Jackson Jambalaya

I'm not sure why the JMAA should continue to subsidize parking for employees of an airline that no longer serves the area nor provides any revenue to the airport or the community. Would a Jackson-based employee of Virgin or Korean Air be offered such a low rate? Whether the lot is full or not is immaterial. The JMAA should make sure the shuttle service is running to accommodate them, however.

Why do we have Southwest employees at the airport? How long does it take to close up shop? Haven't people picked up their lost baggage by now? Are they boxing up the offices and ticket counters? The airline has been gone since June, and I can't imagine they will have employees here for another year, and their parking can be reimbursed by their employer.

Kingfish,what's up with your sudden interest in JMAA?

Uh yeah, I thought SW told Jackson to drop dead. The company can pay for its employees to park ... whatever it is they're doing there.

These are flight crew that live here. Not airport staff.

We have taxis. There is also a former employee of the airport who runs a pick up service at a reason price. They should know exactly who that is. He's a nice guy and extremely reliable.

No one HAS to leave their car at the airport!

These employees are folks that still work for Southwest (pilots, stewardess, etc). When Southwest was at the airport, these folks decided that the metro area would be a nice place to live and have a family. Out of their control, their employer left the airport. So to continue to work for that company they have to commute to work... not in a car but fly to an airport to be able to keep income. SO they still have to use to airport to get to work. They have to park their vehicles. Its not their fault their company and JMAA didn't reach an agreement/couldn't get along. But now they must suffer the decision. But hey with the $1800 a yr the JMAA will have their iPAds and iPhones paid for and even buy more!!!

Kingfish,what's up with your sudden interest in JMAA?

This is called news........

[Then] the bitter little city wondered why its reputation continued to be sullied.

Why are they still there? How long will they still be in Jackson? That the JMAA is striking out against the employees is only verification that SWA did the right thing. Not only will the remnants lose their job when they are finished, now they have to pony up extra $$ because the JMAA is engaging in governmental extortion.

I suspect all of the 15 or so SW employees are pilots and flight crew. They fly out on other airlines to get to the point of origin of the flight[s] they are working.

If I have business that requires me to fly, I have to pay the long term rate and park a half mile from the terminal. What makes them special? They can always move near an airport still serviced by SW. Employees get transferred or displaced every day in this nation.

My guess would be they are employees stationed here, that like all airlines have people living all over. Just because an airline operates out of one city does not mean they all work there.

These Jackson SW folks pass ride, jump seat ride or ticket ride to there job site.

Doesn't matter why they're here. If parking at the airport is a business expense, their employer should cover it.

I don't see any need for the airport to do Southwest any favors. That's quasi-public money y'all are wanting to give away to Southwest.

I have to pay a full rate when I park in Long Term Parking too. And as a former contractor of JMAA, I didn't get a discount or get to park in the employee parking lot either.

Pay up the $$$....it suxars, but that is life in the fast lane.

/and yes, it is 100% tax deductible if you itemize and subject to IRS rules.

These employees are likely people from Jackson who work for Southwest and never felt like moving to one of Southwest's bases such as Chicago or Baltimore. They likely were able to use the routes SWA flew to get home and back. They, like the rest of us, were likely slammed with SWA's decision, and have ties that will keep them from moving.

That being said-SWA left us to add routes in Atlanta and Memphis after they acquired AirTran. And, this being a free market, they are free to do it.

It's not the responsibility of the JMAA to subsidize parking for members of the general public whose employers do not service the airport. They are now just like me when I fly out of JAN.

SWA employees need to take up the issue with SWA.

Kingfish,what's up with your sudden interest in JMAA?

This is called news........

I understand that this is news since he's reporting it, but we can disagree whether its newsworthy. Southwest employees now pay a (discounted) rate in line with what everyone else not employed by the airport or a company servicing the airport pays. Big deal.

I'm just wondering about what inspired the recent coverage. In the past two months, there have been several posts regarding the actions of the JMAA board, a board he hadn't covered (outside of mentioning appointments) since this blog began. I don't recall him even covering JMAA when they were doing all of the name changes. "JMAA board renames airport, again" is more interesting story than "Employees of airline that formerly serviced airport complain that they must now pay regular parking rates."

