Pantagraph.com | Money | Airline now flying out of Bloomington to Las Vegas

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Long Live His Memory wrote on Aug 25, 2007 7:18 AM:

" Jim O and other poster who chose to show their ignorance to the world by posting idiotic remarks regarding the entertainer paying tribute to the legacy of Elvis Presley on the AirTran flight on 8/15, you should never make comments on a subject you are not qualified to comment on it only makes you look more stupid! This entertainer is considered one of the best in his field and AirTran was lucky to get him for their flight (and no he is not bloated hillbilly) but a well educated, physically fit entertainer! "

A Scott Wattles Fan wrote on Aug 20, 2007 1:34 PM:

" I'm sure the airline hired Scott Wattles because they also know him to be a VERY TALENTED entertainer. It is everyone's privilege to NOT like Elvis or Elvis Tribute Artists. But please look beyond "Elvis" if you must and recognize a fantastic voice when you hear it. It amazes me how anyone can form such a negative opinion about someone they don't even know, and then post such hateful comments. "

Peoria Shemoria wrote on Aug 18, 2007 5:48 PM:

" Peoria. Bloomington. People are always trying to compare the two when they are two different cities. Bloomington-Normal, while having a larger population than Peoria proper, has a smaller metro population. B-N is also more white collar and has much less crime and better schools. Peoria, due to its larger metro population, will naturally have more flights. However, I do believe we could do a better job of attracting new flights. One or two west destinations would be a welcome change. It's too bad we can't convince Frontier to fly out of here again. If we could get service to Denver and Phoenix, that would be great. If it'd be on a discount airline, that'd be even better. "

Flyer wrote on Aug 16, 2007 10:32 PM:

" CIRA was once very aggressive and under former management passed up all the other airports in Central Illinois. But in the last 2-3 years, it hasn't done much. Management spends most of its time trying to keep the air shows away and has spent hundreds of thousands in a lawsuit with one of its tenants. It's time to take a close look at current airport management, which is failing us. "

Hey Agree! wrote on Aug 16, 2007 5:19 PM:

" Wait to you see PIA's new terminal. It will TRUMP CIRA... "

viva las vegas wrote on Aug 16, 2007 3:17 PM:

" ah vegas where you can go in a $3,000 dollar car and come back on a $100,000 bus!! "

Viva Las Vegas! wrote on Aug 16, 2007 12:40 PM:

" I'm looking forward to a long weekend in Vegas soon, and I'm thrilled we have this new service. But if some idiotic Elvis impersonator tries to chat me up or sing to me, I'll need someone to post bail for me, because I'm liable to hit him. "

Agree? wrote on Aug 16, 2007 11:08 AM:

" PIA airport is crap compared to CIRA. I'd much rather fly out the the nicer facilities in Bloomington than Peoria. No offense to Peorians, but your airport is in bad dissrepair. Need to do some updating over there... "

PIA vs BMI wrote on Aug 16, 2007 10:03 AM:

" Face it..Peoria is a bigger market, so they can support more direct flights. However, BMI has a big plus with their Low Cost Carrier, AirTran, with connection services therefore getting good fares to more places "

Mandalay Ray wrote on Aug 16, 2007 9:52 AM:

" A couple of you unemployed B/N serial complainers could probably get jobs in Vegas as "card flickers" on the Strip and be quite happy. "

To Mr. L wrote on Aug 16, 2007 9:49 AM:

" My parents have lived in Vegas for over 20 years - they are not white trash. They are both highly educated individuals and their jobs took them to that town. Keep your stereo typical comments/thoughts to yourself, please. "

A Friend wrote on Aug 16, 2007 9:46 AM:

" Why does the plane go to Vegas? Because that is where the people who buy tickets want to go. I just got back from Boston. It is great city, steeped in American history. I recommend everyone visit there, but there is no reason to denigrate Vegas. It is also a great American city and I urge everyone to visit there too. Go anywhere, but get out of B/N and see the rest of the world. It is not all shopping malls and cornfields. So grab your cousin, head over to the wedding chapel on the strip, and make it legal. "

J O wrote on Aug 16, 2007 9:39 AM:

" Gee, Mr. L, I always thought it was my trailer court. ;-) "

