"Rostraver Airport income to offset Palmer Airport's losses"

Wednesday, October 13, 2004 

Rostraver Airport income to offset Palmer Airport's losses
By Dwayne Pickels
The Pittsburgh (PA) Tribune-Review


Growing income at Rostraver Airport should carry Arnold Palmer Regional
Airport through next year's operating budget even if it remains without a
commercial air carrier. 

Gene Lakin, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority,
said he expects rising rental income from 11 new T-hangars and increased
fuel sales at the general aviation airport along Route 51 in Rostraver
Township to "offset" losses at the primary airport in Unity Township. 

The authority adopted a balanced $1.87-million tentative budget for both
airports Tuesday that shows a 2.9 percent increase in expenditures for the
coming year. 

"The budget is fairly straightforward this year because we knew ahead of
time that we weren't going to go back to the (county) commissioners and ask
for more money," Lakin said. 

"But it was a little more difficult at Arnold Palmer Regional," he said. 

The spending plan -- which will be submitted to county financial
administrators for review prior to final adoption at the end of the year --
outlines some $1.5 million in planned revenues and expenditures at Arnold
Palmer Regional and $348,630 at Rostraver. 

But the budget shows nothing for revenues from airline rental fees at Arnold
Palmer Regional. 

That line item had been set at $11,232 for the current year, but brought in
only $5,678 after US Airways Express halted its daily flights to Pittsburgh
International Airport in July. 

The situation also has caused passenger fee projections to plummet from
$75,000 in the current budget to $57,500 in the tentative spending plan,
while net payroll expenses are expected to rise. 

But the new T-hangars at Rostraver are expected to jump revenues there from
$35,000 this year to $68,280 next year, while net fuels sales are plotted to
rise from $90,000 to $115,000 in 2005. 

"So we're at least going to be even for the coming year, and that works out
well," authority Chairman John Finfrock said. "It's budgeted without an
airline, but I can tell you, we're going to have an airline." 

In the hope of attracting an air carrier to fill the void left by the
commuter service, airport Manager Gabe Monzo is attending a conference in
Denver this week with executives from a number of airlines. 

Lakin said Monzo and staff from the Boyd Group/ASRC Inc., a consulting firm
the authority hired to assist in its search for air service, are at the
conference with officials from Air Tran, Northwest, Jet Blue, Frontier and
several other airlines. 

"Boyd has certainly assembled some of the right people," Lakin said.


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