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Meanwhile, over at SFKK


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I think this is really a good direction for the park. They just might be able to safe Six Flags. I know when I went to SFKK - I thought it was a neat park with some cool rides - but it was really dirty and for lack of a better word - "ghetto". Plus its not geared toward families at all.

With the right improvements, it could be an awesome park!

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Yeah make the rope climbing free, but raise admission prices along with parking prices. Thats makes a lot of sense. The man does one thing that makes sense and another that doesnt. Will be very interesting to see what happens to Six Flags under a full seasson of having this guy run the show.
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"From what I hear Kentucky WILL be raising the parking prices in July. "

No, the Fairgrounds may raise the prices, but KK does not oversee or control the parking.

FYI... not only are admission prices being raised across the board at the Six Flags Parks... Season passes are being raised as well, I believe. On top of that, parking at SF parks is being increased to as much as $15.00.

SF is in terrible debt. And these dramatic increases are an attempt to drop the debt load.

However it's a terribly risky move.

He's banking on the fact that people will still travel to a SF park even though gas prices are sky-rocketing, only to find that the admission prices and parking charges have been dramatically increased. On top of that, the GP is well aware of he lacking operations of the SF chain... hence the article to try and convince people that things will improve. However they must now pay more to enter the same park that has probably soured them prior.

Another "smart move" this guy wanted to make was one-time-daily entry only. Meaning you paid, got in, then could not leave and re-enter the same day... under this you could not have even gone to your car for suncreen or such. That idea got scrapped quickly... but it exhemplifies the inane ideas this company is developing to try and make the public get them out of the friggin hole that they dug for themselves.

Shaggy

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Another "smart move" this guy wanted to make was one-time-daily entry only.  Meaning you paid, got in, then could not leave and re-enter the same day... under this you could not have even gone to your car for suncreen or such.  That idea got scrapped quickly... but it exhemplifies the inane ideas this company is developing to try and make the public get them out of the friggin hole that they dug for themselves.

Shaggy

Of everything I've heard about the new SF management, this was by far the proposal that concerned me the most. It showed a tremendous lack of understanding of the customer base and how they use the product.

Granted, they backed down on this one almost as soon as it was proposed, but still... Can you imagine an idea like that coming from an industry pro like Kinzel?

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Theres an article on either CNN or USA Today that talks about his ideas of bringing SixFlags back and they credit him in the article with that idea of one day addmission. Just hunt for it and youll find it.

The guy in my opinion has no real idea on how to bring SixFlags back because he is going off the deep end with these new ideas. Maybee you need to focus on operations, less on ride instalation, and more on maintaining the parks you have and selling the rides you have stored or cant fix. But raising the prices and not doing anything else will solve nothing, people arent that stupid.

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^I dont know how much you've read about snyder but uhm, he not jsut raising prices and doing "nothing". Hes been quoted many times saying how operations and customer service will be huge matters of focus for Six Flags now and how theres going to be less rollercoaster and massive ride instalattion to help bring back a family atmosphere and to cut down somewhat on costs. Yeah raising ticket prices sucks, but what else are you gonna do when your 3 billion dollars in the hole?

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Lets be real. SixFlags will not change overnight, especially with their customer service, ride maintence, and atmosphere issues. These are factors that have become almost corporate culture at SixFlags. This man may have high hopes of changing these issues, but we all know it will take time.

To add to these issues guests will now be charged higher gate prices and parking prices, without the added value of a large attraction or a noticeably changed park experience. Guests in my opinion will be unhappy about the higher prices, relatively the same SixFlags experience, and the lack of big ride investments.

SixFlags will drive more guests away than they will attract with these new procedures. Therefore raising prices will cause lower attendence which will lead to less gate revenue generated. On top of that SF will need to put more money in to ride maintence, customer service training, and programs to change the corporate/opperations culture.

How will this mans plan honestly change SixFlags, when he is not overhauling management, has decided to sell good parks, raises prices, and will possibly make other unpopular changes (like the vetoed idea of no rentry).

In short raising ticket prices will not cut down on their budget deficit, because attendance will probably drop. Honestly money needs to be spent on changing the culture and experince of SixFlags. If anything cut the ticket prices add some catchy features like PKI has during the week, and market the new image change.

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He is NOT overhauling management? Are you serious?

Tell that to the many FORMER general managers of Six Flags Theme Parks.

Tell that to Mr. Burke, who was the financial officer.

