Friday, June 13, 2014

Trenton-Mercer Airport (KTTN) to seek out advertisers in effort to increase revenues

TRENTON — County officials are looking to raise revenues at Trenton-Mercer Airport by seeking out advertisers interested in reaching the 1 million people expected to pass through the terminal building each year.

The Mercer County Board of Freeholders unanimously passed a resolution Thursday night authorizing competitive contracting for a marketer to seek advertisers at the airport.

Prior to the meeting, Julie Willmot, county spokesperson, said the move would be similar to efforts undertaken by other transportation hubs such as train or bus stations, and the effort would not involve advertising the airport itself.

Andrew Mair, county administrator, said it is unclear how much revenue the move could generate.

“It’s a trial balloon. It’s going to be a learning experience,” he said, noting the county has pursued similar efforts with its TRADE buses, which provide transportation to eligible county residents.

For now, the advertising efforts would focus on indoor facilities only, he said, though the county could consider gauging advertisers’ interest in airport shuttle buses in the future.

The contract would be a two-year pact with a one-year optional extension. A timeline for awarding the contract was not immediately available.

“We’re always looking for possible revenue enhancements at the airport,” he said, acknowledging that much of revenue generated is required by law to go back into the airport.

“In terms of generating a profit in a business sense that we could use to offset taxes, there’s a limited ability to do that,” he said.

Recently, the airport has come closer to breaking even, in part due to the success of Frontier Airlines, though Mair said he did not have a formal status report.

“Our parking is continuing to expand and alternative sources of revenue are still being sought out,” he said.

In March, it was reported that airport revenues had grown from $2.6 million in 2012 to $3 million last year. To support upgrades, the airport operating budget also increased from $4 million to $4.9 million in 2013. County officials have said that airport deficits have been on the downward path in recent years.

Also at the meeting, the board extended its contract with Enterprise Leasing Co. of Philadelphia, LLC for lease of space at the airport for auto rentals.

Source:  http://www.nj.com

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