"North Carolina Airport Considering Additional Guest Services"

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Airport may add guest services
By Mark Barrett
The Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times


ASHEVILLE - Asheville Regional Airport may start finding hotel rooms for
airline passengers, carrying their bags and helping them pick a good
restaurant. 

The airport's governing board on Friday discussed a plan to establish a
guest services desk in the terminal at an estimated annual cost of more than
$400,000. It would likely open during the second half of this year or early
2008.

A mix of paid staffers and volunteers would provide travel information, make
arrangements for taxicab service for passengers and provide services like
shipping and faxing. The airport would contract with a private company that
would provide skycaps to help arriving and departing passengers with their
bags.

A skycap helps some arriving passengers now, but only some airlines use the
service. A for-profit welcome center in the terminal - it relied on sales of
souvenirs and local products and fees it collected to distribute brochures -
closed earlier this winter. A ground transportation desk currently helps
with cabs.

Mostly favorable comments from board members suggest there is a good chance
the guest services plan will end up in the airport authority's 2007-08
budget, which is to be voted on April 13.

"Part of our mandate is to take care of people," said board member and
Buncombe County Commissioner David Gantt. "We are a tourist destination. . I
think it fits perfectly" with the local economy.

Board member Rhett Grotzinger, however, expressed concern about the cost of
the plan.

"It's a feel-good thing," he said. "I question the need for it now."

Airport officials portray the plan as a way of giving passengers another
reason to use Asheville Regional instead of other airports.

"We have to find ways to separate ourselves more and more from a customer
service standpoint," Airport Director Dave Edwards said.

Rental car facility

The board also approved a $6.8 million contract with Buncombe Construction
Co. to build a facility for rental car companies to store and maintain their
vehicles on property to the south of the employee parking lot near the
southern end of the airport runway.

Removing current rental car facilities will free up 200 to 300 parking
spaces for the public, said Patti Michel, director of airport and public
relations. The airport currently has about 1,300 public spaces.

 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************