AIRPORTS MEET IN TUCSON Hesperia CA

TUCSON

— Each year, airports from across the U.S. meet at the annual F. Russell Hoyt National Airports Conference. This year's theme — 'Preparing Today for Tomorrow's Success' — might have been retitled, 'Playing Catch-Up.' The capacity crisis predicted for years is upon us and airports provide the infrastructure that makes the system work. Much of the discussion at this year's conference centered on aviation reauthorization that will play a key role in how airports are able to respond to capacity needs. Airports also heard about the potential impact of Safety Management Systems on their facilities, while hearing from the head of one of the upstart air carriers that's reshaping air service for some communities — ExpressJet.

During the opening panel of prominent airports and federal officials, a discussion on whether or not the system is broken brought a mixed response. Ben DeCosta, A.A.E., general manager of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, says it is "absolutely not" broken, and points to ongoing collaboration that takes place among airports, the Federal Aviation Administration, and airlines to address needs.

Sue Stevens, A.A.E., director of the Charleston County Aviation Authority, questions that assessment. "I do think the system isn't working well," she says. "If you look at the customer experience today, it is not where it needs to be." Her assertion reflects a growing focus by U.S. airports on providing customer service to passengers, a domain once considered the airlines' territory.

Dan Elwell, acting general manager for airports at FAA, reemphasized the agency's position that a core component of meeting future capacity needs is the modernization of the air traffic control system via the NextGen program. "If we're going to build the next generation ATC system, we have to think nationally," he says.

Picking up on the national theme. San Diego County Regional Airport Authority president/CEO Thella Bowens calls for a renewed emphasis on governing the system from a nationwide perspective. "We all want self-determination for our local communities," she says. "There has to be some kind of balance" to allow for national system needs.

On the issue of what local airports can do to meet capacity challenges, the discussion turned to one of the growing topics on the airport circuit: congestion pricing. The idea of allowing airports to charge higher access fees during peak periods to manage congestion is gaining favor among airports and FAA alike.

Comments Atlanta's DeCosta, "I think it's a good idea that we should try. There ought to be some experimentation."

FAA's Elwell says that congestion pricing is "one of the options on the table," particularly as the agency concentrates on alleviating congestion in the Northeast. "It would have to be revenue-neutral," he cautions.

HERE COMES SMS

One of the hot buttons among airports this year has been the FAA's possible regulation of safety management system programs. Earlier this year, the agency issued an Advisory Circular and announced a pilot program to study how SMS should be implemented in the U.S. It's part of an international agreement to implement such systems. [For more on SMS, see page 23.]

Airports, at best, have been apprehensive at the notion of implementing a new safety regimen, concerned about unfunded mandates that may have minimal effect.

Dr. Phillip Bos, a consultant with Aerospace Business & Safety Management of Warrensburg, MO, calls SMS a Total Quality Management program for aviation safety, one that ultimately should reduce costs.

Says Bos, "SMS is based on organizations. In a healthy organization, each of the parts is interacting and communicating with the others.

"Most accidents are caused by system failure."

SMS is based on a culture of safety, he says, and one that encourages open reporting and corrective training. He points to ramp incidents involving tugs that often go unreported because they do not involve aircraft or personal injury. Such "fault points," he says, need to be identified. Feedback and the gathering of data are central to a successful SMS program, says Bos.

Jessica Domitrovich, president of Critical Path, Inc., of Fargo, ND, says that airports need a method for measuring safety. Done successfully, she says, an airport has a potential marketing tool to lure carriers, while improving morale among employees and reducing legal claims and insurance costs.

Domitrovich says that smaller airports should expect an easier time implementing SMS. A first step is to conduct a gap analysis to determine where a safety program is today and what it needs to meet SMS.

THE EXPRESSJET MODEL

Jim Ream, president and CEO of Houston-based ExpressJet Airlines, says the focus of the former Continental Airlines feeder is to connect major cities that currently rely on the hub-and-spoke system. In September, the carrier flew 4,200 trips with 274 aircraft, he says.

Some 80 percent of the ExpressJet fleet still operates within the hub-and-spoke network, he explains, but where the carrier "has a shot" at strong growth is connecting smaller cities. For airports seeking ExpressJet service, Ream advises to bring to the table a marketing knowledge of what the community wants.

"It's not a matter of you doing our work for us," says Ream. Rather, he advises that the carrier wants to be able to uncover the specific travel needs within a community that can help identify which city pairs will bring consistent load factors and long-term success.