while Arcata/Eureka is

90 minutes away along the Pacific

coastline on a two lane road.
Page 4

SkyWest Has Filed to Leave the Crescent City Market on April 7, 

With a Current Subsidy of Nearly $2.5 Million, or $3,550 Per Roundtrip

Non-Stop Departures Seats Departures Seats Capacity

Carrier Destination Per Day Per Day Per Day Per Day Change

SkyWest/United ACV/SMF 0.8 25 0 0 -100.0%

SFO 1.8 55 1.9 56 1.8%

SkyWest/United Total 2.6 80 1.9 56 -30.0%

Crescent City Total 2.6 80 1.9 56 -30.0%

Mar-14 Mar-15

SkyWest receives a current subsidy of $2,454,084 for

service in Crescent City.

The subsidy represents $1,773 in guaranteed

revenue per flight segment.
58,380

66,830 68,930 66,670

74,080

46,860

42,020 42,070

36,000

32,090

580

570

870

1,030

830

1,280

870 970

1,190

1,510

80.8

92.3

95.6

92.7

102.6

65.9

58.8 59.0

50.9

46.0

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

YE2Q05 YE2Q06 YE2Q07 YE2Q08 YE2Q09 YE2Q10 YE2Q11 YE2Q12 YE2Q13 YE2Q14

Total PDEW Int'l Pax Domestic Pax

$158 $155

$174 $172 $175

$158

$193

$185

$197 $195

Page 5

O&D Passengers and Average One Way Fares at Crescent City

Year Ended Second Quarter 2005 – Year Ended Second Quarter 2014

Crescent City Has Generated as Many as 103 PDEW in YE2Q09,

But Fares Have Risen by 23% in the Last Five Years 
Crescent City Offers a High Continuing Subsidy and Excellent 

Potential to Stimulate New Passengers and New Revenue

Page 6

Alaska’s hub in Portland would access an average of 35 passengers per day each

way (PDEW) to and from Crescent City.

The average one way fare over Portland on the Alaska code is $235.

The Portland hub would access $5.3 million in annual ticket revenue, or an average

of $7,200 in revenue per day each way.

Portland Market Highlights

Crescent City Under Essential Air Service (EAS)

The current annual subsidy rate is $2,454,084 for CEC-SFO service, which ranks as one

of the higher subsidies in the program in the lower 48.

The subsidy averages to $1,773 per segment operated.

There is no $200 fare cap at Crescent City, due to its distance from other air service.

Crescent City

Portland
Crescent City

39%

Medford

25%

Eureka/Arcata

19%

Other Airports

17%

Share of Passenger Trips by Airport Used

Crescent City Air Service Survey

Just 39% of Passengers Generated in the Crescent City Catchment 

Area Use CEC, with 73 of 119 PDEW Using Other Airports 

Source: Sixel Consulting Group, Inc. Crescent City Air Service Survey

Page 7

As of the year ended second quarter 2014, Crescent City’s

Airport retained 33,600 total passengers, or an average of 46

PDEW.

Survey results show CEC lost 53,400 passengers in the period to

other airports in the region, or an average of 73 PDEW.

The Crescent City catchment area is estimated to generate a

total of 87,000 annual passengers or 119 PDEW.
Crescent City’s SFO Load Factors Have Been Building, Reaching 

a High of 76.7% in June of 2014 – Among the Highest in EAS

Page 8

Seats Available per Day Each Way, Flights per Day Each Way, and Average Load Factor, Crescent City – SFO

January 2012 – August 2014

49

54

46

51 52 54

57 55

47

51 49

56 53 53

49

53 52

47 46

52 54

46

50

54 54

49 50 51 53

48 49 50

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Load Factor Monthly Departing Flights Monthly Departing Seats

