Effects of Airline Industry Changes on Small- and Non-Hub Airports (2015) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 163-173
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From page 163... ...
163 C H A P T E R 9 9.1 Introduction This chapter provides recommended ASD strategies for airport managers and community leaders in communities with small- or non-hub airports to use in retaining or attracting new air service. The strategies presented here were developed as a result of synthesizing the quantitative data contained in Chapters 3, 7, and 8 and the qualitative data presented in Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7.
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From page 164... ...
164 Effects of Airline Industry Changes on Small- and Non-Hub Airports carriers to shift company focus from market share to profitability has led to an overall strategy of constrained demand across the industry that has resulted in a shift from smaller, lessefficient 50-seat regional jets to larger aircraft which has led to the reduction of flights in many smaller communities. Additionally, many communities are surprised to learn of internal airline policies that prohibit route planners to approve new routes that fly over an existing network hub, even if local demand justifies a new service.
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From page 165... ...
Strategies 165 uncertainty or is the announcement of new flights by airlines entirely a function of external factors? The answer is somewhere between these extremes.
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From page 166... ...
166 Effects of Airline Industry Changes on Small- and Non-Hub Airports Airline and Community Incentive Programs Response Score Does your airport currently offer fee waivers or reduced terminal rent for new air carriers or new service by existing air carriers? Yes=1 No=0 Does your airport currently offer marketing support for new air service?
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From page 167... ...
Strategies 167 As shown in each series of questions, it is suggested that each answer be converted into a simple integer score that can be summed to provide an overall assessment of whether an airport is strong or weak in each category. Although this simplification may not capture all the ways in which airports vary with respect to air service development, it provides a straightforward framework in which to consider different strategies for retaining or improving airline service.
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From page 168... ...
168 Effects of Airline Industry Changes on Small- and Non-Hub Airports in airline attraction committees can help foster connections and trust with other members of the business community that may result in the open exchange of information such as business expansion plans or travel records that can be used to attract new air service. • Plan to Routinely Meet to Quantify Both Realized and Unrealized Demand for Air Service Generated by Changes in Economic Indicators and Demographic Factors One of the comments made by airline route planners was that airport managers and economic development officials are often not effective in quantifying existing and potential demand within their communities.
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From page 169... ...
Strategies 169 Small- and non-hub airports that have achieved a diverse air service profile including multiple legacy-carrier routes to network hubs and LCC service to O&D markets should develop ASD plans that focus on retaining existing service while looking to expand the number of flights or increase aircraft size with existing carriers. If the demand in a market increases due to seasonality or a new employer moving into a region, airport and community leaders are often able to use their relationships with incumbent carriers to quickly add new flights or move to a larger aircraft to accommodate the increase in demand rather than trying to attract a new carrier to the airport.
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From page 170... ...
170 Effects of Airline Industry Changes on Small- and Non-Hub Airports groups, public forums, and media appearances on airline industry trends such as consolidation and fleet realignments that ultimately affect the success of the community in gaining new service. Such a program will enable the airport and community to set realistic expectations for service gains while allowing airport officials to focus on meeting with air carriers rather than defending their actions to the media and community.
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From page 171... ...
Strategies 171 • Pursue Alternative Modes of Transportation, Including Passenger Bus or Rail Service, to Supplement Existing Air Service Airports with limited existing flight options should pursue alternative modes of transportation including airport bus service and train service to supplement their existing service. Many small- and non-hub airports are within a 2- to 3-hour drive of a major network hub.
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From page 172... ...
172 Effects of Airline Industry Changes on Small- and Non-Hub Airports through a travel bank is not likely to be effective. If a community is simultaneously trying to attract two airlines, one with mainline and one with RJ service, its incentive program must be flexible enough to allow for minimum revenue guarantee funds to be shifted to the mainline service while shifting more on-airport fee waivers to the RJ flight.
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From page 173... ...
Strategies 173 9.4.10 Weak Level of Community Engagement • Establish Education and Outreach Programs that Communicate the Value of the Airport to the Community Airport managers in communities with weak engagement face the difficult task of trying to remind the community that their airport has value to the region, even though many citizens may never have used or been to the airport. A way to overcome the lack of awareness of the airport more generally is to hold frequent, regular education and outreach meetings with key civic groups (e.g., the Lions Club or the Rotary)
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