Crybaby wrote on Aug 16, 2007 8:53 AM:

" "What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas." As should those who frequent the place. Then it would be so much more fun. "

Mr. L wrote on Aug 16, 2007 7:53 AM:

" Ahhh, Vegas...the White Trash capital of the world! "

Funny wrote on Aug 15, 2007 10:37 PM:

" It appears that Peoria is about ready to announce that Allegiant is adding a Peoria to Phoenix and/or a Peoria to Ft Lauderdale flight in about 10 days. They said they will "announce" this at a Chiefs game, which would lead one to believe it will be the Phoenix flight for Cubs fans. Way to go CIRA. Once again trumped by Peoria. How many new flights and airlines is that now for Peoria? And how many is that for Bloomington-Normal in the past 6 years??? Hmmm...someone doesnt appear to be doing their job with a brand new airport....and let a "

to Hal wrote on Aug 15, 2007 9:29 PM:

" What hicktown do you live in? There's nothing wrong with LV's airport. Maybe you should stay in Gibson City. Or is that too metropolitan for you? "

to: To: Oh wrote on Aug 15, 2007 9:28 PM:

" Good one! "

Good fares here wrote on Aug 15, 2007 8:33 PM:

" There are a lot of people from much further south than Decatur or Springfield who drive to Bloomington to catch flights here. Why - well although St. Louis would be just as close for these customers CIRA has free parking, reasonable fares, and less hassle. "

to complaint chorus wrote on Aug 15, 2007 7:28 PM:

" do you think the people from champaign, decatur, springfield and anywhere down there are going to go to peoria or bloomington? yeah thats what i thought. "

Uncle Andy wrote on Aug 15, 2007 6:05 PM:

" Oh jeez, how did the city pay for this??? We've got the coliseum losing money and now we're taking more B-N income out of town! (just kidding) "

Hal wrote on Aug 15, 2007 5:28 PM:

" Beware I was just out in Vegas and McCarran airport is a zoo and the most confusing airport I have ever been to by far. "

to jim o wrote on Aug 15, 2007 5:12 PM:

" I think it's nice that they did that for their opening of flights to Las Vegas, how fun! In this negative world, it's fun to have "fun" take your mind off of things. Maybe you should try it. I think the Elvis impersonator looks fit and healthy! Since you have a "winking" face by your comment, hopefully you were joking! LOL "

To Complain Chorus wrote on Aug 15, 2007 5:04 PM:

" Because Peoria's an hours drive and AirTran gives us lots of reasonable fares to lots of places "

DJO wrote on Aug 15, 2007 4:49 PM:

" Anything that expands service and customers' choices in and out of CIRA seems like a good idea to me. Hope it turns out well for CIRA and AirTran. I'm just wondering if there's going to be a long term market for Vegas service; especially given that between AirTran and Allegiant there's new service this summer out of B/N, Springfield, Champaign and Moline in addition to existing service out of Peoria. I'm hardly a marketing expert but I have to wonder if there's really that much Vegas business to support service at ALL of those airports. "

Nick wrote on Aug 15, 2007 4:42 PM:

" $1 million in "locally raised funds" for even more air service? Um, why are the govt people in charge so skewed towards highway and air travel. Why is our Greyhound station still a shack on the west side instead of co-located with our other ground transportation (Amtrak and Peoria Charter) in downtown Normal where it should be? "

Complaint chorus wrote on Aug 15, 2007 3:52 PM:

" Nice to see the B-N complaint chorus has something to sing about today. Waste of time, water, why fly from Bloomington when you can go to Peoria for the same flight, waste of money in general. "

The Colonel wrote on Aug 15, 2007 3:48 PM:

" Scott Wattles is neither bloated, a hillbilly or a terrorist by any stretch of the imagination. He is educated, fit, extremely talented and loves his country. "

Re: Shame wrote on Aug 15, 2007 3:41 PM:

" The truck is already there, the people who use it are already there. If there was a actual need for it at the time then it might be a waste but otherwise, its equipment testing. You think its a waste when they have to test equipment? Would you rather have it sit in a shed for six months and never tested? The earth won't die from a airplane getting a shower. "