1.6 1.8

1.5 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.8

1.6 1.7 1.6

1.9 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5

1.7 1.8

1.5 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.7

60.8%56.0%

66.1%

59.2%

65.3%67.2%64.4%

69.5%

62.2%58.8%58.7%57.6%

51.3%

44.9%

54.5%

49.0%

61.0%

66.8%70.8%72.3%

60.0%56.2%

50.7%

62.0%

46.9%

52.8%56.1%

62.0%65.4%

76.7%76.0%73.2%
6

5

6

2

4

3 3

3

4 4

5 5

3

3

5

5 6

5 5

6

3

3

3 3 3 3

5 5

6

7 6 6

17

17

18

21

26

24

23

25

17

21 20

15

14

14

16 15

17

17

18 17 22 24

20

21

17

16

15

13

16 15

15

12

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

ACV PDEW CEC PDEW

Page 9

Crescent City Generated an Increasing Number of Local 

Sacramento Passengers on SkyWest’s CEC-ACV-SMF Routing

O&D Passengers per Day Each Way, Crescent City/Arcata-Eureka - Sacramento

January 2012 – August 2014

26.7%23.7%26.1%

9.3%

13.7%10.7%10.3%11.0%

19.6%

15.5%18.5%

23.6%

16.6%19.1%

23.3%

27.2%25.1%

21.2%21.5%24.1%

13.2%10.2%

14.8%13.5%15.7%15.4%

23.9%27.0%27.4%

31.7%30.4%

34.9% CEC Share of Passengers
Crescent City’s Top 25 O&D Passenger Markets 

Year Ended Second Quarter 2014

6,470

1,610

1,300

1,170

1,090

1,090

700

680

480

470

410

370

360

350

330

300

270

270

270

240

230

220

180

180

180

8.9

2.2

1.8

1.6

1.5

1.5

1.0

0.9

0.7

0.6

0.6

0.5

0.5

0.5

0.5

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.2

0.2

0.2

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000

San Francisco

Sacramento

Los Angeles International

San Diego

Ontario

Santa Ana/Orange County

Phoenix

Las Vegas

Denver

Burbank Bob Hope

Chicago O'Hare

Houston Intercontinental

Palm Springs

Dallas/Ft.Worth

Washington Dulles

San Luis Obispo

Newark Liberty

Philadelphia

Salt Lake City

Fresno

Boston

Honolulu

Austin

Bakersfield

Minneapolis/St. Paul

CEC Passengers

CEC PDEW

Many CEC Passengers Connected at SFO by Switching Carriers on 

Separate Coupons, Causing the SFO O&D Numbers to Be Inflated

Page 10
$133

$187

$194

$186

$172

$163

$224

$188

$197

$224

$238

$224

$204

$214

$256

$133

$415

$271

$223

$213

$282

$282

$251

$164

$293

$0 $50 $100 $150 $200 $250 $300

San Francisco

Sacramento

Los Angeles International

San Diego

Ontario

Santa Ana/Orange...

Phoenix

Las Vegas

Denver

Burbank Bob Hope

Chicago O'Hare

Houston Intercontinental

Palm Springs

Dallas/Ft.Worth

Washington Dulles

San Luis Obispo

Newark Liberty

Philadelphia

Salt Lake City

Fresno

Boston

Honolulu

Austin

Bakersfield

Minneapolis/St. Paul

Crescent City’s Average One Way Fares in Top 25 O&D Passenger Markets

Year Ended Second Quarter 2014; No Adjustment for Ancillary Revenue

Average Fare: $195

Crescent City Supports a High Average Fare of $195 Each Way,

With an Average Length of Haul of Just 899 Miles and a 22-Cent Yield

Page 11

Newark Not to Scale
Crescent City is Not Hampered by Fog; In 2014, Less than 

0.5% of Flights Were Cancelled with CEC Below Minimums

Page 12

Total Flights Cancelled and Share of Flights Cancelled, Crescent City Below Minimums

January 2014 – November 2014; Source: SkyWest

3

1

2

1 1 1

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

2014-01 2014-02 2014-03 2014-04 2014-05 2014-06 2014-07 2014-08 2014-09 2014-10 2014-11

Share of Flights Cancelled Cancelled Flights

1.3%

0.5%

0.9%

0.5% 0.5%

0.8%
Select Businesses Responding to the Survey

AMPM Business Services

Bicoastal Media

Blackcat Books

Brookings – Harbor Chamber of Commerce

Cardiology Consultants

Chimney Kraft

Coastline Transportation

College of the Redwoods

County of Del Norte

Crescent City Planning Commission

Crescent City Business Improvement District

Del Norte Travel, LLC

Edward Jones Investments

Elk Valley Rancheria

Feller Associates

JAS Technololgies

LifeStyles Research Company

Lucky 7 Casino

National Park Service

Rumiano Cheese

Sandler Investments

Smith River Rancheria

State Farm Insurance

Stover Engineering

Strong Consulting

Swift Construction

Susan Roudebush Consulting

Sutter Coast Hospital

Trivekta Corporation/Swarm Intelligence

Source: Sixel Consulting Group, Inc. Crescent City Air Service Survey

Page 13

Crescent City Surveyed 214 Regional Businesses on Their Travel 

Patterns, to Ensure Those Using Other Airports Are Represented
19.32%

17.15%

15.94% 15.94%

12.08%

6.76%

0.0%

2.5%

5.0%

7.5%

10.0%

12.5%

15.0%

17.5%

20.0%

Flights to a New Hub Few er

Delays/Cancellations

Additional Flights to

UA's SFO Hub

Additional Flights to

SMF

Flights on a New

Airline

Jet Flights

What Improvements Would Make You More Satisfied With Air Service in Crescent City?

