Six Flags Confirms Plans to Sell 2 More Parks

Oh yes you were. Don't play coy now... ;)

LOL ;)

I know a couple of you have mentioned SFKK, but SF Inc. doesn't entirely own that park either. The land is leased, therefore, they cannot sell it. Six Flags owns all the rides, but how much money can they really get or save by relocating or selling used rides? Also they may be under contractual obligations with the land owner to operate that park for several more years.

One can just look at how long it has been since Six Flags has done anything with a park to see where it is on their list of priorities.

Six Flags gave up on Frontier City a long time ago. They've done nothing with that park. If some other chain is willing to invest in Frontier City, this could be a good thing for the park. It had been in limbo for quite sometime. When I visited there more staff than guests, and there where few staff. Sure, the theme maybe ghost town, but it was really dead.

Elitch Gardens has been pretty neglected, as well as Kentucky Kingdom. SFKK seems like the most likely to be cut next given that it is running into similar issues as recently liquidated Astroworld.

And Six Flags New Orleans? Well, if Six Flags doesn't rebuild, I doubt anyone else will. Megazeph deserves the chance to run again. But until New Orleans is up and running the park has no chance of re-opening. *** Edited 1/30/2006 3:59:10 PM UTC by rc-madness***

"SFFT also will pick up on the market in Houston that would have gone to Astroworld. "

This is wishful thinking on Six Flags behalf. It'll be a very small percentage of additional visitors that go to Fiesta because Astroworld is no longer around. It'll likely even out because you no longer have all the Houston season pass holders who were potential guests.

"Wishful thinking" is being kind, LOL....

Chances are they'd head to whatever operator is in the area, no matter how small the park may be...or, more likely, they'll go to an Astros game...esp. if Clemens returns...

IMO, I think that parks that are spread out and or have high attendance will be saved. SFMM, GADV, SFGAM are the big parks that will probably remain. SFA and other smaller SF parks that are in areas that are not close to other SF parks will be saved, most likely. It just makes sense.

Just playing devils advocate here....

Don't assume that because a park has a large attendence that it brings money into the chain. I know of at least one park located in a major market that has been a money-LOSING park for some time now.

Again, quite simply Snyder and Shapiro will probably keep the parks that add to the bottom line and dump those that do not.

....well, if you consider the park to be "under-performing", then it could potentially be a money MAKER in the future if run properly...

Or so goes the theory that some of the larger parks are well-run, and others, not so much... ;)

I have to believe that some sell decisions are also motivated by what I call the "farm effect". Many family farms have been sold not because the farm is unprofitable, but because the land is "worth more" as housing than it is as farmland---as land prices rise, eventually you make more money over time by selling the land and investing the money in an annuity (or similar instrument) than you do if you continue to farm it.

As an added bonus, you don't have to plow annuities.

So, even if a park makes money, the asset (land) could possibly make *more* money through a sale.

I can't say whether or not any current SF parks meet this criterion, but I wouldn't be surprised if one or two did.

I'm new to this, and have no idea what parks are making money and what aren't. Thinking about SFA, it's proximity to SFGAdv, and DC being 1 hr & 20 minutes from PKD, I'm not sure it's a shoo-in. The other northeast parks are a longer drive from SGAdv than SFA is, and SFA does sometimes have an unfriendly atmosphere, not a lot of kiddie rides, and seems to attract bored teenagers IMO. It's most recent addition was Batwing '01. I'd love to be wrong. Edit: perhaps since much are staffing and maintenance issues that's something that could be fixed inexpensively to keep a major market. How much could it cost to fix up Tilt? And D'oh! There is Hurricane Harbor. *** Edited 1/31/2006 2:45:51 PM UTC by Erinys***

Well after see the number in my stock holders report and going to a few of tghe stock holders meeting, you might guess that the heavy hitter park are safe. List falls.
1. SFGreatAM
2.& 3. SFMM & SFGreat AD
4. SFOT
5. SFOG
6. SFA
7. SFSTL
8. SFNE
9. SFFT
The others fall on down.

Interesting that SFFT makes the list. It really is not surprising and out of all the parks i have been to in the chain, is one of the few in the excellent park category.

I really thought SFKK made a decent profit. Guess not.

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Erinys said:
...SFA does sometimes have an unfriendly atmosphere, not a lot of kiddie rides, and seems to attract bored teenagers IMO. It's most recent addition was Batwing '01. I'd love to be wrong. Edit: perhaps since much are staffing and maintenance issues that's something that could be fixed inexpensively to keep a major market. How much could it cost to fix up Tilt? And D'oh! There is Hurricane Harbor.

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I was going to remind you about HH but it was buried in your edits. However, you did leave out Penguin's Blizzard River and by Tilt do you mean Sky Escaper, the hunk of metal that sits across from Iron Eagle (which is another hunk of metal now that I think about it)?

SFFT is so well-run even in its market, with its immense competition, it turns a good profit...

Like Krypton, I'm not surprised...those people KNOW how to run a hospitality business. I'm glad I went on a *non-event day* as well, really proved to me that they weren't just "supa-fantastic" for a bunch of ACErs, that really IS the way they run that park...

I think I'd be tempted to do some serious promoting of individuals from that park, esp. with the new concentration away from rides and toward customer service. AWESOME park!

...and, just cause I can, I'll note that at least THREE of the top 5 parks are well-run...

SFFT is FABulous. I'm hoping to get back to San Antonio with my family, just to take them there. It was that much fun.

Dang. Sounds like I'll have to take a trip down to San Antonio. Anyone been to Sea World? Was it worth it?

Yes.

(This message brought to you by Olsor and the San Antonio board of tourism, who remind you that not only do we have two great amusement parks and a top-notch waterpark, it's also been in the 70s here all month.)

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coasterguts said:

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Erinys said:
...SFA does sometimes have an unfriendly atmosphere, not a lot of kiddie rides, and seems to attract bored teenagers IMO. It's most recent addition was Batwing '01. I'd love to be wrong. Edit: perhaps since much are staffing and maintenance issues that's something that could be fixed inexpensively to keep a major market. How much could it cost to fix up Tilt? And D'oh! There is Hurricane Harbor.

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I was going to remind you about HH but it was buried in your edits. However, you did leave out Penguin's Blizzard River and by Tilt do you mean Sky Escaper, the hunk of metal that sits across from Iron Eagle (which is another hunk of metal now that I think about it)?

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As far as I know Tilt(AKA tilt a whirl) has been running just fine considering they've got rodeo right across the midway from it.

I don't know about you Guts but I tend to think of the eagle more as the red monument than just a hunk of metal,sky escaper certainly deserves that "hunk of metal" title much more but seeing as both rides are down more often than not(SE's been down for going on 6 years now) I can see what you're saying.

Since they're scrapping KC that now leaves the park with absolutely no inverting flats...that top spin we lost in 99 would come in real handy right about now.

More specifically, in October Tilt just seemed depressing. While working, it needed paint and cleaning desperately and seemed to need maintenance, greasing, something. It looked like no one has loved it in 50 years.

I was disappointed the SWAT rumors were wrong, but relieved to see cycloneriders' list above showing the park is making money.