The endorsement McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport, Jackson-Madison County, and Air Choice One received from Bob Lloyd in a Question and Answer session with NEWSTALK 101.5 FM & WNWS.COM, is priceless.
Lloyd, who resides in St. Louis, is the president of Toyota Bodine Aluminum in Jackson, and Troy and St. Louis, Missouri. He is a frequent flyer on Air Choice One, from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport to Jackson – and back.
Question: Would you mind giving us some background information – how long have you been with Toyota Bodine Aluminum?
Answer: I have been with Bodine Aluminum since 1977. Bodine was purchased by Toyota in 1990, so I’ve been with Toyota for 28 years.
Question: Did you know anything about Air Choice One before you started using the air service to commute from St. Louis to McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport in Jackson?
Answer: I’d never heard of them before the Jackson/St. Louis flights started.
Question: When did you first learn Air Choice One had flights available from St. Louis to Jackson?
Answer: I first learned about Air Choice One from a sign at the Jackson airport advertising: “flight to St. Louis coming soon.” We knew it was coming before the first flight ever took off.
American Airlines used to have a commuter flight between St. Louis and Jackson, but there was a gap of about 10 years before American stopped and Air Choice one started operating (2015) in Jackson.
Question: Toyota Bodine Aluminum is located less than one mile from McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport. How long does it take for you to arrive at Toyota Bodine after you leave your home or office and arrive at Toyota Bodine?
Answer: Start to finish, the trip is just about two hours. When we land in Jackson, it’s only a two-minute commute to the plant. It’s perfect.
Question: Before you started flying Air Choice One, will you tell us about your commute – air travel, automobile – when you visited Toyota Bodine in Jackson?
Answer: When I needed to get to Jackson before Air Choice One, I was driving 99 percent of the time. That trip is about five hours after you stop for gas. Air Choice One made the trip much easier, and I get to come to Jackson a little more because of the flight.
Question: How often do you use Air Choice One?
Answer: I use Air Choice One about every other week. In total, I’ve probably taken the St. Louis/Jackson flight more than 60 times. They’re very friendly, on both sides of the flight. Everyone knows my name.
Question: How many Toyota facilities do you visit, and how would you compare your travel to and from Jackson with the other communities you visit?
Answer: I’ve visited all of Toyota’s 14 plants in North America, and traveling to Jackson is by far the easiest. For many of the other plants, I have to change planes to get there or take a flight and drive for a couple of hours.
It’s a great service, and the St. Louis/Jackson flight has made my life much easier. When you’re driving, that’s all you can do. With a flight, you can read, sleep, work or take in the scenery.
That little plane is fun to fly!
(PHOTO: Bob Lloyd, second from left, resides in St. Louis and is president of Toyota Bodine Aluminum in Jackson, St. Louis and Troy Missouri. He is pictured with Terence Proctor, left, site services manager for Toyota Bodine, and Leah Almeling, far right, who is in corporate communications with Toyota Motor North America in Troy, Missouri. The pilot with Air Choice One is unidentified)
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
https://www.facebook.com/NewsTalk1015/