To Candy wrote on Aug 15, 2007 3:36 PM:

" You are so holier than thou, but I do have a question. Why don't you stop wasting your money on the East Coast and travel the world to see Civilization's history? Vegas can actually be a pretty reasonable place to relax without throwing all your money away. You could even take that high horse of yours for a ride in the beautiful Red Rock Canyon right outside the city!! "

To Candy wrote on Aug 15, 2007 3:32 PM:

" I don't gamble, and I can tell you, there is so much to do there without gambling, it's worth every penny. Beautiful Hotel rooms and great restaurants and buffets are cheap because they want you to gamble. So plan a vacation there, it's a blast, even without gambling, not to mention the shows are heavenly!! "

Oh, wrote on Aug 15, 2007 3:30 PM:

" Funny!! :) Nah, he's afraid to fly. "

Thoughts wrote on Aug 15, 2007 3:23 PM:

" I'm thinking Phoenix since US Airways has a hub there, has no service in Central IL and SF has a presence there as well...it's just that I wouldn't want to fly a small jet that far! "

hmmm wrote on Aug 15, 2007 3:09 PM:

" BMI is WAY too small to be a focus city. I wouldn't count on any new LCCs such as Frontier to show up..prices are pretty low to fly out of here, which is why it's hard to attract new carriers.. Frontier is also teamed up with AirTran, so I'm sure there's a Gentlemen's Agreement with that. US Airways and Continental already have their respective alliance partners represented here as well. However they always mention Phoenix, and that's a US Airways hub.. Salt Lake implies Delta and Denver implies United and Frontier... Perhaps we'll get Milwaukee flights if AirTran takes over Midwest.. "

$850,000 Federal $$$ Gone? wrote on Aug 15, 2007 2:34 PM:

" How did CIRA let that free money get away? Boggles the mind. "

Sandra Dee wrote on Aug 15, 2007 2:27 PM:

" Elvis! Elvis! Let me be. Keep that pelvis far from me. "

X wrote on Aug 15, 2007 2:17 PM:

" If you want to travel around the country to see the early history of America, try going to an Indian Reservation, try going to Georgia or Oklahoma. There you'll find early American history. If you want to have fun (and you don't have to waste all your money) then there is nothing wrong with going to Vegas, at least once. "

peoria wrote on Aug 15, 2007 2:01 PM:

" you could fly out of peoria to get to LV already. Why not have service to another western city instead? "

J O wrote on Aug 15, 2007 1:54 PM:

" Vegas, the mudhole of capitalism. "

Jim O wrote on Aug 15, 2007 1:47 PM:

" The original Elvis was bad enough, but to have to some bloated hillbilly PRETEND he's Elvis may amount to a form of terror never previously considered. ;-) "

LittleMac wrote on Aug 15, 2007 1:46 PM:

" It's just as well, I guess. They can't seem to make a predictable flight to Chicago from CIRA. "

Shame wrote on Aug 15, 2007 1:32 PM:

" I'm shocked that the Airport Authority would waste our natural resources by squirting water at an airplane. What a waste of resources, manpower and effort. Shame on you! "

oh yeah wrote on Aug 15, 2007 1:14 PM:

" Vegas is only a flight away, and reasonable! I can't wait! This should do great things for CIRA "

Candy wrote on Aug 15, 2007 1:12 PM:

" Las Vegas, were a fool and their money are soon parted. Guess I just work to hard for my money to throw it all away in Vegas. I would much rather travel out east and see the things to do with our early American history. "

To: Oh wrote on Aug 15, 2007 1:01 PM:

" By himself? "

J wrote on Aug 15, 2007 12:11 PM:

" Via Las Vegas! I want to back! "

Time2FlyCIRA wrote on Aug 15, 2007 12:05 PM:

" Frontier should be heavily considering service, they already have an alliance with Airtran. In time perhaps we could see a direct Baltimore flight on Airtran as well. They could market Central Illinois as a possible 'focus area' seeing how no one carrier is dominant. As the local economy continues to grow, and it will as we are virtually economy proof, there will be even more demand for direct options further away. "

Oh, wrote on Aug 15, 2007 11:49 AM:

" To get my hubby on one of these!! "

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