NEW WINDSOR — Getting more air service into Stewart International Airport is hard now, with all industry trends pointing the wrong way. But there is still hope, a Stewart manager says.
Efforts to attract more airlines, or more routes by the three carriers already at Stewart, are continuing and steady, Eric Billowitz said Tuesday in briefing the Stewart Airport Commission.
Billowitz is Stewart airport manager under a contract his firm, AvPorts, has with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Airlines are struggling with a 113 percent rise in operating costs since 2000, Billowitz said. There are fewer airlines, less competition, more control over prices, and even fewer hubs being used by the major airlines. Expect fewer flights, with higher “load factors” leading to more crowded planes, he said.
“The carriers are shrinking their way to profitability,” he said. “Currently, airlines are not seeking alternatives to the big airports.” On the plus side, he said, “we get meetings with carriers,” and some “continue to assess the opportunity that the Hudson Valley represents.”
Most are frank to say Stewart is not in their plans. However, Billowitz added: “There are folks who are looking at us pretty hard right now.” One is thinking of a new Florida city. Another is weighing a Chicago connection. Another says Stewart is on the short list. But he said such hopes must be taken with caution.
James Williams, a Town of Newburgh man who saw the presentation, said, “I didn’t see many positives listed to Stewart. I saw a lot of negatives.”
Alan Seidman, head of the Construction Contractors Association, suggested a parking discount would help trim overall cost of flying out of Stewart.
Flier use so far this year is off 20 percent, said Mike Torelli, a Port business development official at Stewart.
Story and Video: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com
No comments:
Post a Comment