"Florida airport sees future with online perks"

Thursday, August 26, 2004

Airport sees future with online perks
BY DUANE MARSTELLER
The Bradenton (FL) Herald


SARASOTA - Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is looking to
technology to help it bring back passengers and attract more airline
service.

The airport is considering hiring a Web designer to revamp the airport's
Web site to add interactive features, including real-time airfare
comparisons and online booking of flights, hotel rooms and rental cars.
Airport officials also plan to spend $300,000 to buy computers, software
and other ticketing equipment to help lower airlines' startup costs, and
are making plans to establish a Wi-Fi network in the passenger terminal.

"The technology is there. Let's use it," Fred Piccolo, the airport's
president and chief executive, told the Sarasota-Manatee Airport
Authority on Wednesday. "It's worth a shot. I realize it's an expensive
shot, but it's worth a try."

Piccolo wanted the board to pay TravWell Inc. $155,300 in the next three
years to overhaul and host the airport's Web site, www.srq-airport.com,
and model it after one the company made for Lansing Capital City Airport
in Lansing, Mich. Authority members tabled a decision until next month.

The Lansing airport's Web site, www.flylansing.com, has several
interactive features not found on other airport sites, said Michael
Knox, TravWell's chief executive and founder. It allows users to compare
current airfares at Lansing and neighboring airports, search for and
reserve flights, hotel rooms and rental cars, and calculate their total
trip costs, including gasoline, travel time and parking.

A revamped Sarasota-Bradenton site also could include a membership
program, giving registered users perks such asparking discounts and
notification of fare sales, he said. Since starting seven months ago,
the Lansing site has 22,000 registered users, Knox said.

Piccolo said the fare-comparison feature would combat public perception
that it costs more to fly from Sarasota-Bradenton than other nearby
airports, notably Tampa International. That, coupled with fewer
destinations and limited low-fare airline service, has caused
Sarasota-Bradenton to lose more than two-thirds of its market to other
airports.

"This is a way to change that mind-set," Piccolo said. "This is also a
way to make the sale and get the buy right there. We would make it
one-stop shopping . . . we'd be creating our own Expedia in a way."

But some authority members were hesitant to make an immediate decision,
fearing a repeat of the ill-fated SRQ FLA USA marketing program. That
campaign, which featured a discount card that rewarded frequent airport
users, abruptly ended when the card program's vendor went out of
business two years ago.

"It went kaput and made the airport look terribly bad," authority member
Paul Sharff said.

Other board members said they first wanted to talk to Lansing airport
officials before committing.

"I don't disagree that this is a good idea, I just want to be more
comfortable with it," authority member Jack Rynerson said.

Authority members were comfortable in committing $300,000 to Air
Transport IT Services Inc. to install a universal passenger-processing
system that can be used by any airline.

Instead of bringing their own computers, printers and other equipment
when they initiate service at the airport, airlines could lease time on
the airport's system. That would make Sarasota-Bradenton more attractive
to airlines by lowering their startup costs, airport officials said.

The first users likely will be Jetsgo and Conquest Vacations, both of
which plan to initiate service to Canada later this year.

Airport officials also are in the beginning stages of developing a Wi-Fi
network, said Jean Hoogacker, the airport's information technology
services manager. It likely will be several months before a draft plan
is ready, she said.

Also Wednesday, the authority:

   . Reviewed the airport's proposed $16.8 million fiscal 2005 budget.
The proposal calls for lowering airlines' costs to use the airport,
giving airport employees a 2.5 percent cost-of-living raise and holding
parking rates steady. The board plans to hold a public hearing and adopt
the budget Sept. 27.

   . Approved Rectrix Aerodome Center Inc.'s application to establish a
fuel dispensing facility at the airport.


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