They are coming out with a new Six Flags flash pass that lets riders with the flash pass be able to ride twice in a row while the regular people have to now wait longer. It's going to be more more money, and the customer satisfaction at Six Flags goes down again. After the lockers, it dropped, and now it's going to go down again.

Oh, by the way the good news for Six Flags is that they have lost even more attendance. Good job Six Flags. :thumbs: You go back before these new people took over, and attendance was higher. Than, these new people came in, and it went down. Than it went down again, and than finally it went up. It never reached the amount it went down by though. Now, it's going down yet again.

You can't nickel and dime people at an amusement park, or they just won't come back. They should pay the price to get in, and get on all the attractions without having to pay anything more for the attractions except for those up-charge rides. Lockers should be in the price to get in the place. Look at Holiday World. To me, that place does not look like a $40 place, but yet people go there because they get "free" drinks, and "free" parking. They are getting something more for their $40.

Six Flags Great America's price even with a discount should be higher. What, are people getting in for some $30 - $35? That's ridiculous, and than they have to nickel and dime people with the lockers for both parks. Than, they raised the parking prices too!! Six Flags would be better off putting that price in the admission instead of making people upset as soon as they go on Six Flags property. I wonder how many people don't come to Six Flags twice in a year just because of that parking price.

Than people get mad at them because everytime especially the school groups who they lost, those kids are paying all that extra money to get on each ride.

People want straightforwardness prices. Not, money here, and money there. Just give them upfront prices, and they won't be so ticked off about coming to the park. Just $45 even with a discount to get in the park, lower parking price to $7 a car, $10 a rv and have the lockers free (in the regular park) if they feel the lockers really help anything at all. In the waterpark, have the lockers at $5.

Also, when the waterpark isn't open, I think the price should be $35 to get in even with a discount. It should be $10 less per person because you less workers in the park they have to pay, and less operations - water.

I will tell you my true feeling about this since sfgamworld will bash my opinion. My honest opinion is that if anybody pays for this $76 pass you are absolutely stupid just for a reride. Really, our coasters are no magic mountain superstars which will probally be worth it, buth think about the amount of wait times for packed days, Dark knight already has a 1 and 1/2 hour wait if not 2, SUF will be way too long with 2 trains, and so will Batman.

The Dark Knight has been going down severly since the year it opened. You can tell there are less people that like that ride now.

For Magic Mountain, I do think that Magic Mountain has better roller coasters, but they also have many more. They however to me don't have that many good flats (not that many flats period), and the waterpark is separate admission over there. If Magic Mountain was my home park (let's say in 2 months), and let's say Six Flags Great America is my visiting park, I also probably wouldn't get the flash pass.

Magic Mountain has Tatsu, and Superman is also a flying coaster but I would probably still go on Superman, V2 I would wait in line, Dark Knight I would wait in line early, I wouldn't go on Raging Bull, Ragin Cajun, Viper, or Eagle; Whizzer, Demon, and Iron Wolf I would wait in line, go on some flats, and go in the watepark.

However, for the other way I would skip Magic Mountain's waterpark, and probably still not get the flash pass. I would go on Tatsu, X, Ninja, Scream!, Colossus, Terminator, Riddler's Revenge, Revolution, maybe Gold Rusher, and maybe Batman. I would skip Viper, skip Superman, skip Goliath, and probably yes I know skip Deja Vu (There is a reason why though!! I would skip Deja Vu because I don't want to sit in an A seat, and Six Flags doesn't care about their customers so they will put you were they want to. Now at Great America, I always got to go in a B seat, but probably at Magic Mountain those head people don't care about customer satisfaction and thus are jerks.).

Don't worry though. I get my Deja Vu "LIKE" experience somewhere else. It's called Invertigo, and yes it's not as great as Deja Vu is, but it's still awesome!! :thumbs:

The point is I wouldn't get a flash pass anyway at either park. I work with the lines. You have to plan the lines for the most part. You think which ride has low capacity, and than you think which ride is the most popular. You also think about the front of the park vs the back of the park. Let's say at Magic Mountain, I would probably go to the back of the park first because you know all those people are going to go to X. I would probably do Tatsu first, than Riddler's, than Ninja, than Terminator, than Gold Rusher, and than if it's the middle of the day I would go on Revolution, those swings, maybe that himilaya, and than Colossus, Batman the Ride, and Scream! At the end of the day, I would go on X.

I think the point of the new Flash Pass is to get more money from people who visit only once a year. If it's been a while since I've been to the park and I'm only going once, and it's the only park I'm going to, then I want to make sure I ride everything I possibly can. This new Flash Pass allows that much more than even the Gold Flash Pass. That said though, it does suck about how it's at the expense of guests who either don't want to pay or can't afford that pass.

