Advanced Air, LLC
12101 Crenshaw Boulevard, Suite 100,
Hawthorne, California 90250
Ph: 310. 644. 3344 Fx: 310. 644. 9344
www.advancedairlines.com
PRESENTATION
TO
CITY OF MERCED, CA
CITY COUNCIL
ATTACHMENT 2
Advanced Air, LLC 1
City of Merced, CA
Presentation
Revenue shortage
Cost increase
Resulting Subsidy Shortage
Resulting Subsidy Shortage
Resulting Subsidy Shortage
Resulting Subsidy Shortage
FINANCIAL DETAIL
Operations
Scheduled Flights
Completed Flights
Scheduled Block Hours
Scheduled Seats
Revenue
Passengers
Average Net Fare
Implied Seat Factor
Passenger Revenue
Total Revenue
Expenses
Fuel
Ownership
Maintenance and Reserves
Crew
Airport Rent & Operations
Landing Fees
Staff
Insurance
Marketing & Distribution
Other Indirect Costs
Total Costs
Profit Element
Margin
Total Annual Subsidy
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Advanced Air, LLC 2
2496
2446
3806
19968
16,773
$ 145
84%
$ 2,432,102
$ 2,432,102
$ 1,141,920
$ 1,135,000
$ 1,332,240
$ 800,000
$ 140,000
$ 795,000
$ 145,000
$ 45,000
$ 50,000
$ 115,000
$ 5,699,160
$ 284,958
5%
$ 3,552,016
$ 3,658,576
$ 3,768,333
$ 3,881,383
2496
2446
3806
19968
7,188
$ 145
36%
$ 1,042,330
$ 1,042,330
$ 1,712,880
$ 1,135,000
$ 1,332,240
$ 983,750
$ 140,000
$ 795,000
$ 145,000
$ 65,000
$ 50,000
$ 115,000
$ 6,473,870
$ 323,694
5%
$ 5,755,234
$ 5,927,891
$ 6,105,728
$ 6,288,899
9,585
-1,389,773
-1,389,773
570,960
183,750
20,000
774,710
1,549,420
2,203,218
2,269,315
2,337,394
2,407,516
City of Merced, CA
Presentation
KLAS / KLAX PC-12
Bid Budget Current Status Difference
KLAS / KLAX PC-12
SUMMARY ANALYSIS
SUBSIDY SHORTFALL FOR YEAR 1 (CURRENT): 62.03%
SOLUTION: Move all current LAX operations to HHR (Hawthorne, CA) THIS WILL DECREASE CURRENT COSTS BY 17.42%
HOW?
Operating from home base reduces flight hours, resulting in lower maintenance and operating costs.
As a seller, we purchase fuel at wholesale rates, reducing overall fuel costs.
With reduced flight hours, we can operate more efficiently, requiring one less flight crew.
We are no longer subject to expensive LAX landing fees.
Ground personnel costs are reduced.
THIS WILL INCREASE CURRENT REVENUE BY 80.56%
HOW?
By increasing Load Factor from the current 36% to estimated 65%* *Based on a Passenger Survey conducted by Advanced Air in August 2022
73.02% have flown with Advanced Air since operations began on January 1, 2022
69.84% of respondents indicated that LAX is their final destination; of these 85.23% would prefer HHR over LAX
26.98% of respondents indicated that they are connecting to other flights via LAX; of these 58.82% still prefer HHR over LAX
OVERALL, 78.57% OF RESPONDENTS WOULD PREFER HHR OVER LAX These positive changes will bring the overall program to a financial break-even point for Advanced Air. With this, we are committed to continuing our marketing efforts and working in tandem with the community and local stakeholders to increase ridership in the coming years. Safety, Reliability, and Customer Service remain our top priorities.
Advanced Air, LLC 3
City of Merced, CA
Presentation
ADVANCED AIR CONNECTIONS
Passengers from Silver City will have access to a multitude of destinations from Albuquerque and Phoenix, and via Advanced Air from Phoenix are able to connect directly to Gallup, NM or Los Angeles/Hawthorne Airport.
Hawthorne Airport is located just three miles from LAX and a short two miles from the new SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.
Operations out of Hawthorne offer both connecting and local passengers a wide variety of benefits.
Connect to any airline at LAX - For connecting passengers, we offer a seamless transfer to any terminal in LA. This means that as a customer you can take advantage of the full range of LAX service offerings, rather than a limited set of interline partners. We’ll make it easy for you and help you with your luggage. The complementary shuttle to LAX will be waiting plane side upon your arrival and have you at your terminal of choice in under 20 min at LAX. For passengers connecting from LAX to Hawthorne the complementary shuttle will pick you up at designated pick up locations at LAX and drop you plane side at Hawthorne.
Car service for local passengers – If LA is your final destination, you can avoid the headache of picking up your rental car with our onsite service. Your car could even be waiting for you on the tarmac when you land.
