HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-09-14 Airport Committee Minutes
Meeting Agenda
City of Bangor Airport Committee Meeting
City Council Chambers
rd
3 Floor
September 14, 2011 4:30
The following City Councilors were in attendance: Gerry Palmer; Nelson Durgin; Richard Bronson; and
Pat Blanchette. The following City staff were also in attendance, Airport Director, Rebecca Hupp and
Risteen Bahr. Councilor Palmer opened the meeting.
Agenda:
1. Industry Update/Overview
a. Passenger Statistics for August - Airport Marketing Director, Risteen Bahr indicated the Airport
had a 17.4% increase in August, and had a 9.7% increase year to date compared to last year.
Both USAirways and Delta increased capacity in the market.
b. Air service developments - Airport Director Hupp, indicated that we there will be new service on
th
Allegiant Air to Fort Lauderdale, FL starting on November 17. They will fly every Thursday and
Sunday. Hupp also indicated that she will be going to Tucson, AZ for the AAAE 2011 National
Airports Conference and she will be meeting with USAirways to discuss the Small Community
Grant for possible flights to DC or Charlotte.
Questions/Comments
Councilor Blanchette asked if we do any type of surveys for the passengers to fill out. Bahr indicated
that the Airport does license plates counts and there is a survey for passengers to fill out when they
access the free wi-fi. The Airport is in the process of developing survey cards as part of our Strategic
Plan.
2. Business Development Activities
Risteen Bahr discussed her trip to Philadelphia for the “Hub City” promotion. The intent of the event is
to promote Maine, specifically Bangor, as a tourism destination in markets where there is non-stop
service. The Airport partnered with the Downeast Area Regional Tourism (DART), the Maine Highlands
and the Maine Office of Tourism. The event targeted travel writers and travel agents. The Airport
hosted the Travel writers for lunch and there have already been a few articles and leads as a result of
the event. There was a Travel Agent reception in the evening. The event was very successful. Risteen
also discussed the Boyd Forecasting Conference she attended in August. At the conference they
discussed that in 2020 the average smallest aircraft will be 100 seats. The 50 seat aircraft will be retiring
in the next 10-15 years as it is not fuel efficient.
3. Authorization to appropriate Grant funds for AIP #54
Rebecca discussed that the current airfield signage is beginning to show signs of wear and tear and
needs to be replaced. By replacing all the signs, the Airport will be able to transition to LED lighted signs
and the signs will be by the same manufacturer thus simplifying maintenance and parts inventory. This
item was noted by the FAA inspector on our annual FAA Part 139 inspection and she recommended this
course of action. The grant will fund 95% of the project with the remaining 5% being split between the
Airport and the State. The grant totals $398,372.05 from the Federal Aviation Administration and
$10,483.48 from the Maine Department of Transportation.
Councilor Bronson made the motion to recommend to full Council to appropriate the grant and
Councilor Durgin seconded the motion.
Meeting adjourned.