The struggle continues.

In a recent report listing the average air fares for the 4Q of 2012, CVG came in with the second highest average fare of $519 per person. The only higher place to fly from was Huntsville, Alabama at $544.

Across the nation, the average air fare was $374 and the lowest average air fares can be found in Atlantic City, NJ – with an average fare of just $157 (and you can thank casino subsidies for that).

It’s one thing to pay such incredibly high fares when you have a HUB in your back yard offering nearly 700 flights a day, but it’s adding insult to injury when you lose the bulk of service from that HUB and still are forced to pay higher air fares when the airport has less than 170 flights a day!

However, CVG may soon begin to turn the corner.

In less than two weeks Frontier Airlines launches their nonstop service to Denver (with connections to nearly 20 other cities) and it’s our chance, as a community, to show Frontier they made a wise choice and to send a message to other low cost carriers that they need to give CVG another chance.

In years past, we (again, as a community) have done a pitiful job at supporting low cost carriers when they placed an investment into CVG. Air Tran tried to attract customers in 1995 for over two years with incredibly low fares ($49 to $79 each way) to Orlando, but travelers opted instead to fly Delta – who was forced to lower their fares to compete with the new kid on the block. Air Tran left two years later, increased their service at the Dayton Airport and now enjoy a thriving business.

Sadly, that lack of support has caused other carriers such as Southwest, Spirit, Allegiant, Jet Blue, Vision and others to stay away from CVG. However, Frontier ignored that track record and decided to give CVG a chance and now it’s our chance (as a community) to support them in every way we can.

In my opinion, CVG has reached a cross roads. Either we support Frontier with their Denver service, thereby attracting additional Frontier service and other low cost carriers, or we mindlessly jump onto a Delta flight and then scratch our heads wondering why, after six months, Frontier is pulling out of CVG. It’s then my inbox will fill up with emails from frequent fliers complaining about the high fares from CVG and that makes me want to scream even louder!

It’s now all up to us. Not the marketing team at CVG or the administrative staff, it’s up to us as we travel for business and leisure to give Frontier a chance. Support their service and we will be able to send a loud and clear message that we are more than tired of excessively high fares from CVG. It may not be possible to fly Frontier every time you travel west, but during those times you can…please consider doing so. Together we can change the headlines of the future which have become all too familiar about CVG having some of the highest air fares in the country.

I hate that history, but something tells me history…is about to change.

Whoever came up with this approach probably got a big raise.

Most of the major legacy airlines have announced they are increasing their change fees from $150 to $200, for anyone unlucky enough to have an actual change of plans.

Basically you can beat the airlines at their own game by buying your airline tickets in advance. In fact, up to 11½ months in advance in most cases. However, as life happens, sometimes a change in your travel plans is required and the (non) customer service airlines of United, American, Delta and US Airways are responding to our needs by charging us $200 to make the necessary flight changes. In addition to the fee, we are also responsible for any change in fare – which is where this really gets ugly.

A savvy customer buys tickets for their family of four months in advance, but an unfortunate change in plans requires a change to the standing reservations. Initially each ticket cost $196, or $784 for the family. At the time the reservation is changed, the new fare is $410 per person, meaning a difference of $214 per person in air fare + the $200 per person change fee, or $414 additional for each passenger.

Heck, it’s cheaper to buy four new tickets.

In short, airlines have found a way to sell many seats on their aircraft twice. In an era of fees and surcharges it should not surprise us to see yet another one, but this latest one smarts more than the others because it means airlines can penalize us for a change in plans and (in effect) double their revenue.

Yes, it sucks to be us…once again.

In a word, yes.

I have often been asked if we could ever see a repeat of the attacks of 9/11 and I immediately respond by saying “No.” However, that may not be entirely accurate.

The attackers on that horrible Tuesday in September were able to gain access to the flight deck and then use the aircraft as a weapon of terror. The aviation industry responded by replacing the flimsy cockpit doors with reinforced barriers which are virtually impossible to break through. Problem solved? No.

There are still times during the flight when the door to the flight deck is opened. It may be when a crew member takes a lavatory break or when a flight attendant needs to deliver food or some other item to the pilots, but the door is many times opened during the time the aircraft is in the air. As a result, there is an element of risk involved due to the proximity of the cockpit door to the common passenger area.

In reality, once the cockpit door is opened, even if only for a few moments, the only thing standing between the passengers and the flight deck is a flight attendant or a beverage cart. Well trained assailants could easily gain access to an area we are supposed to be protecting at all times. In short, it’s another gaping hole to aviation security and one which needs addressed quickly.

Last Friday Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania introduced a bill where wire-mesh gates would be required on aircraft. These inexpensive gates could provide a much needed second barrier to the cockpit. So while the door to the cockpit was open, the flight crew could still remain secure behind a secondary line of defense. Many aircraft manufacturers already have designs where these gates are supplied on new aircraft.

Airline pilots and flight attendants support the idea, yet the airlines oppose them – saying they are not needed. Not needed? The real reason airlines oppose the installation of these security gates is they can weigh as much as 200lbs and having additional weight on the aircraft would require more fuel. Yes, it’s a money thing.

Terrorism is not going away and we need to remain a step ahead of those who seek to do us harm. Anything we can do to protect the flying public is needed and if we slip back into a state of complacency regarding the possibility of being attacked again, we increase the odds of a successful strike occurring.

These gates need to be installed and quickly, because not having them exposes the two million people who fly each day to an unnecessary risk.

Get it done and get it done now.