Air Service Choices Should be Prioritized by Best Spend and Greatest Return on Investment Principles
Prioritize air service choices by set standards of “Best Spend” and “Greatest Return on Investment”. This will help your community air service succeed. Starting with the best opportunities (the center of the bulls-eye), and slowly moving out to riskier options will lead to better risk management and overall program stability.
You must remember that air service that is more successful requires less funding support. This air service is easier for a community to sustain. You should set as a priority choosing air service where there is a high passenger demand over aspirational service where you hope to develop a market. Once you’ve exhausted the markets that are most likely to self-support themselves, you can then look to develop market demand in new markets.
When you don’t prioritize your air service choices effectively, you can damage you ability to maximize air service to your community. It can lead to service not being self-sustaining or exhausting your funding sources. Your air service choices can then impede your ability to execute on other air service opportunities. Many airlines require community partners in supporting air service, which requires funding. Without sufficient community funding in today’s airline industry, opportunities are non-existent or can often become unrealized. Airlines often move on to other opportunities in other communities where the funding is present.
When you prioritize your air service choices wisely you can put your air service program on a firm foundation today and into the future.
Community Flights has developed over 35 best practices and guiding principles for communities looking to improve their air service. The above is just a small sample of a complete guidebook of best practice.
If you’d like to receive the complete guidebook for FREE: Community Flights Air Service Development Best Practices and Guiding Principles, email: scott@communityflights.com and ask that we send the full guide.
Scott Stewart is the principle of Community Flights; an air service support, development and management company. Community Flights works with communities, organizations or businesses on leveraging the great economic asset that air service is for economic gain. Scott formed Community Flights in January 2013 to help mobilize community support efforts and guide clients in bridging the “air service understanding gap” with the airlines to create an airline and community win-win air service support and performance environment. You can find more info about Community Flights at www.communityflights.com. Contact Scott Stewart directly at scott@communityflights.com