"Cincinnati airport's future to hinge on Delta, Comair"

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

Airport's future to hinge on Delta, Comair
By Bob Driehaus
The Cincinnati (OH) Post


Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport sees blue skies ahead for
Delta Air Lines and Comair, but there is no low-cost competition on the
horizon.

A 30-year terminal master plan, approved unanimously by the Kenton County
Airport Board Monday night, projects Delta's business will soar from about 6
million passengers boarding planes here this year to 16 million in 2030.

Comair's share will rise from about 4 million to more than 7 million,
according to the projections.

But the share for all other air carriers and commuter services is projected
to be nearly flat at about 1 million passengers using the airport throughout
the 30-year period.

John Domaschko, airport board chairman, said it's not for lack of effort
that the airport hasn't drawn another low-cost carrier since Vanguard's
short-lived stint here in the 1990s.

"We continually try to get competition here," he said.

But for planning purposes, there was no legitimate way to factor in another
carrier when none had expressed serious interest.

"There's always a ray of hope. We tried to not have a master plan on
something we have no indication is happening," Domaschko said.

Delta and Comair use Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky as a hub, which means it
draws flights from a number of other cities before flying directly to other
destinations. Other airlines use the airport as a "spoke," flying passengers
back to their hub airports before offering direct service elsewhere.

Greater Cincinnatians often pay more for tickets as the price of having a
large number of non-stop Delta and Comair flights. Nearby airports in
Dayton, Louisville and Lexington often have flights to the same destinations
for less money but with a connecting flight -- often through
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport.

Doug Goldberg, a Landrum & Brown consultant who helped forge the 30-year
master plan, reiterated it's flexible enough to accommodate a low-cost
carrier in the planned Concourse D if one commits to coming. But he said
past attempts have fallen short because of infrequent flights due to low
demand.

"They can't offer the frequency to destinations (Delta and Comair offer),"
he said.

He expects other air carriers to continue using the airport at about the
same level.

"They're going to continue to serve their hubs," Goldberg said.

The terminal master plan was approved after consultants and airport staff
worked for about two years. It calls for the eventual demolition of Terminal
3's Concourse C, and Terminals 1 and 2.

All would be replaced by an extension of Terminal 3's A and B concourses,
and a new large Concourse D just north of the existing Concourse C.

Other changes include improved interchanges with Interstate 275, a new hotel
just north of Terminal 3 and more parking garages.

Domaschko said the board appeared pleased with the plan and changes made at
the board's request. He began participating in committee meetings on the
plan in May, he said.

"I really thought the process was thorough," Domaschko said.

The plan was presented to the full airport board in May. Consultants and
staff have answered questions posed at the May meeting, including concerns
about Comair's plan to temporarily bus some passengers twice during peak
hours to get to their gates.

The plan calls for some passengers to enter the airport at the Terminal 3
security checkpoint, take a bus to Concourse C and take a second bus to
their gates at Terminal 1.

Tim Zeis, Comair vice president, said the airline is using about 55 of its
60 available gates during peak times of 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on
weekdays.

He said the airline could need more than 60 gates as early as 2004,
depending on a number of hard-to-predict variables in the volatile airline
economy.

Zeis told the airport board that the airline would try to minimize the
number of passengers having to take two buses by sending the smallest jets
to Terminal 1 during peak periods. He estimated about 300 local passengers a
day would be affected if the plan goes into effect.

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