You want what for that ticket?
Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune is getting up at 3:30 a.m. Thursday morning and he's a little ticked at the reason.
He's getting up early to drive all the way to Dayton's airport in time to catch a morning flight to Washington DC.
Why Dayton, you ask? After all, CVG is much closer to the commissioner's Green Township home.
Well, a round trip flight from Dayton costs around $500. That same flight from CVG costs more than $1,500, Portune said.
He pointedly mentioned the price discrepancy during Wednesday's commission meeting. He intends to also raise the point with lawmakers Thursday.
"Lack of competition is contributing to these fares," Portune said. Groups of local officials have already been to Washington to drum up support for keeping the Delta hub open. But talk about fares was completely missing from that conversation, Portune said.
"Fares didn't come up. Lack of competition didn't come up," he said. He hopes to meet up with some of the legislators to explain his point Thursday.
The primary reasons for the trip though, is so Portune can seek support for a green-build project by the Metropolitan Sewer District. The district is being forced to update its sewers at a cost of several billion dollars, resulting in double-digit percent increases for sewer customers. Portune said the U.S. EPA and the Department of Justice unexpectedly withdrew support for a green-build project that would have saved money for the district -- and the county water customers. Portune hopes to talk the groups into supporting the project again.
21 Comments:
Funny. "Lack of competition" didn't come up. Sure it did when you orchestrated that nasty deal to ensure you had no Republican Party opposition. Portune, you are an ego-maniac!
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So much for managed competition !
Hey, Todd ?
Mr. Portune welcome to my world. I travel every week on my job, and I either fly out of Dayton, Indianapolis, Louisville, Columbus, or Lexington because of the out rageous fares that Delta charges us at CVG. That is why we need alternatives to the the international airport like Lunken. A few years ago there was talk of bringing Southwest into Lunken, but since this is on the east side of the county we could not do that. So we all have to pay the price. That is what happens when you have zero vision.
It appears that Todd does not care about the good paying jobs which would be lost if Delta would close down the hub or when businees would leave for other cities which has a hub. Todd only cares about votes from Hamilton County not what is best for the 15 county Tri-Stae.
Not a big Portune fan (since the jail tax fiasco) but he seems to be the ONLY local pol that sticks the GOOD OLD BOYS - aka Delta, Leis, Portune, Pepper, etc
Why is he wasting taxpayer money just so he can see the cherry blossoms? Can't he use the telephone to make contacts? Isn't the county under a budget cruch?
"Lack of competition" is key to King Portude.
Good for Portune to be alone among the area's politicians for standing up to Delta. While other politicians wax eloquently about how great the Delta hub is and what a wonderful corporate citizen they are, he exposes them for the price gougers they truly are. Unless your last name is Pepper, airfares are way too high and out of reach for leisure trips/
I just think it's funny that Portune points out a "lack of competition" as he chooses a competitor to the high-priced airport.
I agree that prices are high at CVG, but he needs another argument. He demonstrated himself that competition is alive and well.
The cherry blossoms are already gone.
I say close Delta down TODAY. They have robbed us with over the top fair increases time and time again. They say it's important that Cincinnati remain a Delta hub so the many business's in the area have global access. I'd say that's a bunch of BS. Most people I know that travel for both work and leasure do so out of surrounding airports; Louisville, Indy, Dayton, & Columbus. I don't know who the Cincinnati (Delta) Airport thinks they are serving as the highest priced airport in the country. Like I said before, close Delta down and release their grip on our city and economy. To those who would say but what about all of those Delta jobs leaving the area, I say good bye and good luck to the soon to be unemployed who where part of the problem.
I'm really getting sick of this routine about "high paying jobs" that would supposedly leave when the hub goes away. And make no mistake, it IS going - just a matter of time.
There is no justification for Delta's continued price gouging which has bled over $30 billion - that's billion - in excess ticket prices from this area in the last 20 years.
This area's central location means that there will ALWAYS be business locating here - and maybe even more when they don't have to pay confiscatory, monopoly prices for air fare out of the Kenton County run "regional" airport.
A little late to this pile-on but still: is Todd really that un-self aware that he actually made such a statement?
Or was he simply being a smart*ss?
Anon 12:12 AM,
Not a big Portune fan (since the jail tax fiasco) but he seems to be the ONLY local pol that sticks the GOOD OLD BOYS - aka Delta, Leis, Portune, Pepper, etc
It must have been past your bedtime. Portune is the only local pol that sticks it to his fellow jail-tax allies Leis and Pepper, plus himself? That seems to be what you are saying. Can you please try again?
Hey, Freepers! Portune is: 1) saving the county about $1000 in expenses, 2) perhaps getting some support for local infrastructure which was DE-FUNDED by, guess who, Bush's DOJ and likely some political appointee/bean-counter at EPA "saving budget" to divert to Iraq, where it gets lost in fraud and incompetence, 3) incidentally calling attention to DL's gouging of local leisure flyers who can't write off such costs as business expenses. Get REAL, oh ye of little insight and knee-jerk RW reactions...
"I'm Todd Portune and, by golly, what I say, should happen. People should just do what I say. I am Todd Portune and I am a man of the people. I am the competition."
DRIVE!
The right wingers are just mad because they have been shut out of power in Hamilton County government. Once P-P-P-Patttycakes is gone you are finished. I'm talking to you, Tryingtofoolyou.
Thought maybe the trip to LA would clear your head, but alas, it's still in your rump. IF the Dems take control, the mismanagement will be rampant as Dems can't handle power. (Pelosi) After that happens, the GOP will ride in to clean up the free give aways that the working guy is tired of paying. (Sec.8)
Your boy LBJ started all this BS and now we have successive generations of entitled failures.
Portune wants competition at the airport but not at the voting booth?!?!?
Odd Todd Portune:
Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back!
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