So like I said, what has transpired since May/June that has suddenly made JMAA newsworthy.

Look at 9:40 folks. He is another one of those little minions whose only goal in life is to protect those who slurp at the public trough and damn all those who question their right to slurp. If you question it, you're an extremist or racist.

Look at 9:40 folks. He is another one of those little minions whose only goal in life is to protect those who slurp at the public trough and damn all those who question their right to slurp. If you question it, you're an extremist or racist.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think you're extremist or racist. I also don't understand how my comment could be interpreted as protecting those who "slurp at the public trough..." or damning you for questioning it. I just posed a question. Obviously, it's your blog, you cover what you want - I just wanted to know what sparked the sudden interest in JMAA.

I really do appreciate you responding to my comment, but you still didn't answer my question.

"Little pro-government protester" here. Read your updated note in the post above. Thanks for responding.

I'm a pretty inquisitive guy. I generally wonder why the media (or blogs) covers certain things but not others. I'm always interested in what influences the decisions to cover stories and what influences how they are covered. I just was interested in knowing was there something in particular or something else behind the scenes as to why we kept hearing about JMAA. Sorry I hit a nerve on that one.

I'm glad you exercise your right to attend, record and report on these meetings. The public isn't going and the public needs to know. Keep up the good work.

I just wanted to know what sparked the sudden interest in JMAA.

Why does it matter? Seriously. Pony up. Why are YOU asking?

I just wanted to know what sparked the sudden interest in JMAA.

Why does it matter? Seriously. Pony up. Why are YOU asking?

Because the story behind the story is usually more interesting.

Kingfish, can you explain or shed some light as to why there are still Southwest employees parking at the airport? Regardless, this is just the Jackson airport being unprofessional. Shocker.

Watch out for him folks. He might sound dumb but thats just a disguise, he's an undercover agent for the FBI whose been sent down here to infiltrate the Tea Party.

I like the trustee asking him where he lived. Nothing like some municipal bigotry.

This really is not that unusual. My dad was an airline pilot based out of NYC and rather raise little Yankees, we lived in the South and he commuted to NYC. At times he kept an "airport car" that he did not mind leaving in the long term parking, or we dropped him off and picked him up at the airport, or he took a cab.
I imagine the SW employees that are happy living here are disappointed with SW's decision to leave, but it is no different than when your company moves and you have a decision to make as to where you are going to live.

Thanks for covering the antics of the JMAA. I am sure Frontier and any other airline company that might be considering expanding into Mississippi appreciates getting an up-close view of what dealing with the JMAA would be like.

I think the airport authority became more interesting to the public when Southwest pulled out.

Being bitter is not gonna get SWA back. What is up with the southern hospitality? SWA has featured Jackson in their magazines in a wonderful and favorable light over and over. Do our officials not understand that we want SWA back? Give up an iPad and let folks who like living here park for a reasonable price. Geez! No wonder they left. Maybe Madison will give them good parking?

The fact that Southwest exited brought JMAA into the spotlight. It isn't about being 'more interesting' as much as it is about transparency and that now, post-Southwest, airfares have increased substantially due to the reduction in route competition.

Losing Southwest seriously damaged the already nearly dead convention center strategy big time. Somebody f'ed up inside Jackson City Hall and at JMAA by letting Southwest get away.

I applaud Kingfish for shinning much needed light on yet another governmental agency that the rest of the metro lapdog media doesn't want to cover.

11:12, was your father forced to pay $1800 up-front to park his airport car?

Duane O’Neil continues to demonstrate that his ability to help business in the metro is vastly over-rated and that he is grossly overpaid.

No matter how much we want SWA back, or how much government handout we give them. THEY ARE NOT COMING BACK! We're too small of a market. The only way we are going to get additional carriers is if we pony up and pay the higher rates for flights out of here, showing demand for service. Another low-cost carrier (Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit) would take notice and begin something.

Pay the extra $50 and fly out of here--and don't give me that crap that it's 200 extra out of here instead of New Orleans...I do too much flying to know that's just not true.

What is the obsession with an employer's providing iPads? They're computers. Lots of workplaces use them. Criticize the board where needed, but harping on iPads implies a lack of valid criticism.