Yeah but aren't the lines already bad enough without the added aggravation?? I went in 2007 and there was a muslim/hindu fest (sorry for any offence to anyone, this comment is not to be intended as any type of insult put down or slam) and i waited 2 hours to go on Roarin' Rapids. Then I went back for Labour Day and waited 1 1/2 hours for loggers run. It seems to me that if they really wanted people to spend more money they would have more boats rafts and cars operating. They should also have way better food and better merchandise in the shops......who remembers when they used to sell leather jackets and home goods? and as for the games maybe they should be lower priced and have prizes that wont end up in the garbage i dunno know about the rest of you on this forum but i dont wanna lug around a giant furry bugs bunny after getting soaked on bucaneer battle.

For the first one, you got unlucky and happened to be there on a crowded day. As for Labor Day, it's a major holiday and a lot of people like to go to the park that day. That's why I tend to avoid the park like the plague on holidays. The Flash Pass, while at the expense of the people who don't want to pay or just wait in regular lines, will make a lot of extra money for the park on days like that.

With the huge prizes, that's what the lockers or bringing it to your car are for. The lockers are way overpriced though. You should also realize that you have to carry around whatever you win when you play the games though.

I understand that the park wants to make more money, but if you are a family, and start worrying about the prices just for one visit to get on all the rides, is it going to worth it that the lines are so packed, you have to get a flash pass to even go to the park at all?

A $35 dollar admission with those discounts is really not bad to get in, but you have a very high rate of parking (where you don't even get transportation like Disney), sometimes kids want to play games, buy food in the park, your family wants merchandise, and maybe even put money for the lockers.

All that stuff could be over $200 for a family of four for ONE day!! I do always say that the admission is cheap for being $35 because those rides are expensive to put in, the maintenance, and tons of employees but you also have to remember you are waiting some 45 minute waits mostly for these bigger rides. Just because you are paying some $200 to get in the park doesn't mean that you will able to get on these rides very fast!

If these parks didn't put so many of these high priced rides every other year even, they wouldn't have to charge so much money to get in these parks. The 7.5 million for the Dark Knight money just doesn't come out of thin air. All the people that come to park somehow pay a little bit for that $7.5 million. How in the world does a Busch Gardens surive?

They have around 7 roller coasters, but they are bringing in more attendance than our park. Of course, that's a year round park, but Scorpion is a really old roller coaster, they are adding a kiddie roller coaster this year, and Cheetah Chase is a mouse coaster. Sure, they do have B&M's and they have paid good money for them, but you don't seem them constantly putting in really expensive roller coasters ALL the time. For Six Flags Great America, do you ever see a less than $1 million dollar addition ever for almost every year? We are getting that parade, and the Little Dipper ride. I think that parade isn't that cheap to get!

I always say that season pass prices should be cheap because if it's barely 1 and 1/2 full admission prices to get in the park, those should be higher because you are getting almost 1.5 seasons of admissions.

Yeah i avoid the park on these days too, but i was just saying that a giant bugs is nice but why dont they give people something that they could really use like a shirt for people or i dont know boxers for men, purses for women, smaller animals for kids, i dont know the whole thing kind of seems like a waste to me thats why i dont really bother with the games anymore anyway. That and the fact that nearly every game is 3.00-5.00 seems kind of pointless i could understand if the prizes were better but they arent. Eeh to each their own if you like the games then by all means go for it.

This new plantinum flash pass is probably going to make this one of the worst seasons for me. I can just imagine that now every ride will have a row blocked off. So, for Demon, Superman, Batman, Viper, and so on that's 2 trains of people not for regular people. For Raging Bull that's 3 trains of people - I don't really care about that ride, but oh well).

So, if I go with the 4 seaters rides which are my favorite at the park, I would have to say if they dispatch a train 1 and half minutes. So, for 2 trains that's 3 minutes. So, I would expect 40 trains a hour. So, with 1 row on each train being blocked for each train, that's 4 seats X 40 trains = 160 people per hour of non-regular people - (Platinum people get to ride twice).

So, for 160 people of non-regular people, that's about 5 trains (5 * 32 people per train = around 160 people) going by per hour you have to wait for. So, that equals 7.5 minutes more per hour (1.5 = 1 train 1.5 * 5 trains = 7.5 more minutes). Granted, that doesn't seem that bad, BUT it really is a lot of time when you go on let's say 14 coasters a day. 14 coasters a day * an extra 7.5 more minutes = 105 more minutes = 1 hour and 15 minutes more per day because of this platinum garbage.

These parks are such a liar when they say they want to increase capacity because they are the ones that saying hey cut in front of other people for money, and than have lockers for money.

