"Regional airport officials discuss marketing ideas"

Thursday, August 21, 2003

Regional airport officials discuss marketing ideas 
By BRETT DUNLAP 
The Parkersburg (WV) News


PARKERSBURG - Area officials are looking for ways to better market the
Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport to local travelers. 

A meeting of the Wood County Airport Authority was held Wednesday with Scott
Lyon, vice president of planning with Mesa Airlines, which operates the U.S.
Airways Express flights at the airport, to discuss recent enplanements and
ways local officials might increase those numbers. Officials from Wood and
Washington counties, representatives from Sen. Jay Rockefeller's office as
well as members of the new Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport Authority
attended the meeting.
U.S. Airways Express operates five flights a day at the airport to and from
Pittsburgh on 19-seat aircraft.

Passenger numbers have been declining over the last 10 years, Airport
Manager Carolyn Strock said.

''If it continues as it has, it will only be a short matter of time before
we won't have air service here without some kind of subsidy and subsidized
air service; while better than nothing, is not desired,'' she said.

The airline industry is operating in a difficult environment since the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Lyon said.

''We are starting to see some markets rebound and are now doing better than
what they were almost a year ago,'' he said. ''However, (the Mid-Ohio Valley
Regional Airport) is not one of those markets.

''This is too important of a market to Mesa to just let that happen.''

Lyon wanted to meet with area officials to see what could be done to improve
air service and make it viable to the local market. When asked what has
worked in other areas that have seen a downturn in service, Lyon said
turnaround has come with businesses using air service locally for business
travel. Lyon and airport officials met with business leaders, including GE
Plastics and DuPont.

''The economics of a 19-seat airplane are simple but subtle,'' Lyon said.
''If we had one more person on each flight, it would make an enormous
difference.

''Any one company in this area with a snap of their fingers could make that
happen.''

There is a 14-day advance fare that is $128 round trip to Pittsburgh (from
Wood County), Lyon said.

''That is pretty cheap,'' he said. ''If people think pricing is the issue
and they want to stimulate that, we will be happy to work with that.
However, we do not control all the pricing.''

Flight prices from Pittsburgh to places like Las Vegas will be controlled by
U.S. Airways, Lyon said. Area business travelers would love to fly out of
the local airport because they can get through the security screening
process quicker, Wood County Commissioner Bob Tebay said.

Screenings at the local airport take about an hour as opposed to larger
airports in Charleston and Columbus which can take up to three hours,
officials said.

It often comes down to the price and whether it is cheaper to drive to other
airports or stay locally, they said.


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