United Airlines have withdrawn their service to/from Atlantic City barely eight months after their initial foray into the seaside resort was greeted with a fanfare of optimism.
With four of Atlantic City’s 12 casinos shutting down this year, and the Trump Taj Mahal looking exceedingly likely that it will follow suit, it should come as no surprise to learn that United Airlines has called time on their foray’s in and out of the seaside resort.
2 Dec 2014 will be the last time that you will be able to source a United Airlines flight into Atlantic City, leaving Spirit Airlines as the only remaining owner of birds offering rides in and out of the once mighty town.
“We’re disappointed that the service from Atlantic City International Airport didn’t meet our expectations,” United spokeswoman Mary Clark said in a statement.
“As a partner in our hub state’s economic development efforts, we agreed to test the Atlantic City market by re-entering it earlier this year. In every market we serve, we continually review demand for the service and our Atlantic City routes are no longer sustainable.”
The airline returned to Atlantic City, in April, amid a flood of optimism from New Jersey politicians desperate to see the bourgeois days of Atlantic City return. It’s been a tough time with eight years of falling revenues, storms of biblical proportions, and a whole host of other challenges hitting the town.
Speaking to Bloomberg Business, Michael Drewniak, Gov. Chris Christie’s Press Secretary, said, “There will be ups and downs in the process of reinvigorating Atlantic City, but we hope to work with air carriers on new opportunities.”
Marina District Trumps The Boardwalk
Sticking with Atlantic City and Anjalee Khemlani, staff writer of The Press of Atlantic City, has penned a piece stating that, ‘Atlantic City’s Strength Lies in Marina District.’
She points to the success of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Golden Nugget, and Harrah’s Resort, as specks of gold sitting in a pan full of dirty old coal, when compared to the world famous Boardwalk.
Success factors include ease of access to the Atlantic City Expressway Connector, reinvestment into the maintenance of the three properties, and the smart way in which that money has been reinvested.
There are even claims in the piece that people get the feel that the Marina District is more ‘open, uncluttered, clean and safe,’ when compared to The Boardwalk.
Perhaps, people have been watching too much Boardwalk Empire, but as with everything Atlantic City, that too is closing down after HBO announced Season Five will be the last time we see Steve Buscemi and co in the 1920’s bootlegging series.
