Airport Improvements Don’t Always Lead to Air Service

Airport improvements don’t always lead to air service. Has your community built a terrific airport facility including a modern and updated terminal or recently renovated your facilities with the expectation of getting commercial airline service? Airport improvements don’t always lead to air service.

You’ve made Airport Improvements…
Have you acquired your commercial airline service yet?
If you are a small or medium-sized community the answer is very likely NO!

Contrary to some opininons…the Airline Industry and the airlines that offer flights commercially from point A to point B are NOT a Public Utility or a Not For Profit Business…Airlines operate to MAKE A PROFIT. Airport improvements don’t guarantee an airline profits and in fact may add more costs to your communities air service. MAKING A PROFIT IS THE MAIN GOAL OF AN AIRLINE NONETHELESS! If they felt your community was a shoe-in as a profitable route…well you’d likely already have the air service with them. A prettier terminal is not going to drive airline profitability.

NO COMMUNITIES AIRPORT IS ENTITLED TO COMMERCIAL AIRLINE SERVICE JUST BECAUSE THE AIRPORT IS THERE, THEY’VE MADE AIRPORT IMPROVEMENTS AND THE COMMUNITY WANTS SERVICE!

Has your community fervently pursued air service to no avail? If so…your not alone. In the last couple of years Hundreds of communities (Mostly Small Communities) have lost air service…many have lost all commercial airline service!

COMMUNITIES DON’T ALWAYS GET THE COMMERCIAL AIRLINE SERVICE THEY DESERVE BUT THEY CAN GET THE COMMERCIAL AIRLINE SERVICE THEY INVEST IN!

Community Flights believes you should answer the following Air Service questions:

What is a community to do to gain and sustain commercial air service or build up more air service to your community?

What are the airlines looking for when they consider whether to serve a community?

What are present industry trends and how do they impact efforts to get air service to small and/or medium-sized communities?

Should my community get into a risk abatement program with an airline and offer a guarantee to get desired service?

If yes how long should a risk abatement program go on and how should success be measured?

Air Service means critical access to the national transportation system and provides a large amount of positive economic impacts …what are the things a small community could and/or should do to attract air service?
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