Features - Passengers can also take advantage of on-site meeting room facilities as well as dine at Eureka! Tasting Kitchen, featuring craft- ed gourmet burgers and All-American classics with a unique view of the airport and runway.
Advanced Air, LLC 4
City of Merced, CA
Presentation
APPENDIX
1 From: Levi Stockton
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2022 1:15 PM
To:
Cc:
Subject: Advanced Air / Air Service Merced / Los Angeles Airport Attachments: Letter in Support of HHR - July 2022.pdf; Advanced Air x Merced Quarterly Marketing Update- Q2 2022.pdf; Merced, CA / Advanced Air, EAS
Dear Merced Stakeholders,
As you are aware, Advanced Air is just about to complete its seventh month of air service in Merced. In this short period we have invested a tremendous amount of time, effort and resources into making this route successful and are proud of the product we have delivered. With only 11 cancelations and gradually increasing load factors we know we have put our best foot forward toward rebuilding community confidence in the local air service and passengers seem to really be enjoying the additional option of Las Vegas.
Unfortunately, load factors are still 60%+ lower than anticipated, while fuel and labor costs continue to increase. The result is that we are well under budget numbers and need to make some changes.
The change we are recommending, we believe, will be well received by the community, and you, as stakeholders. We are confident that the change addressed in the attached documents will improve the service instantly providing a better experience for the traveling public and will ensure that Advanced Air is able to financially sustain this high level of service. We spoke with Scott Faulk at the DOT yesterday and followed up with the attached letter to both Scott and Kevin Schlemmer. Kevin responded this morning acknowledging receipt of the letter and provided the comment below:
“For this to be considered/approved, we’ll also need a letter or email from the community or airport manager stating that they support the proposed adjustment of their service pattern.”
We are asking that you reconfirm your support for Hawthorne Airport rather than LAX as the preferred Los Angeles airport. You may recall that this was the first choice by the City Council when initially recommending Advanced Air for the contract and after seven months of air service believe this is still the best option for the Merced community and long-term viability of local air service.
We are happy to discuss in more detail at your convenience, either via phone or in person, and hope to have a letter of support sent to the DOT as soon as possible.
Attached please find additional documents and current marketing summary for your reference.
(IN ORDER TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE BROWN ACT, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO ALL.)
With appreciation,
Levi R. Stockton
12101 Crenshaw Blvd.
Suite 100
Hawthorne, CA 90250
(310) 760 1670 Cell
12101 Crenshaw Boulevard, Suite 100 Hawthorne, CA 90250 ph 310.644.3344, fax 310.644.9344 www.advancedairlines.com
July 26, 2022
Mr. Scott Faulk
U.S. Department of Transportation
EAS & Domestic Analysis Division
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590
Via email: [email protected]
RE: DOT-OST-1998-3521 – Merced, California
Dear Scott,
Thank you for taking the time to talk this morning about Advanced Air’s Service in Merced, CA. As you know, we initiated service in Merced on January 1st of this year and have since experienced load factors well below previous estimates. Although numbers have slowly increased over the last six months, our average load factor for the first six months of the year has averaged 34.4%, which translates to only 2,644 seats sold in this period. If we annualize this for 2022, we are projecting just under 5,300 seats sold for 2022, which is well under historic load factors referenced in the RFP for 2018-2020 (2018-14,382 / 2019-12,959 / 2020-8,337).
We are continually coordinating with the City of Merced and local stakeholders to market the service, engage with passengers and offer special packages to increase enplanements, as these low load factors will not be sustainable for a long period of time. Additionally, we have maintained a high level of reliability and on-time that has helped to recapture the confidence in local air service. Since starting in Merced we have had a total of 11 cancelations with 4 due to weather and 3 due to maintenance. This is evidence that the air service is delivering as we promised but we have yet to see the load factors we anticipated.
Since we first responded to the RFP more than a year ago, we have seen drastic marked shifts in supply chain constraints, fuel costs, and labor costs, just to mention a few. For example, fuel cost in January 2021 averaged $4.50 per gallon where today averages $7.50 per gallon. This alone increases our operating costs by $225.00 per hour on a PC-12 and $375.00 per hour on a King Air 350.
When the City of Merced recommended Advanced Air, their first choice for the Los Angeles Airport service was Hawthorne (HHR), with Las Vegas (LAS) to fulfill the large hub requirement. Their second choice replaced HHR with LAX which, after review by the DOT, was ultimately awarded.
At this time, Advanced Air is asking that the DOT revisit the option of Hawthorne Airport (HHR) over LAX for the Los Angeles service at the current frequency and subsidy cost for several reasons. The primary factor is to ensure long-term viability of this market. For Advanced Air to have long-term success in Merced we need to build an operation that is not only extremely reliable and affordable, but also financially sound and sustainable.