It's a free market and I doubt there's much the airport could have done to keep Southwest in town. We didn't fit the profile of the markets they wanted to expand in, and obviously weren't bringing in the revenue to make up for that. We can try to blame the board, the staff, the mayor or whoever, but at the end of the day, SW made a financial decision.

1:02 - well, here is an actual round trip flight I just priced - Jackson to Portland OR on Sept 28 - Oct 1

Delta $434.20 United $431.20 American $544.20.

Southwest from New Orleans - $303.20

But you are correct in saying that SW is not coming back to Jackson.

12:50 - No, he just had to put it in long term parking if he wanted to leave his car. Otherwise we took him and picked him up or he took a cab. His employer did not have service to the airport where we lived so he was just a traveler like everybody else as far as the airport was concerned.

Does anyone else find it amazing that these employees of Southwest must file some other airline in order to commute to their job?

So does Southwest subsidize these other airlines, by paying for the tickets of their employees?

"11:12, was your father forced to pay $1800 up-front to park his airport car?"

$1800 wouldn't cover a month of parking at LaGuardia!

2:16 Don't forget that your car costs something to operate from Jackson to New Orleans roundtrip.

Pay the extra $50 and fly out of here--and don't give me that crap that it's 200 extra out of here instead of New Orleans...I do too much flying to know that's just not true.

You obviously don't fly that much because your statement is inaccurate.

2:16. Let's check those flight times..

555am depart from Nola- looks like you need a hotel room....

Leaving Portland at 740 am. Get to Nola at 510pm

So. Checking reasonable flights SWA comes in at---70 more...about 50 less than Delta....search delta 6 months out and it goes under 400 round trip...

3:53. Just keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better...

By the way-SWA's most expensive option is near 700. That's still the "get away" rate...

3:23 - I think you misunderstood me. My father did not have a car in NYC. He like many other pilots chose not to live where they were based so they commuted from their hometowns. My dad shared an apartment in NYC with several other pilots that they used to "land" before going to work or until they could catch a flight back home. Since my dad's airline did not service where we lived he had to purchase a ticket on another airline to get to work, although it was usually a discounted ticket through reciprocity agreements with other airlines. Since the discounted ticket was standby, if the capacity looked iffy he would sometimes have to purchase a full fare ticket to get to work. Those pilots that chose to operate this way found the extra trouble and expense to be no greater than that of living proximate to NYC. It was a personal decision.

Dear Airport,

I work for the State of Mississippi and occasionally I have to fly out of state on business.

I demand free or at token charge long term parking while I'm away.

If I don't get it, you can expect to hear from the JJ Blog that will quickly kick your ass and get me my way.

Sincerely,


Entitled to free Stuff

Here's hoping these SW employees don't pay JMAA a dime. Use Veterans Cab instead. It should give you a warm fuzzy inside every time you pay the cab driver instead of giving your money to yet another governmental demon. Drown it in the bathtub--one dollar at a time.

SWA entered the Jackson market because of the assistance from Trent Lott, Richard Shelby and Bob Dole in adding additional "Wright" states. After the handshake deal expired, SWA pulled out to serve profitable markets.

It appears that the trustee who asked the pilot where he lived was none other than Pastor Jeffery Stallworth. For background on Trustee Stallworth, Google him or check the Mississippi Sex Offender Registry. Yes, there is a registered Sex offender serving on the JMAA Board.

The Bold New City.

JMAA is composed of a board of commissioners, not trustees. Commissioner Henley is a bankruptcy trustee. Commissioner Stallworth asked the question, not Trustee Henley.

[AND] September 3, 2014 at 4:15 PM is nothing more than a weak cherry-picking apologist.

@707 I think the point was that a member of this governmental entity (Stallworth) is a registered sex offender, not really the titles.

I wonder if the City has broken new ground here. Has a registered sex offender ever been appointed to any government board anywhere in the English speaking world ever?

Maybe this is some kind of new diversity program. Since there's no racial diversity on this board, maybe the city wanted people of "diverse backgrounds.". A bk trustee, a hip hop dj, a nurse, retired usaf officer and a sex offender. That's definitely a diverse board.

8:00--its 4:15. You only insult me because you can't argue your points based on the facts. The facts support my statements that SWA isn't that much cheaper out of New Orleans than flying a carrier out of Jackson, when you factor in all of the costs and plan ahead for travel.

