Tri-State Airport cutting costs

EDITOR’S NOTE:  As part of my Reporting Public Affairs class at Marshall University, I have been asked to pick an organization and sit in on their meetings for the next three months.  I have chosen to cover the Tri-State Airport Authority.  Once a month I will write an article that will convey what happened at those meetings.

Tri-State Airport saw a record number of boardings in 2009, but even this could not save them from recession and will lead to cost cutting in the near future.

While Tri-State Airport saw more enplanements last year than they have since 1980, decreased fuel sales across the nation and a lower profit margin for commercial flights versus that of general aviation has caused a loss in revenue.

Airport Executive Director Jerry Brienza said that all of the airport’s departments were within their budget, but they were still going to need to cut expenses by 4 ½ percent.  Brienza said they could avoid layoffs by getting creative and cutting back overtime pay.

“The last thing we want to do is lay people off,” Brienza said. “Everyone is consolidating and cutting back.”

Another way that Brienza is hoping to drum up revenue is by adjusting the rent on the planes that are left at the terminal by basing the numbers on the amount of fuel they are buying or possibly configuring a major fuel discount program comparable to other fixed-base operations (FBO).

Brienza also said that there have been talks to open up a gift shop somewhere in the building and there were three people who have expressed interest.  Brienza said that one of the three was a major business, but he was not willing to give up the name of that business just yet.

Even though Brienza is looking to cut costs, he is also searching for ways to gain income so that he can have the FBO upgraded.

The Tri-State Airport Authority voted on Thursday to furnish $10,000 toward Phase 1 of a multi-phase plan to make Tri-State Airport up to par with other FBOs in the surrounding areas.  These upgrades will include new furniture in the lobby, new televisions and some remodeling to the pilot’s lounge.

Brienza said that overall they would need an investment of around $100,000 to get everything up to par.  Part of this money would be used to remodel the customer service area and the bathrooms.

Brienza said that he hoped to barter with local businesses to get some of the other work done at a lower price.  One of these businesses was Marshall University.  The airport authority would like to offer the university advertising inside of the FBO in exchange for financing toward other remodeling projects.

One final way that Brienza and members of the airport authority are hoping to raise revenue is by increasing the parking fee from $6 a day to $7.

This extra money will go to airport operations, with 10 percent going toward improving parking and funding a new parking garage.

Before the close of the meeting, Authority member Scott Bias proposed that Brienza get in contact with the Cabell County Commission because they are offering $4 million in low interest loans that could go toward building a new parking facility.