Tell that to the host of marketing people throughout the country who have been let go, replaced by Snyder and Shapiro's henchpeople.

Not overhauling management?

That's a good one. Not even remotely true, but a good one.

Selling good parks? The ONLY parks that Snyder/Shapiro have announced they are selling are the ones in Oklahoma City. Frontier City and the waterpark. NO ONE I know of says these are good parks. I've been to Frontier City a couple of times. To say I was not impressed is to be very, very kind.

What good parks have they sold?

Changing the culture? Obviously you have no first hand knowledge of what is going on RIGHT NOW in employee training in Six Flags. Let me assure you there is a WHOLESALE change of culture going on...

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So you have first hand knowledge of whats going on inside SixFlags? Do tell. Obviously you have forgotten that SixFlags Astro World is no more. Very nice park if I do say so myself. Not to mention everything is being sold for money because they got a good realestate offer. Gaylord Entertainment did the same thing when they swithced Opryland to OpryMills. Great Decision.

Yeah so they got rid of some corporate people. Obviously that will make a huge difference on the daily opperations of parks, because they control that. Wrong the park management is what needs to change and there have been no reports of those positions changing.

Give me your first hand knowledge before you acuse others of having none.

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First of all, Mr. Burke is the one who sold Astroworld, not Snyder and Shapiro, and the manager from Astroworld was given a plum position in Six Flags management by Snyder and Shapiro, largely, they said, as he had managed so well for so long with so little. You seemed to think Snyder is making decisions to get rid of "good parks." The only parks being gotten rid of, so far, under Snyder are the ones in Oklahoma City, and even that will be after this season.

Several of the general manager positions at the parks have changed...with the incumbents having left Six Flags to "pursue other opportunities." (Great Adventure, Kentucky Kingdom and Elitch Gardens, just off the top of my head, so far)...The changes have been public record, not inside information.

What is happening at Six Flags won't be readily apparent until after the major parks reopen for business. I, like you, have concerns. We can start with $15 parking.

But Snyder and Shapiro have a lot riding on this. They will be gone in short order if they don't turn Flags around. I wouldn't be betting against them just yet.

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Crap stock prices, more exspenses than revenue and higher prices. Its a no win situation, especially for a quick turnaround. SixFlags has years of work and so far the decision to raise prices and discontinue introducing big rides will be a major detriment to the future of Sixflags.
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I agree. But look around...most of the theme park industry (as Shaggy pointed out earlier today) is also cutting way back on introducing big rides. What big rides is Paramount putting in this year? Last year?

Busch had a dark ride in Virginia, and nothing substantial in Tampa. Cedar Fair is very careful about what they put in where. Ask the people who go to Valley Fair when it got its last major coaster installation. And what was it? An impulse coaster.

The late 90's and 2000-2001 were a grand era for new coasters. We may not see anything similar for quite some time.

For a chain like Six Flags, the problem was that putting in a Goliath at Georgia, a Kingda Ka or an El Toro at Great Adventure, or a Tatsu at Magic Mountain left very little money for the other parks.

Revenue hasn't been the big problem. Raising money to pay off the creditors has.

Still, you are very right...the road ahead for Six Flags is a very difficult one at best.

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That guy is really goint to help put SFKK right back where it needs to be. Of course not above PKI.

PKI isnt going in that great of a direction either!

KI is still a big and excellent park. You can say what you want about last year, but it just seemed like it was a bad year for the industry all together.

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Legend... My reference to Opryland and OpryMills was pure sarcasim. I despise OpryMills and the fact that they destroyed Chaos to build a crap mall.

The industry is not growing or having the success like it once was and parks are being more conservative with the rides they add. But the industry will see the addition of some new big rides this year like Expedition Everest and Sheikra. Just a phase the industry is in and something parks will have to overcome by offering a great experience for value and not by just providing a new big ride again. I think guests are more particular now that they must choose the parks they visit wisely instead of going to them all because of high gas prices and other factors.

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Just a phase, ha. Just a phase we have been in since 1975 when Arrow built the first corkscrew coaster at Knott's Berry Farm. What was big then is small now. Roller Coasters will get bigger, longer, faster, etc. that is just the way it will always be. Paramount Parks is just in their phase of wanting to build themed rides on the level of Disney but they turn out on the level of any other amusement park. Our chain does not commit the money the way Disney does. We are not on Disney's level like we were(Carowinds atleast) before Paramount Parks tookover.

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