Source: Sixel Consulting Group, Inc. Crescent City Air Service Survey

Page 14

The Largest Proportion of Survey Respondents Wanted to See Service 

to a New Hub Outside SFO, and Only a Small Share Wanted Jets
Number of Crescent City Area Businesses 

With Connections to Select Cities

Crescent City

Portland

Seattle

Honolulu

Los Angeles

San Diego Phoenix

New York City

Denver

St. Louis

Las Vegas

Chicago

Dallas/Ft. Worth

Atlanta

Washington, DC

Source: Sixel Consulting Group, Inc. Crescent City Air Service Survey

Page 15

Crescent City Area Businesses Have the Most Ties With Offices in the

Pacific Northwest – 62 Common Offices in Portland and Seattle
Portland, OR

29%

Los Angeles

17%

Denver

11%

Seattle

10%

Las Vegas

10%

Other

23%

Which New Hub Would Work Best for Your Travel Needs?

Source: Sixel Consulting Group, Inc. Crescent City Air Service Survey

Page 16

More Survey Respondents Wanted Non-Stop Service to Portland than 

Any Other Hub, with Smaller Portions Wanting LAX, DEN, and SEA
Page 17

Crescent City’s Airport Has Two 5,000 Foot Runways at Low 

Elevation, With Current Additional Ramp and Terminal Space

Passenger Terminal

• The Del Norte County Regional Airport has

current space in its air carrier terminal to

handle additional passengers, beyond the

current 30-seat Brasilia.

• The Airport has two main air carrier runways.

• Runway 11/29 has a length of 5,000

feet, with an ILS approach on

runway 11.

• Runway 17/35 has a length of 5,001

feet, without a precision approach.

• The Airport’s air carrier apron is wide enough

for power-in and power-out operations, with

no need for a tug.

• The Airport has parking for more than 150

cars.

RNWY 11

RNWY 35

RNWY 17

RNWY 29
January 2015

 Section Two:

 Crescent City – Portland
The Alaska Hub at Portland Connects Crescent City to 28 One-Stop 

Cities, Representing 35 PDEW at an Average One Way Fare of $235

Source: Sixel Consulting Group Hub Builder Software, YE2Q14; Circuity Limited to 66%.

Page 19 Stage Length: 239 Nautical Miles

Crescent City - Portland
Portland Offers Crescent City New Traffic Flows and an Opportunity 

to Stimulate a Number of Smaller Markets with Easier Connections

Crescent City’s Top 20 Origin & Destination Passenger Markets over Portland on Alaska and Codeshare Partners

Year Ended Second Quarter 2014

1,100

790

690

640

400

320

300

290

280

210

200

180

170

140

140

90

70

60

30

30

1.5

1.1

0.9

0.9

0.5

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.3

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.0

0.0

0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200

San Diego - 1

Las Vegas - 2

Phoenix/Mesa Area - 3

Washington/Baltimore - 4

New York/Newark - 5

Palm Springs - 6

Boston - 7

Dallas/Ft Worth Area - 8

Chicago Area - 9

Minneapolis - 10

Salt Lake City - 11

Honolulu - 12

Tucson - 13

Atlanta - 14

Seattle/Tacoma - 15

Boise - 16

Detroit - 17

Kahului - 18

Billings - 19

Vancouver - 20

Annual Passengers

PDEW

Page 20
Crescent City Fares Have Increased Substantially in the Last Five Years, 

with the Average Over PDX on the Alaska Code at $235 One Way

$125

$88

$117

$106

$171

$126

$146

$196

$217

$137

$201

$223

$230

$182

$119

$202

$154

$206

$249

$273

$0 $50 $100 $150 $200 $250

Los Angeles Basin

San Francisco

San Diego

Sacramento

Denver

Las Vegas

Phoenix

Chicago

Washington-Baltimore

Palm Springs

Houston

New York/Newark

Cleveland

Boston

San Antonio

Austin

Salt Lake City

Minneapolis/St. Paul

Fresno

Honolulu

Average Fare over PDX: $235

Average One Way Fares at Crescent City’s Top 20 O&D Passenger Markets over Portland on Alaska and Partners

Year Ended Second Quarter 2014; No Adjustment for Ancillary Revenue

Page 21
January 2015

 For Additional Information

Contact

Matthew Leitner

Airport Director

Border Coast Airport Authority

250 Dale Rupert Road

Crescent City, California 95531

(707) 464-7288

mleitner@co.del-norte.ca.us