Holidays treat Springfield airport passengers kindly

“This airport is a little bit different when it comes to the holidays,” said Kent Boyd, the Springfield airport’s public information and marketing director. “Most people assume it’s going to be really crowded here. But the reality is that we’re flying so close to capacity year-round that we don’t see a big push of people through here during the holidays.”

November estimates just released by the airport show 78,587 total passengers, up 9 percent from 2006 – but it’s only the fifth-busiest month of the year. June, with more than 85,354 passengers, was the busiest.

“The holidays are the same for us as today or tomorrow,” added Springfield Director of Aviation Gary Cyr, who noted that large hubs such as Denver or Dallas typically experience a 15 percent or more increase in passenger numbers on the days before and after Thanksgiving.

Boyd said that the Springfield airport usually runs at about 85 percent capacity, and the demographics of those passengers are a factor for the steady travel activity. Cyr said nearly 45 percent of passengers are traveling for business, which would decrease around a holiday and counteract an increase in leisure travel demand.

Fixing the leak

Meanwhile, the airport continues to struggle with an estimated 30 percent leakage of local travelers who drive to airports in Kansas City, St. Louis and Tulsa, Okla., in pursuit of cheaper airfare.

The $119 million midfield terminal project, slated for completion by the end of 2008, would offer a new facility for travelers and airlines – but Boyd said it probably won’t attract additional airlines, which is the quickest way to reduce ticket costs.

“A new terminal doesn’t really mean much to an airline,” Boyd said. “All they care about is how many seats they can sell.”

Cyr said the new terminal could indirectly address the problem by creating more efficient operations and offering the ability for future expansion, an option not available at the current terminal.

That could help to keep in Springfield some of the estimated 182,000 people who annually drive to flights at other airports; Boyd points out that fares go down when availability goes up, which is not possible at the existing terminal.

But most carriers, Cyr added, are not looking to add airports to their itinerary.

“Attracting new airlines in the market today is a major challenge, because they’re not flying any excess aircraft – they’re flying a set fleet, and they’re maximizing the seats on that fleet,” he said.

The new terminal also will help to handle the 2.5 percent annual growth in passenger numbers projected for the airport. Cyr said that figure is in line with the national average growth rate.

Terminal progress

Terminal construction is on schedule, Cyr said, noting that much of the steel structure is in place – some of which wasn’t scheduled for installation until February. Ductwork and dividing walls also are in place in the basement.

He added that the entrance road has been graded, as have the parking lots that will hold 1,500 cars; both are awaiting asphalt to be poured in the spring.

Passenger Survey

Missouri State University marketing professor John Kent will present the results of his biannual passenger survey, which includes information from departing passengers’ hometowns, travel destinations, ages, genders, lengths of stay in Springfield and methods of booking airline tickets at the Airport Board’s Dec. 20 meeting.

The meeting begins at 8 a.m. in the boardroom at the airport, 5000 W. Kearney St.