SFA increases Prices by $13!

...and introduces "Play Pass"

That's right, you paid $36.99 in 2005 for a one day admission at SFA (or if you bought online the price was $29.99). Well, this year you'll pay $49.99 for a one day admission (or $39.99 if you buy online, still more than the regular price of last year). Now THAT'S what I call a price jump!

The good news is that the park is also introducing "Play Pass". What's "Play Pass" you ask? Well, SFMM introduced it last year (or maybe it was the year before), but even then the price was much lower. Basicly, it means that the season passes cost as much as a one day admission so if you buy your one day admission at regular price, you are really buying a season pass (offer good through May 29th, 2006)

For all the information for yourself, check out these SFA pages on ticket information:
http://www.sixflags.com/parks/america/TicketInfo/index.html

...and season pass information:
http://www.sixflags.com/parks/america/TicketInfo/seasonpasses.html

For a Comparison, here are some of the other local park prices for 2006:
Hershey: $41.95
Kings Dominion: $34.99
Busch Gardens: $51.95

Let's hope the price jump also results in a jump in quality of service and experience around the park. *** Edited 1/17/2006 4:10:10 AM UTC by Coaster Lover***

Is anybody really suprised by these pricing changes (thanks to new management)? Great Adventure 2006 adult admission tickets spiked up $11 from last year to $59.99, and Magic Mountain tickets of the same caliber jumped $10 to also a $59.99 a pop.

I got my SFoG Season Pass for $49.99 this year. One-day tickets are now $49.99.

Good for SFA!! I hope it improves service at the park. I also think the Kings Dominion ticket is online only, I believe General Admission is higher at the gate. SFA had a lot of problems with the big lines at the ticket windows this past season with the new water park. I suspect this will help with those lines as people buy season passes instead of one day tickets, whether it's online or a season pass. As the season wears on, the lines at the ticket windows should decrease.

I'll hold off my comments on the price hikes until after the season is over.

If the price hikes result in better service, so much the better. Even if it is not a complete turn around (since it is the first year), there should be at least some noticable improvement.

If the price hikes only result in a highter profit for the owners... well...

I hear ya... I hope SF isn't thinking they'll be able to raise prices and keep the current service levels without a customer revolt. I'm not hoping for a Busch Gardens experience in the next couple of years but steady rogress on the customer service front is all I'm asking.

Score, I still get Military Discount tickets.

The surprising thing about this is that it looks like Six Flags is trying to INCREASE the number of people who have season passes.

And yet, reading the pundits on forums such as this one, I thought the season pass holders were the problem, not the day-ticket holders...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Oh HELL to the no! What the...??? SIX FLAGS AMERICA??? Nope, they better be doing something pretty major for me to have a reason to go to Six Flags.

My sister works there, and check up on her from time to time...but this year...she's on her own...I have to pay almost $50 dollars to get in? Nope, ain't happenin'...guess I'll be getting ME a season pass this year if anything...Hm, guess the price jump worked.

Ouch. I guess I better renew my SFMM pass online quickly before THEIR prices go up!

-Tina

well the season passes are $55 if you buy them now, so whats 5 bucks for as many days as you want? good deal

Still gotta get my pass & I've yet to do so because money is so tight around here these days.

Attendance definitely seems to be on the increase & not just with HH as during the last week of frightfest when I went it took a good hour & a half to get out of the lot at the end of the night & that was about two hours after closing because we had to wait for a friend who was stuck on supes for a good half hour.

Coaster Lover said:

---

....it means that the season passes cost as much as a one day admission so if you buy your one day admission at regular price, you are really buying a season pass (offer good through May 29th, 2006)

---

Ah, yes, at BGT that's called a Bronze Passport (I guess Copper and Tin were already trademarked)...at SFMM getting the Play Pass processed last year was about a two-hour ORDEAL...ah well, no worse really than waiting for Riddler that single-training day, LOL...;)

*** Edited 1/18/2006 2:58:16 AM UTC by rollergator***

Seems to me that before SF goes and raises prices at their parks, they should correct the problems with them first, make the guest want to return. Right now, this looks like nothing more than another get rich quick scheme designed to further pad the pockets of the new board by shaking down the customer for every last dime. I'll reserve final judgement until the end of the 2006 season, and I really hope that I'm wrong and that the increases are justified because SF is really going to address their ills this year.

Are these increases with or without the 'no re-entry' policy?
(jk) Couldn't resist. :)

Really I don't see the major alarm. How many of you actually pay full price to get into ANY Six Flags or any other Amusement park for that matter? If by chance Snyder does away with the super discounts that were basically giving the gates away, which in turn was eating away profit, then I'll wave the oh S**t flag. Also if that happens, you can almost gurantee that you wont have to contend with as many unsupervised teens as before eating away at the atmosphere which is a great positive in it's own especially at Magic Mountain.

Magicmike... I don't think any of us are complaining about the price increase. It's just rather steep for a small park like SFA. I also don't think it's going to keep the teens away. SF will stay a babysitting service as long as the passes are cheap. It's not the one day admission that's making SF a babysitting service it's the cheap season passes.

Here's also an area where SF has to be careful. If they raise the price of a season pass, to discourage teenagers from just hanging out and entice families to come and visit, they need to show that they are worth the increase, by improving things like guest services, improvements in themes, etc, etc. They have to show some improvment in those areas before they start jacking up the prices or it will only drive more guest away.

This seems ridiculous. Since the $49.99 season pass is only good thru May 30th, any chance they'll double it come June when schools get out - a last chance for folks to grab it cheap before it skyrockets to keep it in line with other season pass prices? Maybe something they committed to on the site earlier and are maintaining until the date passes and they can jack up the price? I can't imagine they would want to entertain hoards of urban teenagers all summer for the price of a regular one day ticket. Is the low season pass price because they aren't doing diddly to the park for the '06 season except remove Chaos?

I see the pre-season pass at SFGAdv is $90, $15 more than I bought my 2006 pass for during Fright Fest, and that price is only good thru 4/29. It does seem that while their parking has gone up to $15/day, the season parking pass is still only $30, while SFA is up to $40.

I think there is a good chance SFA season pass prices will go up when the park opens for daily operation. Season parking prices are stil $30 if purchased online. I didn't see a price if purchased at the gate. Last year you could apply the cost of your parking that day to your season parking pass. If this is the case, your season parking pass will only cost only $15.