How to Communicate Air Service Opportunities and Incentives with the Airlines
Airlines are frequently contacted by communities requesting new or improved air service. Before contacting a carrier, prepare for the conversation by gathering technical data to support your request for new or improved air service. Information regarding the development of technical data can be found under Explore: Air Service. As part of the preparation, it can be helpful to consider a new air service request from the airline’s perspective of “Will this be a profitable venture?”
In order to evaluate the question of profitability, airline representatives will often want to know the answers to the following questions:
- How many passengers fly each way, each day, between your community and other destinations?
- What is the level of commitment from your community? Is your community committed to using the service? A broad base of local support is highly valued by the airlines.
- What is the most cost-effective way to structure the service? You must be able to understand an airlines route structure and be willing to minimize local operating costs.
- Will new service be affected by competition from existing service or service at nearby airports? Be prepared to address concerns regarding competitive responses.
- How can local demand be stimulated or how can you increase the number of passengers to ensure future viability? You can identify tactics to increase local awareness.
ACRP Report 18 Passenger Air Service Development Techniques, Chapter 9, outlines the information that can be presented to airlines, how it can be organized, and how to approach an airline.
Relationships with incumbent carriers are an important part of air service development efforts. Open dialog and regular meetings will help you understand what is happening on existing routes in terms of load factors, flight timing, on-time performance, and airfares. Open dialogue with the carriers also allows you to discuss concerns and pinpoint where service may need to be adjusted. Incentives to incumbent carriers for improved service are also a reasonable consideration.