NEWS: Six Flags Turns profit

[black sabbath]

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050808005933&newsLang=en Wow, Six Flags Inc. today announced it has made a profit for the first time in years. :shock: I'm so glad that they are starting to have a better year, and doing good. I'm shocked!

[Real]

Apart from all the SF haters I know who will say boo hiss to it, this is GREAT for the industry.

 

Seeing as though they are pretty much the largest amusement park chain, for them to be as bad off as they were its bad for the entire industry. Even while others thrive (like Cedar Fair) for SF to not thrive hurts the business as a whole.

 

 

Very good news.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I agree, this is good for the industry, and for us. Six Flags does have it's problems, but they haven't killed anybody lately, so that's a good thing.

[Meteornotes]

Six Flags turned a profit?!? Looks like the apocalypse is here. Hope everyone is well stocked up with canned goods...

 

dt

[Twister II]

Woohoo! You know what this mean, right? SFEG is getting something new!

 

Well, probly not.

 

Has anyone else noticed unreasonably cheap offers by Six Flags parks tho?

[arrowfanman]

Ohh...I suppose this is history then.

[YoshiFan]

Has anyone else noticed unreasonably cheap offers by Six Flags parks tho?

 

It seems like they lure people in with cheap admission and season passes but make up for it with the way overpriced food, drinks and skill games. I know at most parks those things are overpriced but at Six Flags it seems worse than other parks.

[arrowfanman]

Yup. Most of the money parks get is from when you are in the park: food, souvineers, games, the fountains you throw coins into...lol.

[Jew]

I guess the weather finally cleared up after about 5 years.

[ebl]

^ LOL!!!

 

But seriously, during the last few years, they did cut back on opening attractions, they haven't acquired any addtional parks, and, wisely, they sold their European parks. What they need to do is to unload some parks here in the U.S. and keep only their most profitable ones.

 

Well, and AstroWorld, too. They need somewhere to send used coasters.

 

Eric

[Sir Clinksalot]

Did any other park besides SFGAdv and SFNE get a new ride this year???

 

But already next year we have a new coaster at SFMM, SFOG and SFGAdv. Any others that I'm forgetting?

[GAcoaster]

They said 16 of the 31 parks got some kind of new attraction.

 

The two interesting highlights of the conference call were that SFGAm attendance is up 32% over last year, and SFGAdv was up 240,000 guests YTD even with Kingda Ka down for 2 months. Together they make up almost 1/4 of the company's total revenue.

[SharkTums]

^New Waterpark + hot Chicago Summer = Happy Six Flags

[MagnumForce]

Proble is the waterpark only has a capacity of 8000 people, it BADLY needs the addition it will get this winter.

 

It has been so ungodly hot here this summer the attendance was bound to climb.

 

95 with 90% humidity pretty much every day, 90 degrees is relief this summer.

[Space Freak]

I agree, this is great news! Go Six Flags!!! WHoo Hoo!!! I hope they can keep it up!

[GAcoaster]

I think this definitely means we'll see more of the same kind of improvements this year as last year. Probably SFOG and SFMM getting new themed sections along with new coasters, a Mr. Six's Pandemoium and/or watercoaster for SFA, and lots more waterpark expansions.

[4718]

I think this definitely means we'll see more of the same kind of improvements this year as last year. Probably SFOG and SFMM getting new themed sections along with new coasters, a Mr. Six's Pandemoium and/or watercoaster for SFA, and lots more waterpark expansions.

As an employee, I am thoroughly annoyed by this "Mr. Six" junk. It was a novelty a year ago when it first came out and seeing that old dude boogie, but now......... I s'pose we could have it worse though, at a park wide employee meeting meant to get everyone on the "happy" track or something, they showed a video of random Six Flags parks and what they do to keep it "Play time"........gah! SF Over Texas (I think) has ALL employees line up before the park opens and dance to the Venga Boys song with a handfull of costume characters, everyone was REAL happy to be doing it too! Then at the Georgia SF, they had a kid dressed as Mr. Six jumping around in front of guests (hokey), and other junk.

 

I'm all for the new coasters and theming though, THAT will make people want to come to our park, not a guy jumping around to up beat techno or whatever it's called.

[SharkTums]

^See That's the Problem!

