Greater Rochester International Airport

Cost control┬áGreater Rochester International Airport has welcomed a record number of travelers this past year. Keith Regan learns how the airport continues to build on its strengths to keep down the cost of flying. When aviation director David Damelio talks with airlines considering flying out of Rochester, he doesnÔÇÖt try to compare Monroe County to larger airports across the US or even his closest competitor, the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, located just 60 miles away. ÔÇ£If IÔÇÖm at a national conference and people call us a small airport, I donÔÇÖt think thatÔÇÖs a bad thing,ÔÇØ says Damelio. ÔÇ£This isnÔÇÖt JFK or OÔÇÖHare, but weÔÇÖve got signature airlines and weÔÇÖre always looking to attract more carriers.ÔÇØ In recent years, low-cost carriers such as Jet Blue and Airtran have been attracted to Rochester, in part because it manages to keep its landing fees relatively low with strict cost control measures, helping to lower the average cost of flying and increasing additional flying traffic. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre not necessarily in competition with Buffalo or the airports in New York City,ÔÇØ Damelio says. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre in competition with other airports our size. When it comes to the carriers making decisions about where theyÔÇÖre going to fly out of, they want to know what the costs to operate out of our facility are going to be. If a low-cost carrier is looking at giving us another Florida service, they want to know about our passenger services and how we manage our operational costs in comparison with other airports that are similar to us.ÔÇØNine airlines fly out of the airport, which also maintains general aviation and private aircraft. Because the Rochester area is the hometown of several large corporations, such as Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, and Paetec, more than 60 percent of the airportÔÇÖs passenger traffic is made up of business travelers. Keeping costs down is critical because having low-cost carriers at a facility can help bring down overall costs for passengers. But those carriers also closely watch the landing fees they pay, so airlines that contract with the airport appreciate an airport that demonstrates budgetary restraint. ÔÇ£If our fees were to go up two or three cents, that wouldnÔÇÖt seem like much, but it makes a difference to the low-cost carriers because their margins are so tight,ÔÇØ Damelio says.Last month, USAirports, one of the two companies providing services such as repairs, refueling, and de-icing at Greater Rochester International purchased the other, Landmark, making the Rochester airport like the Buffalo and Albany airportsÔÇöwith a single fixed-base operator handling all services. ÔÇ£I think it is a good thing for us,ÔÇØ Damelio says, since nationally, mid-sized airports like Rochester increasingly are served by a single operator. ÔÇ£We had two (fixed-base operators) struggling to be successful in our market. I donÔÇÖt think there was enough business for two.ÔÇØHaving one fixed-base operator at the airport should bring quicker turnaround for services like de-icing and fueling since a single company will service all the commercial airlines flying out of Rochester instead of two smaller ones, each serving some airlines.Keeping operational costs under control can be a challenge in the larger aviation environment, where employee costs and fuel costs are rising dramatically. ÔÇ£There are factors that are out of your control, such as fuel costs and snow removal demand, but itÔÇÖs about being aware of the factors you can control,ÔÇØ says Damelio.Rochester has the added challenge of being located in the upper New York state snow belt. The National Weather Service says it is one of the 15 snowiest cities in the US, with almost eight feet falling in an average year. During the recent holidays, one winter storm caused travel problems all over the country, but not for Greater Rochester International. Damelio says that the runways at Rochester were in good shape, and with airport employees working 12-hour shifts or longer to ensure that everyone made it to their destination for the holidays, the only thing that slowed travelers down in Rochester were cancellations from other airports. ÔÇ£I think that year to year, day to day, any time you get a storm, we just try to attack each storm individually, and this one we certainly came out ahead,ÔÇØ said Damelio. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖd put our operations crew up against anyone in the Northeast.ÔÇØ Damelio believes the longevity of employment is also a factor, as many of the people on the operations crew have been with the airport 15 years or longer. ÔÇ£They have a great deal of experience and we also try to make sure they have the equipment to do the job.ÔÇØThe airport is owned and operated by the Monroe County Airport Authority, which Damelio credits with supporting the airportÔÇÖs efforts to remain competitive and stay ahead of the trends in the industry. The airport follows a long-term master plan, with funding approved by the county and legislature as needed.┬á┬á┬áA $30 million terminal upgrade is in progress, with a top-to-bottom renovation of a passenger concourse that focused not only on aesthetic upgrades but service improvements, such as free wireless Internet access and a video paging system for hearing-impaired passengers. The latest improvement is a public viewing area, offering visitors a scenic view of the airportÔÇÖs main runway, as well as comfortable seating, new concessions, and a new convenience store. The post-9/11 security landscape has altered the entire aviation industry and smaller airports have been among those most impacted. At Rochester, being willing to innovate has helped minimize the impacts of the new security requirements. Utilizing a $16 million grant obtained by County Executive Maggie Brooks last year, the airport moved its main screening checkpoints to a single centralized location. The result is that 80 percent of the building is now in a secure area. ÔÇ£There was concern beforehand among the vendors and shops that business would go down, but the fact is that the main anxiety a traveler has is getting through security,ÔÇØ Damelio says. Instead, many of the vendors saw a 20 percent spike in business when the checkpoints were moved. ÔÇ£Once people get through security, and they realize they donÔÇÖt have to rush to their gate, they can slow down and have that cup of coffee or do some shopping because they know theyÔÇÖre going to make their flight.ÔÇØ ÔÇô Editorial research by Jim Rose