The thing with me is that I should love Six Flags as a corporation because I really enjoy some of their parks but I don't because a I don't like their CEO - deceptive stuff like Six Flags Great America is the cleanest park in the world., and because they do so many things wrong. They also aren't a company that doesn't knows what each other of the parks are doing. SFGAdv says no rerides, SFOG says we can lie to the public about our closing time, and SFGAm says we will open an area later.

^Really? I can't imagine a person's experience getting any worse from the way you talk

That's what they mean when they say; "You can please some of the people some of the time, etc., etc." No matter what any company does it will make some people happy and displease others.
There are also demographic differences to consider at each individual park. That dictates the differences in operations and policies.
They have McDonald's in India, but they don't sell hamburgers. They are still McDonald's and Americans who go there probably get upset that they can't get a Big Mac, but hey it's the demographics of the locale.
As for making money, that's what every business is there to do. We all love amusement parks but none of us would just open a free amusement park.
So you have to look at reinvestment. As it happens, SF reinvests a pretty high percentage comparably speaking. So they are interested in their customers, even if that interest is only to entice spending.
Beyond that (And I have said this a billion times.) The employee's of SFGA are exceptional. I wish I could hire as well as they do. I have never encountered a rude employee there. I haven't even encountered a preoccupied employee.
Next time you're at the park, really check out the employee's and the cleanliness, then go to a chain restaurant or theater, etc. You'll notice a tremendous difference!
We should all be happy that we can afford to go to an amusement park multiple times a year, that we can enjoy rides. There are a lot of people who can't afford to go even once. There are others who are wheelchair bound and can just watch the coasters from the ground. Thank G-d our biggest gripe is the cost of a locker or a longer wait in a line.

I haven't ever really seen trash on the ground at Six Flags Great America. A complete cleanliness park is one where stuff doesn't look like it needs paint badly because of rotting wood, or dust is everywhere. Have you ever went on the Dark Knight, and look up the walls? They are completely filled with dust. Have you ever looked at the fan for the Rue Le Dodge? It also is filled with dust. I have never seen trash before the implement of the park being the cleanest park in the world. In fact, that saying has gotten me to look at our park more, and see that it's more dirty than I thought it was. Will I still go? Yes! It's because it's the closest amusement park, and that doesn't really bother me much. What bothers me sorry to say is waiting an extra hour and 20 minutes per day?

To me, it just doesn't seem right when people complain about the people "cutting" the line when they just went out of line for 5 minutes to get a drink, but than the park can say well we will be able to let anyone cut for a little under the table money. Someone did extra that in line - went out of line to get I think nachos, and security said hey go back to the back of the line you are cutting. That makes no sense to me at all. That's not cutting! It wasn't mean, but that is so bad, but this is okay?

The flash pass is a nerve to me that you can deal with until they keep on pushing it, and pushing it. This is the 3rd installment of the flash pass thing. What's next? Block off whole trains just for Flash pass people.

I'm not against the park making money at all, but to me they are doing everything wrong. To me, season passes should be higher as I have always said. Secondly, the discounts are ridiculously cheap as you can get in the park for $35 a day with their discounts when park admission is about $55. The in-park spending is only around $43 maybe. That's hardly anything when the park's admission is $55. No one is paying full admission at the park that means. Plus, they are including parking. The parking pass, and parking to me is too much money. Just for parking with nothing really to gain, you are paying either $15, or $25. Also, food is too expensive. The game prices are okay.

So, to me they need to charge more admission with less discounts to get in, charge more money for season passes, have free lockers if you are going to do that, lower food prices, lower the parking pass, and lower parking rates.

If your cost just to get in the park is actually $50, than your in-park spending is already $50, not $43.

To me, nickeling and diming people is a way to make people mad that they have to keep on opening their wallet with loads of cash.

For building rides, the guy has said no more expensive rides. I don't agree with this at all. Busch Gardens, Disney, and Sea World still add expensive rides, but they don't put them in every year. To me, the park doesn't need something new every year. I would wait 3 -4 years for a major addition. To me even though I like Dark Knight and go on it a lot, but by the lines I see it was a flop. For Buccaneer Battle, no line most of the time, and that to me means it's a flop. For those additions, what did they spend about $12 million for flops?? Than, that Spy Girl was a flop, and that was like $4 million I think. So, right there that's $16 million where they could have built a better roller coaster to replace an aging roller coaster like Iron Wolf, or even though I like it, Demon is empty alot of the time. Sure, the park doesn't need another B&M for $20 some million, but what about a Euro Fighter, or a Premier ride? These are cheaper rides that pack a punch.

Than, not only that but the marketing is totally wrong. They don't want to show the flats in the commercials. They are so worried about selling the season pass than rather selling people coming to the park.

The company who I stick with is General Mills, not Six Flags who gets 20 cents a share because no one has faith in the company.