Furthermore, SWA's prices at the end of their time in Jackson were higher than other carriers. Fact. SWA's prices for all routes went up after their well-timed fuel hedge ran out. Fact. SWA discontinued services to a few smaller markets because they don't have the planes in operation to service the routes. Fact.

SWA is gone, a lot of SWA flights out of Jackson weren't bursting at the seams, and we're out of luck. Fact. Fact. Fact.

WELL THEY are pissed southwest will pay them back. but one day we will see flowood or pearl take over the airport !That will happen soon I am sure

The facts support my statements that SWA isn't that much cheaper out of New Orleans than flying a carrier out of Jackson, when you factor in all of the costs and plan ahead for travel.

Actually, your "facts" support zilch no matter how badly you need them to in order to bolster your flimsy point because your assumptions for ALL non-ticket price related costs and (in)conveniences are NOTHING but your own ASSumptions.

You don't get to argue schedule 'reasonableness', or whether a flight departure requires a hotel stay, or advance purchase time windows, or whether costs are merely 'cheaper' or 'much cheaper', or drivetime requirements, etc.

The only straight-up apples-to-apples comparison is ticket prices. On that score Jackson International loses.

You aren't being insulted because it is impossible, or damn next to impossible, to insult troll idiots.

SWA was here because they had a deal with Trent Lott. That's the only reason. Otherwise, they would have tried to build up the DFW-Jackson run.

@9:35 - You have to factor in those costs or else you don't get a true cost for the trip. If those costs don't matter to you, well, te salut Don Corleone.

I am a little confused about why so many people on here (I did not count how many. My guess is between 30 and 40%) feel that the Airport is in the wrong. For a short time I worked for an airport contractor and got great parking. For free. When I left that job, I had to give up my employee badge that got me into the parking lot. As I understand it the Airport did offer a small discount if the people paid for a year's parking in advance. I doubt they will do that. They will catch a ride, call a cab, or pay for long term parking like everyone else does. So do you people think the airport should give employee parking to people who used to work at the airport but don't anymore??? The logic of that escapes me.

For those of you who are interested (both of you), the white gentleman sitting on the front row, uncomfortably shifting in his chair and visibly overcome by three or four incessant nervous tics is Gary Cohen.

Cohen is a yankee Jew transplant from somewhere up around Jersey. Deposed as CFO at a Pearl manufacturing firm several years ago, he is an employee of the VanderHoosle empire. What he does there is anybody's guess. How many bean counters does the Airport Authority employ or need anyway? Does he track iPad purchases? Does he get to park free? Does he constantly check at the lounge for whiskey discounts? yes, yes and yes.

This whole circle jerk is a Laurel and Hardy show, always has been and always will be.

I want to know how any person or entity could have kept Southwest. It was a business decision!

If the market grows ( and the market includes all of central MS, not just Jackson} then the airport will expand over time.

Damn, there are cities with larger populations than our entire State's population.

If a MS politician could again be in a position to help the airline increase profits, then we might get them back as they'd see that as a good business expense.

And, long term parking is a convenience, not a necessity. Hire a driver if money is your concern!

I am a little confused about why so many people on here (I did not count how many. My guess is between 30 and 40%) feel that the Airport is in the wrong.

I imagine if the board had said these former Southwest employees would continue to pay the $85/year that actual employees pay, and Kingfish had posted it, those same posters comprising the 30 to 40% would be outraged at government favors and kickbacks.

These peepuls is jest like any other commuters who work somewhere else and catch a ride to the job site. If they rides to work on a airplane and parks at the place where planes land, they pays for the parking spot. Periud. Otherwise, park down to Mattress World and get a early start.

"Yarber appointed Rosie Pridgen to the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority. Pridgen served in a dual role as superintendent of the Mississippi School for the Blind and interim superintendent of the Mississippi School for the Deaf from 2006 to 2009. She’s currently an education consultant."

Ah yes - more significant, relevant airport management experience to help pull it out its death spiral.

Of course, it's not as bad as the two he appointment to the Jackson Public School Board, but hell - I don't have kids in JPS, but I do fly occasionally.

The problem is the appointments are limited by ward.