We believe utilizing HHR over LAX will substantially enhance the passenger experience, benefiting the traveling public, Advanced Air, and ultimate DOT subsidy cost on this route. Because the connection into LAS meets the requirement of connection to one large hub, the additional connection to HHR should be considered as a viable
12101 Crenshaw Boulevard, Suite 100 Hawthorne, CA 90250 ph 310.644.3344, fax 310.644.9344 www.advancedairlines.com
second destination. Below are important bullet points in support of this request.
➢ Benefits of HHR.
o Significant cost savings in several areas: terminal/passenger gates, fuel, handling fees, landing fees, personnel/staffing, aircraft operating costs (flight time, taxi time, positioning of aircraft in and out of the network.)
o HHR air traffic is not hindered by flow control or long ground taxi times after landing, which is the norm at LAX.
o Use of HHR will enhance crew flexibility and reliability. Our assigned location at LAX is a remote parking area that is only accessible by shuttle for both crew and passengers. This results in longer crew duty days and limits flexibility for crew scheduling in a restricted pilot market. o Increased reliability with maintenance on location at HHR, backup aircraft, and aircraft detailing team and ground support. Allowing for increase dispatch reliability and customer experience. o For passengers connecting to flights from LAX, shuttle service will be provided from HHR to the connecting terminal at LAX, usually in less time than the combination of extended aircraft taxi time to remote parking for small aircraft and the airside shuttle from this remote parking area to Terminal 6, which may or may not be the passenger’s connecting terminal. Passengers connecting to Advanced Air from LAX will be picked up via shuttle at their incoming terminal and delivered directly to their aircraft in HHR.
o For passengers whose ultimate destination is Los Angeles, they will avoid the busy LAX terminals, lines for rental cars and rideshare services, as both are readily available onsite in HHR. o HHR has a restaurant in the terminal, rental cars onsite, and direct access to local freeways. o Passengers flying from Merced to HHR then taking the shuttle to LAX will reach their desired connecting terminal at LAX in less time than flying into LAX, experiencing up to a 30-minute taxi to remote gate parking, deplaning and then being shuttled to Terminal 6 which may or may not be their connecting terminal/gate.
➢ Goal for Additional improvements within 12-18 months
o Though HHR does not currently have TSA onsite, Advanced Air will work with LAX, TSA, and other sources seeking approval to initiate sterile operations for passengers flying to/from Merced and connecting to LAX. This would be accomplished by keeping the passengers sterile from Merced, via HHR, to LAX utilizing a TSA- and LAX-approved shuttle between HHR and LAX.
We realize that this may be an unprecedented request, however we are confident that we are offering a solid solution to the budget shortfall that will ultimately benefit the passengers, the airline and the DOT, by increasing loads, increasing revenues, and controlling costs while remaining a viable, sustainable EAS provider offering superior service and reliability in a difficult market, while still working within DOT parameters.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Levi Stockton
President
Merced
Q2, 2022 Marketing Update
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Overview
Q2 has been a busy quarter for Advanced Air. We transitioned to sterile operations, participated in our first Mercado, and began a round of marketing. Please find a more detailed overview below:
SPONSORSHIPS:
● We were a sponsor of the MCAR Charitable Foundation’s Golf Tournament and had a presence at the event with a table and swag.
● We participated in our first Mercado and will be the Title Sponsor at the upcoming one on September 1st.
PAID ADVERTISING:
● Billboard - We have committed to a six month contract for the billboard on 16th Street at V Street.
It will begin running August 22nd.
● Vámonos - Our first ad ran in the Merced Hispanic Chamber of Commerce magazine. Our second will be running in the Summer issue. We also arranged an interview with our Founder & President, Levi Stockton, that will be running in the Summer issue. Lastly, we are including these magazines in the seatbacks of our flights.
● Merced County Times County Fair Insert - We took out a full back page color ad for this sp ecial issue.
● Merced County Times, Atwater Winton Times, and Hilmar Times - We committed to 12 total ads in these publications over the course of three months.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: @advancedairlines
Followers: 4,378
● Stories: Throughout the last quarter, we posted weekly stories highlighting Merced and engaged with the Merced follower by resharing their content. We received shares, likes, and comments. The accounts we reached varied from 200 to 1,500 people. ● Grid:
○ June 22, 2022
■ https://www.instagram.com/p/CfHffO4JOXM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link ■ Accounts Reached: 1,355:
■ Likes: 51
■ Comments: 4
● June 20, 2022:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfCVHCppZGB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link ○ Accounts Reached: 3,365
○ Likes: 184
○ Comments: 4
Merced
Q2, 2022 Marketing Update
_____________________________________________________________________________________ ● April 25, 2022:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccyih8CPYxU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link ○ Accounts Reached: 1,964
○ Likes: 70
○ Comments: 3
● January 1, 2022:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYMr8O1lsdB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link ○ Accounts Reached: 2,360
○ Likes: 127
○ Comments: 5
● December 28, 2021:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYCrzTYOU8F/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link ○ Accounts Reached: 1,593
○ Likes: 67
○ Comments: 1
● October 13, 2021: https://www.instagram.com/p/CU-
mYeBMilx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
○ Accounts Reached: 1,751
○ Likes: 78
○ Comments: 5
TikTok: @flyadvancedair
Followers: 20
● May 26, 2022: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRro373X/?k=1 ○ Accounts Reached: 649
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you!
