Friday, February 17, 2012

Air service is an economic lifeline

---

By ERIC SEDER

Fly Sun Valley board president

It is becoming more apparent to our community leaders and residents that commercial air service is the economic lifeblood of our entire community. It is critical to the vast majority of local businesses, to the viability of the resort and to future economic development. Sustain Blaine estimates that 44 percent of Blaine County's jobs are directly or indirectly tied to Friedman Memorial Airport, and the overall economic impact of that air service activity is estimated at an astounding $143 million or more annually. We know that visitors and second home owners, who represent 77 percent of arrivals at Friedman (more than 40,000 people), spend an average of $1,750 per person during each visit in direct spending. And this direct spending does not include spending on items such as real estate, landscaping, design and construction, furnishings and so forth, which easily translates into millions in additional economic impact annually.

When the Federal Aviation Administration suspended work on an environmental impact statement for a replacement airport last fall, our community was faced with a new reality, one that included the possible loss of commercial air service. As that possibility has hit home, the airport's two owners (Blaine County and Hailey) and the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority have worked diligently to identify and pursue strategies that will lead to maintaining and enhancing this critical driver of our economy. With input from a wide cross-section of the community, they have recognized that we must have a short-term plan that focuses on improving reliability and access to Friedman now while continuing to pursue a relocated airport as a long-term goal.

The Airport Authority has taken several very significant steps in the months since the EIS suspension. They include:

( Asking the FAA if regional jets can operate at Friedman, a necessity if we are to maintain and improve commercial service.

( Analyzing the ability to use new technologies to improve reliability at Friedman.

( Preparing to work with the FAA on a new Airport Layout Plan to bring Friedman closer to compliance with FAA design standards.

( And undertaking a passenger demand analysis to determine how many potential Friedman passengers are leaking to Boise and other airports, an important element in building the demand that will keep airlines flying here.

These are all very important steps in maintaining an airport that works for our current and potential new air carriers, our passengers and our community.

Fly Sun Valley Alliance has been working for more than a decade to maintain and improve air service to Sun Valley, and that job has gotten much tougher over the past five years. The economic downturn has resulted in cutbacks in air service nationally, more competition for service from other communities and increased minimum revenue guarantee requirements just to maintain current air service. In turn, we have seen our seat capacity drop by 39 percent, and resulting enplanements drop by 33 percent over the past few years.

To reverse that trend, we are working on a strategic air service development plan to pursue opportunities for strengthening our current service and also attracting new nonstop service from select key markets. To be successful, this will take continued action to make Friedman Memorial Airport viable for the short to medium term and a significant step up by the community as a whole to partner economically with Sun Valley Co. and the Fly Sun Valley Alliance in providing minimum revenue guarantees and the necessary marketing support for existing and new service.

Fly Sun Valley Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve air access to Sun Valley. Read more about the organization at www.flysunvalleyalliance.com.

acheter viagra
buy viagra
comprar viagra