 

What 4718 just wrote basically sums up the SFMM Employees. I don't know you personally so I'll just speak from my own experiences and I apologize if I offend anyone...

 

SFMM employees don't care, they're rude, obnoxoius, and don't realize that it's their job to make people at the park happy. When we were at SFoT they had banners for "Voted Friendliest Rides Team" or "Best Operations of the Week", etc. This is what SFMM needs.

 

Perfect Example, when at SFMM two weeks ago a lead was training a new employee. New Employee asks "Do I really have to check all of the restraints, even if no one is in them?" Lead: "only if a supervisor is nearby". This is just the kind of attitude that the park has.

 

Ugh, sorry, just had to get that off my chest, but I'm convinced that SFMM and Knotts have the worst employees of ANY park in the Country!

[Cerberus]

^ Actually, I found the Knotts staff to be quite good on my visit.

The crew of the rapids ride were dancing to a radio that some guest left on the platform which entertained the queue for while, for instance. The only miserable gang I came across were the Ghostrider lot, which was likely half the reason for 6min dispatches, but eh.

 

Magic Mountain I agree with though, but the staff still weren't exactly adding negative points to my day, just not adding any positive points either.

They were just there, existing, which is innocent enough. So long as they aren't actually shouting at people, or slapping them with trouts or something….

 

Of course, this is me basing it on a single visit, so I might have had it lucky.

You're welcome to let me join you for a day at the park and enlighten me to the crappy staff!

 

Cerb- Hint, yes. Subtle, no. -erus

[4718]

We actually started a "Best ride crew" of the week thing, not sure who it's been. All I know is that at my ride, we ARE hard working, and actually give a flip about our ride too, we're paid a bit extra to do it too. I guess I don't pick up on the rude employee thing as much because I just don't pay attention when I go as a guest, most of them are real nice when they find out I work there though. Maybe as a ploy, you could go and say you're from corporate and that they'll be sending out "secret shoppers" to see what the employees are up to....tell them to spread the word too.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I was going to mention that when we were at SFMM about a week and a half ago Revolution had a sign up that it was the "Best Crew of the Week" or something. They sure weren't acting like it that day.

 

But I have to agree with Elissa on this one. MOST (not ALL) SFMM employees don't care. I mean, you would have never seen a Disney or Universal employee go off on me like that SFMM employee did.

[Twister II]

Did any other park besides SFGAdv and SFNE get a new ride this year???

 

But already next year we have a new coaster at SFMM, SFOG and SFGAdv. Any others that I'm forgetting?

 

SFEG got a new water ride with like 4 other SF parks getting Tornado's

[Guy T. Koepp]

I have had polar opposite experiences at SFMM. On one ride the opps are great. On the next they stink. It's never the same rides on the dame days.

 

Hey 4718, do you always work with the same team on the same ride? Or do they move you around a bit on a day to day basis.

 

I want to give my props to one awesome ride opp who was working the grand carousel last Saturday. He was singing to the crowd on the ride and getting them all involved. It's great to see people having a good time with their job.

 

E- I have had nothing but fabulous experiences with the opps at Knotts. Even if they are more strict about me and my camera. At the very least they will hold it for me while I ride.

 

Guy "I get along with everybody" Koepp

[4718]

I'm at one ride, as are most people.....except for the poor saps in Bunny World! They tend to bounce around a bit more, but then again, most rides do have to share people. There's three areas of rides in the Operations department, and on days when a coaster needs people, others will lend them day transfers. I've only been transferred a few times, but each one stunk. X: never did figure out how to check those funky restraints, so I stood at the front of the entrance line in the "bouncer" spot and made sure that people who put stuff in the lockers came back, sent people to different rows based on how many in their group, and kept people getting off from getting back on......finally left 2 1/2 hours after the park closed because it broke down like crazy and we had to clean. Main gate: scanned season passes for a little while, went on lunch, came back to do "re-admit".....and tell people they couldn't go out the normal exit gates anymore but instead the same ones they went through when they came in. Parking lot: got abandoned at "crossing guard" for several hours, park closed at 10pm.......I left at 12:30am.

[ebl]

I saw that sign at Scream! the last time I was there. It was kind of funny, actually.

 

Eric