"Commentary: Let's solve our airport quandary with bold thoughts"

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

Commentary
Let's solve our airport quandary with bold thoughts
By David Nicklaus
The St. Louis (MO) Post-Dispatch


American Airlines dealt a major blow to St. Louis' civic pride last week
when it halved its flight schedule at Lambert Field. 

St. Louisans have two instinctive responses to such a situation. We scale
back our expectations, and our expenditures, to reflect our reduced station
in life. And we comfort ourselves with soothing statements from those in
power. 

This time, that's not enough. We need to see through all the polite language
and realize that we've basically been dumped. Then we need to start planning
for an airport that will meet our needs 20 or 30 years from now - not
American Airlines' needs, but St. Louis' needs. 

When American officials say St. Louis is important to them, they're just
being nice. The only thing that's important to the airline right now is
survival. Even when they say St. Louis is still a hub, they're telling a
white lie. What kind of hub has no direct flights to the next big city to
the west (Kansas City) and has only turboprop service to the nearest city to
the east (Indianapolis)? 

Let's face it: Lambert may never again rank among the nation's 10 busiest
airports, as it did just five years ago. It may not even crack the top 20 by
next year. (It was No. 17 last year.) 

But Lambert's still a vital link to the outside world for St. Louis
residents and businesses. It's still an important source of employment. 

St. Louis cannot respond to these cutbacks with its traditional mixture of
nostalgia and hand-wringing. It's time to take bold action. 

First, we must complete the billion-dollar runway expansion that's under
way. Second, we must replace or rebuild the terminal at Lambert. 

Ironically, American's decision could provide the opportunity to do
something that's been needed for a long time. 

"St. Louis desperately needs a new airline terminal," said Mark Abels, a
public relations consultant and former Trans World Airlines executive. "It's
always been so full, that would have been like trying to build the ship and
sail the ship at the same time. 

"We're clearly facing a period where, because a lot of gates are going to be
empty, there's an opportunity to sail the ship and build a new ship right
next to it." 

American is closing 31 gates on Lambert's B, C and D concourses. That's
plenty of room to accommodate the other airlines that now use 12 gates on
Lambert's westernmost A concourse. 

Now, I'm no airport planner, but it seems like there's an opportunity to
tear down the west end of the current terminal and start building something
brand new. If we really hope to attract more than a few extra flights from
thriving discount airlines like Southwest, JetBlue and AirTran, a modern,
efficient terminal has to rank as a plus. 

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay appears to understand the need for action. Slay
is preparing to appoint a task force to study the city's aviation needs. His
chief of staff, Jeff Rainford, says the task force will be under orders to
provide outside-the-box thinking. 

The big question before the task force, Rainford said, will be: "What can we
do to maintain Lambert as the economic hub of the region for the next 20
years?" 

"For the last 10 or 15 years, St. Louis has been at the mercy of the
vagaries of the airline industry," Rainford added. "We just stood back and
got walloped every time the industry goes bad." 

Instead of merely reacting to crisis after crisis, Slay wants the city to
articulate a vision of its own aviation future. 

The mayor is seeking funding, and members, for the task force from the
Regional Chamber and Growth Association, the Regional Business Council,
Civic Progress and other business groups, Rainford said. 

He should set one strict requirement for membership: Only bold thinkers need
apply.


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