###
We'd love your feedback!
Dear Advanced Air customer:
I want to thank you for traveling with us on our Merced-Los Angeles route and wehope our service has satisfied your travel needs. We would like to get your input on apotential opportunity as a valued customer by completing a brief survey below.
Advanced Air is considering moving flights to and from Los Angeles LAX to our homeairport at Hawthorne, CA. To do this it requires City of Merced approval andDepartment of Transportation approval. We are looking to provide the customer’sperspective to both the City and the DOT through this survey.
Located just three miles from LAX off the I-105, our terminal brings you curbside withon-site rental car facility, passenger pickup, and Uber/Lyft steps from the plane. Plus,no wait to get your luggage, no busy LAX airport traffic, and aircraft taxi time afterlanding is under five minutes to the terminal. It is truly a VIP experience at the sameprice.
For travelers to Hawthorne who need to connect to LAX, we provide a shuttle at nocost from the Hawthorne Airport direct to the LAX terminal of your connection. Thesame option from LAX to Hawthorne is available for travelers flying into LAX.
The move to the Hawthorne Airport will eliminate hours of travel time for those whosefinal destination is Los Angeles. For travelers who are connecting to and from LAX,the Hawthorne option will save you time and stress of navigating the busy LAX airportby eliminating long aircraft taxi times, shuttle time from the aircraft to the terminal andmaneuvering between terminals. Our shuttle will bring you to the terminal you aredeparting from or will pick you up from the terminal you are flying into.
We value you as a customer and strive every day to improve the customer experiencewhen traveling with Advanced Air. Thank you for taking our survey.
Sincerely,
Levi Stockton
President, Advanced Airlines
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Date
Question 1: Have you flown
between Merced and Los Angeles
(LAX) on Advanced Air between
January 2022 and today?
Question 2: Have you flown
between Merced and Los
Angeles (LAX) prior to January
2022 on a prior airline?
Question 3: When traveling to
Los Angeles, is Los Angeles your
final destination or are you
connecting to another flight out
of LAX?
Question 4: If so, what is your final destination?Question 5: Would you prefer the Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR) for your Los Angeles travel
needs?
Question 6: Please provide a comment detailing why you
would prefer the Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR) or Los Angeles (LAX).
8/22/2022 15:41Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Ease to my travels. 8/23/2022 10:01Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Easier to get transportation out of, LA is final destination so no need to actually land at LAX and deal with it.
8/23/2022 10:02No No
Yes No! Not in favor. Never been to the Hawthorne airport 8/23/2022 10:03Yes No
No, my final destination is
another location.,Yes
No! Not in favor. Making this change will be very difficult to transport oneself to other airlines and be more costly.
8/23/2022 10:05Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Save time exiting from airport 8/23/2022 10:06Yes Yes
Yes No! Not in favor. In the event I need to transfer from LAX to another site, it would be more inconvenient since LAX has all the connections. 8/23/2022 10:07Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. less traffic congestion 8/23/2022 10:09Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I have flown into LAX and it’s complete chaos. I flew into Hawthorne and it was quick! No waiting on baggage or lines to get to where you need to go.
8/23/2022 10:10No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
I was flying to and from Las Vegas (LAS) Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. this survey is not applicable to the travel I completed 8/23/2022 10:11No No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Less traffic and driving time 8/23/2022 10:11Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX HAS TOO MANY HASSLES. 8/23/2022 10:11Yes No
No, my final destination is
another location.
mexico city No! Not in favor. LAX Has a lot more options. 8/23/2022 10:12Yes Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Ease of parking and check-in 8/23/2022 10:13No Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Closer downtown 8/23/2022 10:13Yes Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
Houston Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. It is faster to collect bags and exit the airport 8/23/2022 10:15Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is too congested and it takes hours to even get a rental car.
Landing at Hawthorne would be great as Enterprise could have a car waiting for me when I arrived. If landing at Hawthorne could get the fares to $99 each way I would fly this a lot more, and several others would as well.
8/23/2022 10:15Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Less traffic & less time waiting 8/23/2022 10:17No Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
It depends on the travel. This next time it will be The Canaan Islands
No! Not in favor. I understand the move. I fly private sometimes and love the ease of the small airports and your comments about it feeling more exclusive in Hawthorne make sense. The ONLY huge
concern is the ‘free’ shuttle and the timing. 3 miles in LA can take 33 minutes. Plus when we hear shuttle, sometimes we have to wait 20 minutes for a shuttle, so if you truly make it luxury / easy, then go for it, but if not you will slowly see the decline in fares, that will negate the saving of money with your move to Hawthorne.
