Do You Have Airline Service, an Airline Service Effort or an Airline Service Program?
Your answer often indicates whether you are sustaining or growing your airline service!
Definitions
Airline Service:
You have commercial airline service at your airport.
Airline Service Effort:
You do leakage and other data studies, you pursue air service with the airlines and you market commercial airline service at your airport.
Airline Service Program:
You execute an airline service effort AND focus and regularly involve multi-community agencies and businesses on developing an air service strategic plan as well as consistent on-going flight support.
Likely Outcomes
Airline Service:
Unsupported air service is highly challenged to sustain or to grow due to competition with other airports who want air service growth and may put in a strong development and support effort.
Airline Service Effort:
While an air service effort will likely help you outperform airports that have unsupported air service this still is not a maximum community effort that is often required to lead your airport to sustained or growing air service.
Airline Service Program:
Provides airports with the best chance to sustain or grow air service markets or seat capacity at your airport.
If you have anything less than an air service program you should pursue developing one. Community awareness and active engagement in your air service is a potential competitive advantage in regards to sustaining or growing air service. This will often increase resources dedicated to air service success whether funding or other in-kind support.
In today’s highly competitive airline industry environment, just having airline service or putting in less than a maximum airline service support and development effort, will not only challenge any goals of growing air service but also your goals of maintaining air service.
When your air service is such a critical part of your community economic infrastructure, investing in an air program will typically bring a strong return on this investment.
Community Flights has extensive experience and a strong track record in developing air service programs that sustain and grow small community airport air service. Contact us to help you with developing stronger air service stakeholder driven community air service program.
Scott Stewart is the Chief Community Air Service Facilitator 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 mobilize community support efforts and help clients, bridge the “air service understanding gap” with the airlines. This creates an airline and community win-win air service support and performance environment. You can find more info about Community Flights at www.communityflights.com. You can contact Scott Stewart directly at scott@communityflights.com .