"Despite Remodeled Terminal, Problems Persist at Dane County, Wis., Airport"

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Despite Remodeled Terminal, Problems Persist at Dane County, Wis.,
Airport
The Wisconsin State Journal


The remodeled terminal area at Dane County Regional Airport gleams with
wide expanses of windows, polished granite, wood paneling, floor mosaics
and aluminum accents.

The terminal, decorated in gold, green, brown and ochre red, will have a
less crowded lobby now that baggage screening has been moved behind the
airline check-in counters.

"Garment searching in the lobby of our terminal will disappear," said
airport director Brad Livingston.

But what three architectural firms, two general contracting firms and
about 40 members of Carpenters Union Local 314 couldn't do in the
remodeling was to persuade the airlines to schedule more direct flights
and reduce the number of delays and cancellations two common complaints.

While Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk spoke to local officials and
business leaders gathered Tuesday afternoon to view the construction
progress, a flight schedule display listed an American Connection flight
as nearly an hour late and a United Express flight as about 20 minutes
late.

Both delayed flights were from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport,
where air traffic congestion is blamed for many delays nationwide. The
late arrival of the two flights also delayed subsequent departures to
Denver and back to Chicago.

The $33 million remodeling is the second phase of a three-part airport
renovation project. Besides the lobby, the current phase includes five
new airline office spaces, self-service electronic check-in ticket
counters, a business conference room equipped with audio-visual
equipment, new restrooms and an expanded baggage pick-up area.

Falk said an advantage for Dane County was that the baggage check-in
system was designed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks so it
could incorporate the newer airline security requirements.

Livingston said airlines will move into the remodeled portion of the
terminal beginning Thursday. When they vacate the center of the
terminal, remodeling will begin in that area. The third phase includes
moving the main security checkpoint to the second floor, where stores
and food service also will be added.

The spoke-and-hub system airlines use to serve the Dane County airport
has prompted complaints by Madison area business travelers who would
like more nonstop flights to their destinations.

"While we can't control the airlines, we can make it so beautiful that
they want to come here and provide more direct flights," Falk said.
"This is the one thing we can do."

A pretty face alone, however, doesn't guarantee a date to the dance and
airline officials say they need more than a spiffy terminal to justify
nonstop flights.

"While comfortable terminal facilities certainly are a factor we
consider particularly covered loading bridges our decisions are driven
more by the demand patterns of the market and whether we believe that
the market can support nonstop service in an economically viable way,"
said Kurt Ebenhock of Northwest Airlines, the state's largest carrier.

Livingston said about 30 percent of airline travelers in the Madison
market use other airports such as Milwaukee or Chicago to fly nonstop or
avoid delays. He said more direct flights might persuade them to use the
local airport.

Businessman Tim Erdman, who attended Tuesday's event at the airport,
said he and his family drove to Milwaukee for a recent spring trip so
they could fly nonstop to Phoenix. Erdman also said he routinely drives
instead of flying to Chicago to avoid flight delays.

A poor service record by United Express earlier this year prompted U.S.
Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, to complain last week in a letter to the
airline. About 15 percent of the airline's flights between Madison and
Chicago were cancelled and about 52 percent were delayed in January and
February.

United spokesman Jeff Green said the airline's record has improved and
that weather and air traffic congestion at the Chicago airport were
causing many of the problems.

"We're very concerned about it," said Bill White, chairman of the Dane
County Airport Commission, adding that he's glad political leaders have
stepped in to help improve the service.

White said adding nonstop flights may be more difficult and that the
most popular destinations appear to be Phoenix, Houston and Atlanta.

"Getting the airlines to offer more direct flights has been one of our
primary goals for the last 15 years," he said.


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