8/23/2022 10:18Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. My girlfriend and I live 6 1/2 hours away from eachother. Ever since I’ve found out about a Merced flight to LA it has saved our relationship. We fly at least twice a month and both would love the easier access. You’ve got our vote.
8/23/2022 10:20No Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Easier, faster & has all the things I would need including a shuttle to LAX if I needed to catch a connection.
8/23/2022 10:24Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. easier
8/23/2022 10:25No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Less hassle with terminals. 8/23/2022 10:25No No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. It would make more sense if TSA was not involved in such a flight. Otherwise, flyers with connections would have to go through TSA all over again, which is a PITA.
8/23/2022 10:25Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Less stressful and less traffic than LAX. 8/23/2022 10:26Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX adds at least 90 minutes with TSA etc....I'd rather drive and won't fly if this continues out of LAX
8/23/2022 10:30Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX parking, TSA and delays make it not worth going 8/23/2022 10:31Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is unnecessary and adds 1.5 to 2 hours. I'd rather not travel if must fly from LAX
8/23/2022 10:35Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Convenance
8/23/2022 10:35No Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is too large and complex 8/23/2022 10:38Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is a huge terminal as with Hawthorne is exceedingly much more convenient for my family to pick me up. I LOVE being able to land and depart from Hawthorne. My first flight with you my destination was originally LAX then received notice I would be landing in Hawthorne. I didn't know what to expect; but, was surprised and definitely very happy with the outcome.
I love the small quaint planes. No hussle and bustle. Easy on and 8/23/2022 10:38Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Hawthorne - Convenience 8/23/2022 10:39Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. HHR is less congested and easy to access than LAX. My last flight from MCE to LAX took much longer than expected because we were on the ground for quite a while until we were cleared to approach a gate. Sharing LAX with the big commercial airlines is problematic and time-consuming for small plane carriers like Advanced Air. HHR would provide faster and better on-the-ground service and save time for customers and crew. 8/23/2022 10:40No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
I traveled with your airline from Merced, CA to Las
Vegas, NV in the month of July 2022. My 1st time
and I love it!! This trip was for work but I
recommended it to all my friends.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. After flying from Merced, CA, I preferred the small airports anytime.. so Hawthorn sound like the Merced, CA airport.. easy in and easy out.. great customer service and fast.. no wait time.
I've never used the small airports, but now this is all I preferred using if I had a choice.
8/23/2022 10:41Yes Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Hawthorne would be so much easier and access. Travel all the time either your airlines, best service I have ever had in my life. I am 60 years old, and have flown all over, including Europe.
Simple enjoyable, every single category! Visit my children about 12-15 times a year in LA, and it’s so nice to be able to fly out of Merced to LA. Very friendly staff, easy directions, please make the change to Hawthorne. Also, if you could reduce the ticket cost, maybe offer a discount for round trips. Thank you for your time, sincerely John Mucci. P.S. Owner of Advance is doing it right.
8/23/2022 10:42No Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. It would be more convenient than LAX! 8/23/2022 10:42Yes Yes
Yes I do both… my final destination is not relevant but I can get myself where I need to go just fine.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Please go to HHR- no TSA!!! The experience was much better before you went to terminal 6. Once you went to terminal 6, added TSA nonsense, don’t allow use of known traveler number, and made arbitrary rules, I’ve never flown with you again. You lost someone who would be on you flights
consistently…. DOT really messed up a good thing with the Signature experience. If TSA is still involved, can’t use KTN, I won’t fly this airline.
8/23/2022 10:44Yes Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
usually Buffalo, NY No! Not in favor. As someone who primarily uses LAX as a connection point, I don't think this plan would save me any time or hassle. I'm somewhat ambivalent, but I feel like it might create more hassle for my situation.
8/23/2022 10:52Yes Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
Newport Beach Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Since you have no direct flight to John Wayne airport, I would at least be closer from Hawthorne
8/23/2022 10:52Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. HHR much preferred over LAX. LAX adds delays of 1-2 hours.
Waste of time.
8/23/2022 11:01Yes Yes
Yes No! Not in favor. Easier access and more flight options 8/23/2022 11:02Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Traffic in lax is horrible for pick up or rideshare! 8/23/2022 11:04Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX traffic, parking and access to the terminal after parking are painful. I have never been to HHR, but I have to assume that the experience will be that much better. A perfect world would have you flying out of Long Beach, but HHR sounds like a great option. Please keep the Merced route open. I have business there and will travel this route at least 12 times in the next year.
Sometimes solo and sometimes with family. Probably count us in for 20 round trip fares this upcoming year.
8/23/2022 11:16Yes No
No, my final destination is
another location.
