S&P revises Six Flags outlook to negative

Posted | Contributed by Shawn

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today that it has revised its outlook on theme park operator Six Flags Inc. (PKS) to negative from stable based on weak second-quarter operating performance and management's revision of full-year EBITDA guidance. S&P is one of several analysts to negatively rate Six Flags after the company announced missed earnings and lower year-end expectations earlier this week.

Read the S&P press release on Excite.

Interesting since other parks have reported sharp rises in attendance this year. If you ask me it sounds like people are just getting tired of the Six Flags "clone park" experience.

This is no surprise .. If you run a park at half staff, close an hour earlier, do a 1 train operation, ( SFWOA) what do you expect ? plus I think alot has to with the horrible park operation the previous year , people will seek out the best experience and the best value parks this year . Hopefully this will be 6 flags " wake up call ". and look towards the lacking customer service, instead of the " if we build it they will come " attitude .

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You really need to get some more BRAN in your diet

In otherwords, Quality before Quantity. :)
It doesn't matter how many new rides you put in. If you don't treat your customers well and give them an all around great day, they're not going to be as likely to return and spend more.

After paying $10 to park, $3 for water, and $5 for a locker in the first 5 minutes of my visit I get the feeling that SF is trying to screw me out of every possible dollar. At certain other parks I feel like they're trying to see I have the best day possible.

I hope Six Flags goes belly up and the Koch family buys them....Holiday World Magic Mountain, Holiday World Great America, etc.... :) *** This post was edited by Peabody on 8/16/2002. ***

This is why I work in the arcade at SFGAdv. For one, it's owned by Cleveland Coin, not Six Flags. If you've met me, you know that I'm not exactly the best at dealing with people who are angry or not having too good of a time. A benefit of working there is the exteremely small amount of guest interaction. If I worked in Guest Relations, I would shoot people, lol.

I give the company 5 years.

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-Kyle Brylczyk
KoRn - Untouchables, June 11th, 2002

Jeff's avatar
The public doesn't care about cloned rides... please let that go.

The public does care about having a good time, being treated right and getting value for their dollar. They obviously aren't getting it.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"Let's stop saying 'don't quote me,' because if no one quotes you, you probably haven't said a thing worth saying." - Dogma, KMFDM *** This post was edited by Jeff on 8/16/2002. ***

It amazes me how cynical these Six Flags "big wigs" are. They honestly think that the answer is to throw more rides and gimmicks at customers, to cover up the mess they have made. I have heard that some shake ups are coming in terms of SF personnel. Let's hope some fresh blood will step in and set some of their parks back on the right track.

Common sense should tell some of these idiots that if you add a coaster like Nitro in 2001, yet actually decline in attendance, new coasters are NOT the answer. Good grief. What bubble are these people living in?

9/11 and bad weather my butt, take a hard look inside your daily operations, something is not working!

Sorry, I wouldn't be so upset if I didn't like their parks so much. :(

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"Escuse me, can you tell me where the heck the Mystery Lodge is"?

"After paying $10 to park, $3 for water, and $5 for a locker in the first 5 minutes of my visit I get the feeling that SF is trying to screw me out of every possible dollar. At certain other parks I feel like they're trying to see I have the best day possible. "

It's not a really a money thing. You're not going to get a better deal at any other major theme park. We visited Paramounts Kings Island recently and it was just as expensive as any SF park you'll go to ($10 parking, $3 drinks, ect..) but we were treated exceptionally well. The ride ops had esspecially up-beat and professional attitudes. They let you carry your stuff into the Queue line unlike other parks so you can get some great picts. They knew we were there to have fun... and we did. :)

Now if they only had a decent resturaunt or two in there (like CP or some of the other big parks) it would have been perfect.

Wow! That Six Flags stock is down to $4.17 now! I might have to snag some of that up after it is done plummeting. Yes, hopefully this will be a wake-up call to the company and they will start to shift their focus onto more important matters than simply new rides.

Six Flags, based in Oklahoma City, Okla. is the largest regional theme park operator and the second-largest theme park company in the world.


What is the largest?

Disney, of course. *** This post was edited by astrosgp on 8/16/2002. ***

That doesn't seem right to me.

This doesn't surprise me. If Six Flags really is having a "downfall" then we will know when a some major sponser like pringles decides to not renew their contract and looks someplace else (I am not sure how the whole sponser thing works, but do they have contracts for a certain amount of years or do they just pull out whenever they want to?).

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The ice age killed the dinosaurs, we killed ourselves.

Customers come first. I have had some horrible days at various SF parks. Instead of trying to SAVE money with understaffing, one train opperations, ect., maybe they should focus on makeing MORE money by giving us a great expierance so we will come back. I like SF parks, however how can I possibly want to return when they have burned me so many times?

They have a great product that is reconizable to consumers. Before premier bought SF, they were a well liked company. Now it seems to me that it is just a mismanagement issue and could very easily be solved by changeing the way the parks are opperated. Solveing this problem should be started by the Higher upps. The rest should just fall into place. Mother always tells me, "Crap rolls downhill."

Wake up Six Flags and smell the funnel cakes.

I know people that say all Six Flags parks are the same and that they'd rather go to a different place (and they werent enthusiasts) Anyway, I think Six FLags should take a harder look into the operation of their parks. They didnt put in as much as usual this year. I think some people at the parks they have neglected are getting tired of the same thing. As I always say "you gotta spend money to make money"

After two years without a single new ride, significantly higher gate admission rates and the rainiest weather in at least five years, VF's attendance is down less than 1% from last year. How did that happen?

Service.

A new coaster or ride will bring people in the door, but service determines whether or not they will return...and bring their friends.

-'Playa

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The CPlaya 100--6 days, 9 parks, 47 coasters, 2037 miles and a winner.....LoCoSuMo.

I was at SFNE today and I agree with everything you are saying. Don't get me wrong I had a great time but the way the park was ran was crazy. I mean they had prolly a good 6 or 7 rides down, Others were running at half compacity, and the prices they charge are horrable. I mean they are making a lot of money but if they just spent one year without builing any new rides and focused on the guest expereince it would help them greatly. They could have the "head honchos" actualy go to the parks as guests and see what it is like and how it could be inproved. In my eyes they could put in some more theming to areas that need it, Lower prices a bit, Plant more trees, Run rides at full compacity, put shade ever the lines, and just try to make it a nicer place to visit.

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"Enjoy your voyage to the sun on the wings of Apollos Chariot"

Here are six suggestions for you, Six Flags, so pay attention to the slides!:

1: Run as many trains as possible on your coasters at all times, instead of as few trains as possible at all times!

2: If a person is riding alone, just let them ride alone!

3: Stay open until midnight!

4: Maintain daily operation throughout the entire month in August, like you do in June & July!

5: Switch to uniform pricing of your season passes, regardless of which park they're purchased from!

6: Quit neglecting parks like SFAW, and quit spoiling parks like SFMM!

Mind you, these are just six tips to get you started in the right direction. There's still plenty more that need your attention. I'm sure that most people here will add stuff about park cleanliness and staff friendliness, but if you would take heed of these six first, most of us will be having so much fun we'll hardly notice the rest of your shortcomings! *** This post was edited by Iron Draggon on 8/24/2002. ***

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