Six Flags Blames Thin Crowds on Winter Fallout, Not Higher Prices

The chief executive officer of Six Flags Entertainment invoked “long tentacles” during a conference call on Monday, and he wasn’t talking about a new thrill ride. The nastiness of the past winter has stretched into the amusement park company’s second-quarter results through elongated school calendars and shorter holiday breaks, curbing attendance and sales. Yet Six Flags also raised admission prices this spring, helping to offset an 8 percent drop in attendance by enticing customers to spend more money at the company’s 18 parks.

Perhaps those higher prices also kept the crowds away? Six Flags executives insisted on blaming the weather and its impact on the school year, not the new prices. “We are absolutely convinced that this attendance shortfall is due to fewer visits by season pass holders and members mainly, and it’s primarily due to the school calendar and these weather issues, not pricing,” CEO Jim Reid-Anderson said. “I mean, there may be a little [pricing] element, but it’s small.”