Again, I'm still going to go to the park. Just because I don't like how it's being run now more than ever, that doesn't mean I'm not going to deal with it. I really enjoy the rides in the park (not everyone, but a bunch of them). Disney might charge a little money for the parking, but you are getting something more for their parking. You are getting a monorail, or a tram for their parking = transportation. You are also getting free buses, and 2 water boat things (on at EPCOT, on to the Magic Kingdom). At Six Flags, you get a poorly paved backlot for $15, and that's it.

Jeez whatever happened to when cutting in line was wrong. :(

There are some places that just attract dust. Oily, enclosed areas especially.
I have hung lighting rigs in places that were so dusty you could barely hang on. But the area below was as clean and pristine as a surgical theater. (Allstate Arena) I have been in the mechanical areas of amusement rides that were so full of grease, grass, dirt and gunk it was hard to even walk but the ride itself was spotless.
It's difficult enough to clean up at home after ourselves. Imagine having to clean up after 25,000+ people a week.

People are more ignorant than ever. My personal favorites are throwing their garbage over the fences, not vomiting in the garbage cans, the cutting in line (but now answer me this question: during coasters after dark and season pass holder appreciation night, Is it wrong to cut in line at TDK if only some people are watching the film, and others are going straight through?), people changing their little brats diapers on the pool deck at HH, people spitting in the water ride water, NO SCRATCH THAT PEOPLE SPITTING IN GENERAL SAVE IT FOR YOUR HOUSE BUB! People running into your legs with their strollers and wheel chairs, farmer snot shots, old guys who pull out their business before actually getting to the urinal, people stealing your spot at HH, People getting the names of the rides wrong when they have the f-in map in their hand,

Dude, your shit compounds 10 times when you work there and get bitched out on a daily basis for trying to keep people from running, spitting, and fistfighting (yesterday, there was a 4 man fistfight in Orleans Place).

Well it's surely a good thing you're in no position to make a judgment call that effects how the business is run.

Airtight logic there.

2 paragraphs of bitching based solely on assumptions? Bold move Chuck.

Apparently you're unfamiliar with the concept of profit margin.

Ok, I know I'm new here and all, and there are alot of great arguments on both sides... personally, I love the flash passes. I live 3 hours away, and if for an extra 40 bucks - I can make sure I get on every ride I want to get on, you're damn sure I'm gonna do it. Especially since I just got my season pass for next year for $60.


That's not why I responded though. I responded to mention how irritated I am at the overuse of the word "THAN" when the correct word in almost every instance, would be "THEN".

Sorry, I'm an english nazi.

*$20.

It's class warfare! That's what it is! The poor people wait while the rich buy their way in!
Are we talking about Flash Passes or The White House? How's that THEN?

I'm sure as hell not rich. I work in restaurant management for $10.50/hour. It's because of that I'm willing to spend the extra money on flash passes. It makes sure my park admission doesnt go to waste from standing in line all day.

So for those of us who did not make it to the park this year what were the crowds like who were using the flash pass? Were there a lot of people using the Platinum? or was it more regular and gold? And on average what were the lines looking like, besides the obvious longer how much longer in terms of minutes etc.

really no one is going to respond?

I will, although I have never purchased a Flash Pass.

Out of the 15 or so times I visited the park in 2010, the only times a Flash Pass would have come in handy were July 4, Columbus Day weekend, and the last weekend of Fright Fest. All of those days were insane, especially the last weekend. 3.5 hours to ride Superman, anyone? (No, I did not wait in that line!)

The other times I went, it wasn't bad. The best times were mornings in late spring, and nights in September or early October...re-rides for everyone!

The only reason I'd consider buying a Flash Pass was if I only went once per year, and didn't have a Season Pass. It would have to be a prime day with good weather (and thus long lines) to make it worthwhile.

That reminds me...will they refund a Flash Pass if you purchase one and come on a slow day? The only reason I ask, is when I came on a dead night in September to process my 2011 Season Pass for the Funatics discount, I was directed to Guest Relations, since the Pass Processing Center was closed. When I walked in with the paper printout for renewal, they assumed I was there for a Flash Pass refund, before actually reading the printout.


-Mark

I just don't like the concept of Flash Passes. It seems unfairly slanted toward people with more income. Plus, it must be yet another headache for employee's to deal with besides.

Refunds are not in the six flags dictornary.

However they DO make up for it in exit passes and food coupons. If you visit the park as frequent as some of us do they are really handy.

The only thing I ever got from them was they replaced my sons season pass free when his wallet was stolen while watching Show Stoppin.

Well thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I was surely thinking that with the new flash passes it would have been a nightmare. And I totally agree with you about when to get a flash pass, though I never have gotten one. So it is safe to say that whatever my experiences have been that is what I should expect.

This board is the best! I learn something new everytime I come here.