Six Flags theme parks is introducing some new VIP programs this summer.
Parks in Gurnee; Springfield, Mass., and Arlington, Texas, recently began tours that offer guests expedited access to rides, preferred seating at shows and autograph sessions with Looney Tunes characters. Similar programs in all 29 of its theme parks are also being planned. The tours are $100 to $260 a person. Admission is included in some packages; www.sixflags.com.
After testing a behind-the-scenes tour of its Wild Safari park next to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., the company is officially rolling out the program. For $99 a person, visitors get a three-hour guided, off-road tour of the park, during which they can feed giraffes and elephants. Normally, visitors must stick to a 4.5-mile drive-through and can’t feed the animals.
The programs come at a time of lagging attendance at Six Flags. The number of visitors dropped by about 1.3 million through June 18, a 13 percent decline from a year earlier.
