If you're a teenage roller coaster enthusiast who takes advantage of free or discounted tickets to visit amusement parks, Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is making it clear it doesn't want your business.
The nation's largest regional theme park company, which operates Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia and 26 other parks across North America, is trying to attract more middle-class families by raising ticket prices and upgrading its food, beverages and amenities. At the same time, it is eliminating promotional deals, freebies, discounts and all-you-can-eat meal packages that have drawn teenagers and lower-income parkgoers.
Too many discounts and promotional deals have turned the amusement parks into "a cheap day-care center for teenagers," Six Flags President and Chief Executive Selim Bassoul said during an August earnings report. He wants to put an end to that with what he calls his "premiumization initiatives."