Maui or Miami Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is a zoo, anything to minimize the confusion will be good... 8/23/2022 11:17Yes No
Yes No! Not in favor. LAX is MUCH closer to the majority of locations that people stay and visit. This would result in a higher cost for transportation, both rental (for gas) and taxi/Lyft/Uber. Anyone traveling on a budget might have a difficult time with finances.
In addition, people sometimes travel and meet up at an airport when flying in from multiple locations. The switch to Hawthorne would make this nearly impossible, especially when meeting from international flights.
8/23/2022 11:23Yes Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. HHR is next door and a lot less crowded, a tad closer to downtown, just makes more sense for a plane with ~8
passengers.
8/23/2022 11:24Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is a nightmare. Would love the new location 8/23/2022 11:33Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I fly regularly between Merced and LA on business. It was so much nicer flying in and out of signature and not dealing with the large airport. Please change it Hawthorne
8/23/2022 11:34Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Going in and out of LAX sucks. Also I have to get to the airport at Merced so much earlier to go through TSA. I was the only one on the plane
8/23/2022 11:36Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I found driving from LA to Merced almost easier than flying now that advanced has moved to LAX. I almost missed my flight waiting an hour and half to get through security. Please change it to Hawthorne or preferably back to signature
8/23/2022 11:37Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. No more LAX
8/23/2022 11:43No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
SJC or MRY Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I really don't know much about HHR, except that more people fly private aircraft through it because it's smaller and perhaps more accommodating. Just what I've heard.
8/23/2022 11:53No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
I flew Merced to Vegas. It was great! Everyone was
wonderful and I am definitely keeping Advanced
Airlines in my contact info next time I have to fly to
CA
No! Not in favor. Lax is more convenient
8/23/2022 11:54Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Less wait time at the airport 8/23/2022 12:01Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. It’s closer to my house and LAX is always packed 8/23/2022 12:02Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Both is next to each other so it will not be a problem. As you stated, passengers with connecting flights at LAX will be provided with free shuttle. Since that’s the work around, yes moving shouldn’t be the problem. And why drive to Fresno and pay for parking when I can fly from my hometown which will be more convenient.
8/23/2022 12:03Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Both is next to each other so it will not be a problem. As you stated, passengers with connecting flights at LAX will be provided with free shuttle. Since that’s the work around, yes moving shouldn’t be the problem. And why drive to Fresno and pay for parking when I can fly from my hometown which will be more convenient.
8/23/2022 12:04Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is inconvenient because it’s busy and has a complex layout. HHR is a good alternative. Hopefully you can also reduce the airfare with this change towards operational efficiency.
Also bring back signature services at LAS! Soo much better than 8/23/2022 12:05Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is inconvenient because it’s busy and has a complex layout. HHR is a good alternative. Hopefully you can also reduce the airfare with this change towards operational efficiency.
Also bring back signature services at LAS! Soo much better than 8/23/2022 12:06No Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I choose to fly out of Merced because it's one hour closer than Sacramento. And importantly, I don't have the hassle of larger airports: I can park at the door, minimal wait, personal service.
For the same reason, I would prefer to fly in and out of Hawthorne.
The company where I'm employed is based out of Los Angeles (Woodland Hills) and I fly there periodically. We also have a major customer in Orange. Occasionally I travel to other destinations in the US for work. I've tried to fly out of Merced and transfer at LAX but that's only worked once. The layovers have otherwise been so long that it wasn't practical.
8/23/2022 12:12Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I enjoyed the ease of flying oÃ- if he signature support at LAX in February 2022. I did not enjoy the extra time wasted when I traveled in June 2022 out of the terminal.
8/23/2022 12:16Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Although my flight to LAX from Merced was delightful and stress free, the terminal that I was picked up at in LAX was very difficult for my ride to find. I think that if a shuttle service from Hawthorne to LAX is operated efficiently it may be a better alternative than direct flights to LAX.
8/23/2022 12:20Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is too busy. 8/23/2022 12:32No No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. If there's more destinations from merced. Only two available 8/23/2022 12:38Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. My last flight to Merced, was extremely nerve wrecking, the traffic and waiting, ask a question at information desk and they didn’t even know Advanced Air was there. Was sent to an off site hub, a few miles south, just to find out, I was in the wrong place. If it hadn’t of been for the helpful staff at Advanced Air, I would’ve ultimately missed my flight. And I was there 3 hours early, only to board seconds before flight. LAX is an inconvenience and a wasteful part of time and patience. I urge you to please change venue and ease the time and patience of all your ticket purchasers.
8/23/2022 12:53Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. The flight was great. The only problem was picking up my luggage at LAX. I had to wait about 30 minutes at the carousel with no signs that I was in the right place. Moving to Hawthorne should resolve that issue.
8/23/2022 12:56Yes Yes
Yes No! Not in favor.,Yes! Save me hours of time and
stress.
No comment
8/23/2022 13:09Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I loved the terminal outside the airport I flew out of. I flew in to LAX and that took longer and was confusing to arrange pick up. I was never notified of the changes. My flight from merced flight was delayed and I never receive any notification of it
8/23/2022 13:15Yes No
No, my final destination is
another location.,Yes
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Hawthorne would be much easier 8/23/2022 13:27No Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.,Yes
Could be in California or a number of
International/Stateside destinations.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Have been moved there due to fog/weather conditions it was very convenient.
8/23/2022 13:35Yes Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
This very much depends on where I am going after
getting to LAX. LAX provides me the flexibility of
going to many different areas in the world, whereas
Hawthorne will not provide me this flexibility
No! Not in favor. I would prefer LAX for the wider range of travel opportunities after getting to Southern California.
8/23/2022 13:41Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I value uber curbside pickup and a quick on boarding experience. I loved the signature flight support at LAX for those reasons so if the hawthorne airport has those features, I’m on board.
8/23/2022 13:52Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. It would a faster in and out of the airport. Faster service. 8/23/2022 14:13Yes Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
Varies, but most often TPA, BOS No! Not in favor. I love small airports but prefer easy connections at LAX. If you had more flights from Merced to/from LAS or other major hub (Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Denver) that would be great if you do change to Hawthorn. Merced is my closest airport and am so grateful to not have to travel to SFO, OAK or Sacramento to get to a major airline.
8/23/2022 14:14Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I believe Hawthorne will be a much easier airport to navigate, it might even save the airlines money and in turn the savings might be given to the customers as well. Great idea. TY 8/23/2022 14:23Yes No
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Unknown except easier than LAX 8/23/2022 14:42Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Hopefully there will be backup planes available that can be used when a mechanical issue happens. As it did on my last LA flight 8/23/2022 14:45Yes No
No, my final destination is
another location.
Santa Barbara Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Lax is a nightmare- a close alternative would be great. 8/23/2022 14:46Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX wastes a lot of time having to come early, getting to the terminal, and going through the security.
8/23/2022 14:51Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I really enjoyed easy access to the Signature air terminal. I have avoided flights to Merced only because don't like to deal with LAX.
8/23/2022 14:52No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Apparently it would save me time and stress 8/23/2022 14:57No Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Less of hassell to get to and from vs LA X 8/23/2022 15:18No No
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I traveled from Merced to Las Vegas and loved it! 8/23/2022 15:23No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
No! Not in favor. I flew from merced to Las Vegas- great flight!!!! Took a while to find my suitcase though.
8/23/2022 15:24No Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I have flown MCE-LAX & LAX-MCE on the other airline. I have flown your airline MCE-LAS. I would much rather be dropped of at Hawthorne than LAX! My colleagues would much rather
picking me up at Hawthorne! If I was flying to another
destination from LAX some simple planning and your shuttle would make that painless. I fully support this decision. Flying into Signature Air is a breeze!! LAS is always my final destination on that trip.
8/23/2022 15:28Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. If you go out and return to HHR, I'll start flying again to Merced.
Without, I won't go from LAX.
8/23/2022 15:31Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Smaller airports normally easier to maneuver than a larger one. 8/23/2022 16:03Yes Yes
Yes No! Not in favor. Unless , there is parking at the airport It wasn't allowed in LA
If there is parking than Hawthorne would actually be better Parking on-site
8/23/2022 16:06Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Close enough and destination in area is usually far from LAX anyway
8/23/2022 16:28No No
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I'm supposed to be there on Thursday what are the rates 8/23/2022 16:47No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
I hate LAX so would be a stop if I ever went this way.
I usually do not. We flew MCE to LAS route and
would use that one in the future.
No! Not in favor.,Yes! Save me hours of time and
stress.
Do not care about this honestly
8/23/2022 17:01Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. As long as I don't have to go through the main terminals at LAX I have no preference.
I do like the Imperial facility
8/23/2022 17:01No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
Las vegas Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I flew Merced to Las Vegas 8/23/2022 17:33Yes No
Yes No! Not in favor. Access to Lounge pre-departure (Assuming that your ticket desk is open as advertised). It was not on my previous departure. 8/23/2022 17:35No Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I won’t have to deal with baggage claim! 8/23/2022 17:48Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. less traffìc at HHŔ. Prefer HHR. 8/23/2022 18:18No Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. The last time I flew from Merced to LAX - it took 30 min to taxi to the terminal for off-loading - most of that was spent waiting on the tarmac. If Hawthorne can get me to their terminal more quickly, and avoid the crazy of LAX, I'm In ! If I need to fly out of LAX, the shuttle sounds convenient enough.
8/23/2022 18:19No Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. I haven’t flown this flight in a few years because of the inconvenience of LAX. If the flight is moved to Hawthorne, I would consider booking this much more frequently. Thank you for considering this!!
8/24/2022 4:01Yes No
Yes No! Not in favor. Lax.
8/24/2022 6:42Yes Yes
Yes Chicago. I have flow several times Merced to LAX on Boutique and connected to several other cities.
Only once, I also flew one way from Merced to LAX
on Boutique.
No! Not in favor. I would not use Advanced to fly to Hawthorne ever. That's ridiculous. I need to fly through to DFW or Chicago. A big mistake to consider flying to Hawthorne. I have also flown Advanced from Merced to Las Vegas to connect to the east coast and Denver several times.
8/24/2022 7:36Yes No
No, my final destination is
another location.
Merced Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. You make a good case for ease and convenience by moving to the Hawthorne location.
8/24/2022 8:12No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
Las Vegas but I never got there because you guys
canceled my flight.
No! Not in favor. I never got to fly with this airline because you guys canceled my flight and never refunded me my money. Costumer serviced claim to not know anything about it. My flight was canceled 3 weeks into my trip and I booked this airline 3 months prior to it.
I will not use this airline again and highly not recommend it to anyone. Still waiting for someone to call me back about my refund or if I can get another flight for another day. Maybe I might reconsider a better review.
8/24/2022 8:12Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is ridiculous ...won't fly thru there 8/24/2022 8:45Yes No
Yes No! Not in favor. I live closer to LAX.
8/24/2022 8:47Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Smaller airports are easier to get in-and-out of 8/24/2022 9:26No Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
It can be both at times. Depending on business. We
flew to Las Vegas on Advanced Air for volleyball
tournaments April 2022. Now that I will be attending
UC Santa Barbara there is a chance we will fly into LA
then drive to UCSB. Or take the Southwest flight
No! Not in favor. Connections for my business travel. My corporate is in Salt lake and other areas all over the United States.
8/24/2022 9:36Yes No
No, my final destination is
another location.
Rome No! Not in favor. Lax connections
8/24/2022 14:02No Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
Various, but typically Florida or Mexico. No! Not in favor. Traveling between the two airports would cause more stress.
Previously, it was quite easy to fly into LAX (on Boutique Air) and then connect to another flight. Also, my partner would like to use connect via LAX from RSW. The stress and headache of having to get to Hawthorn for the connection has led him to use SFO instead.
8/24/2022 18:43No No
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX is a busy place. I would prefer Hawthorne and the ease of travel.
8/24/2022 20:47No Yes
Yes No! Not in favor. Travel time from Hawthorne to LAX or vice versus is unpredictable and shuttle is a hassle and animal unwanted curveball.
8/24/2022 21:48Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. It is located close so my travel time to and from the airport doesn't change, but it does sound as though my time spent at the airport would be quicker and easier. It also sounds like there would be much less airport traffic.
8/24/2022 22:08Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Prefer HHR. Won't fly again thru LAX 8/25/2022 10:24No No
No, my final destination is
another location.
I do not use your airline to go to LAX. All of my travel is from Merced to Las Vegas direct.
No! Not in favor. This survey does not apply to my travel. I travel between Merced and Las Vegas. I will say it is very convenient to have a flight out of Merced, the pilots are always friendly and the airport staff is awesome.
8/25/2022 10:37Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Everytime I have traveled via AA my Checked bag has been searched by TSA. I obviously never have anything worth
searching but I feel as though they target my luggage because I am coming from so much a small airline. They also are not super punctual with the bus to get to the rides hare spot. It took forever to finally get to my destination and which was only a 15 minute car ride from LAX. I will continue to fly to LA but Hawthorne would be so much more pleasant.
8/25/2022 13:27Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX makes me refuse to fly to merced tis route. 8/25/2022 15:58Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. It would great for travel time, less headache without TSA, checking in would be easier. It would also be good for your company because we would be able to use your services to other destinations you guys fly to.
8/25/2022 16:00Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Easier to get to and from the plane and through security 8/25/2022 16:42Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. As I have not been to Hawthorne Airport, not dealing with the traffic and stress of LAX would be a great improvement. 8/25/2022 17:11Yes No
Yes No! Not in favor. Most of the time I will be travelling from Australia so it will be easier for me to go from LAX International terminal to LAX Private Flights area
8/25/2022 18:46Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. The easier experience of not having to deal with LAX is huge! 8/25/2022 19:08Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. The smaller airport should be easier to navigate. 8/25/2022 22:05No Yes
Yes No! Not in favor. It is closer to my final destination. 8/25/2022 22:12Yes No
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Lax is always congested, I would much rather go to Hawthorn 8/27/2022 18:45Yes No
Yes No! Not in favor. Lax is closer to my home and easier to find taxis.
Thank you!
8/28/2022 9:53Yes Yes
No, my final destination is
another location.
Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. Avoid excessive traffic, waiting time, and convenience of a small airport going through security.
8/29/2022 10:21Yes No
No, my final destination is
another location.
Both YES> No! Not in favor. Not a frequent traveler to Merced. Ethr works for me. 8/29/2022 11:27Yes Yes
Yes Yes! Save me hours of time and stress. LAX adds too much time to this trip. Won't fly if this does not change to HHR