Air service studies provide a detailed examination of the required quality of present and future air carrier service. R.A. Wiedemann & Associates conducts all types of air service improvement studies including Essential Air Service (EAS) evaluations, Air Service Feasibility studies, statewide or regional air service improvement studies, and support for community air service promotion programs.
In recent years increased recognition has been given the value of scheduled air service to small communities. The needs of these communities are generally such that commuter service may be justified and economically feasible while service by larger major or national carriers is not. Commuter system plans identify potential points of air commuter service, evaluate alternative route structures, recommend aircraft types to be used, define appropriate schedules, and evaluate the financial implications of such service. Typically, these studies are performed either for individual airports, states, or multi-state regions.
As regional service carriers develop and merge with other national or regional carriers, many small communities throughout the nation have begun to experience either inadequate levels of service or loss of service. This is due either to lack of competition, or a lack of vision at the smaller carriers. A key element of air service improvement studies are forecasts of both constrained and unconstrained demand.
In an effort to better serve our clients, R.A. Wiedemann & Associates offers, as one of its services, the preparation of air service improvement studies. These studies have been prepared on an individual basis or have been incorporated in our airport master planning and system planning studies. Through these efforts, Mr. Wiedemann has become well known in the nation in the preparation and development of air service systems studies. Some of the air service studies in which Mr. Wiedemann has participated include the following:
R.A. Wiedemann & Associates was selected as a part of a project team (with InterVISTAS) to perform on-call air service improvement program work for Niagara Falls International Airport. The airport has Direct Air service to West Palm Beach, FL but is looking to expand into international and other domestic markets. New airline service is being sought from Air Berlin, Hainan Airlines, Allegiant, and many others. R.A. Wiedemann & Associates role in the project is to provide demand forecasting capabilities, video production for a five minute promotional video, and graphics production. R.A. Wiedemann & Associates is also engaged as the subconsultant developing air service demand forecasts for Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The overlap in working in this study area is proving to be very beneficial.
R.A. Wiedemann & Associates, Inc. was selected in 2009 to perform an air service feasibility study for central Delaware. This study was funded under the Small Community Air Service Development Grant Program. The City of Dover is the capital of Delaware and is not served by an airline. Because of the significant corporate business in Delaware, many Fortune 500 companies have established headquarters and offices in the State. All of these companies must use airline airports outside of Delaware to travel to the State. The City of Dover and Kent County are interested in establishing airline service at the Civil Air Terminal at Dover Air Force Base. The Civil Air Terminal has an FAR Part 139 certificate in support of NASCAR charter flights into and out of Dover Downs. Inquiries have already come from Allegiant Airlines as a possible carrier. In addition, the feasibility study is considering the possibility of commuter service to Dulles in association with United Airlines. The study was completed in June, 2010 with the remaining possibility of service from Allegiant.
In the spring of 1995, R.A. Wiedemann & Associates was retained by the Chautauqua County Airport Authority to develop a program to improve the air service at Chautauqua County Airport. This assistance was needed in order to remedy the 1994 departure of Chautauqua Airlines (part of the USAir Express fleet), which was based at the airport. Replacement service was offered by Liberty Airlines (another USAir Express carrier). Since that replacement service has been offered, significant declines in passengers have been recorded. The challenge to R.A. Wiedemann & Associates was to determine whether or not the declines were based on a lack of knowledge about the air service offered at the airport or poor air service. If the deficiency was based on a lack of general knowledge of air service schedules, etc., an advertising and marketing program would be developed to educate the local community air travelers on the availability, frequency, and quality of air service at the local airport. If the air service was found to be deficient, discussions with the existing carrier and a number of other potential entrants to the market would be initiated.
In July and August of 1995, an extensive survey of local businesses, industries, and travel agents was conducted, confirming the fact that air service frequencies, capacities, aircraft equipment, and increased fares all have contributed to the lower numbers of passengers using Chautauqua County Airport. Instead, these air travelers are driving to Buffalo, Erie, and even Cleveland to begin the air portion of their trips. Thus, the remainder of the study has focused on developing better service with the existing carrier, preparing marketing material for new carriers, lobbying for lower fares, and communicating service improvements to the local community.
In 2007 R.A. Wiedemann & Associates was selected to perform a small community air service improvement program for Chautauqua County. The overall projected goal for Jamestown is to increase airline passenger enplanements at Jamestown-Chautauqua County Airport by promoting awareness of the new airline service that has been designated for the region. This involves stemming the current passenger leakage to Buffalo and Erie, PA.
South Central Kentucky has not had scheduled airline service for more than 10 years. During this decade, significant economic development has occurred in the area, including major manufacturing, corporate headquarters, and service industries. In determining air service potential, an aviation consultant, R.A. Wiedemann & Associates, Inc., was retained to work with the Somerset-Pulaski County Development Foundation in a potential two-Phase project. The purpose of the first phase is to determine if there is sufficient demand in the South Central Kentucky area to warrant scheduled air service. The feasibility of such service would be determined in general terms such as potential aircraft sizes, flight frequencies, and aircraft load factors. This first phase indicated potential feasibility, and thus, a second phase is to be undertaken. The second phase of the study would examine potential air carriers and commuter airlines, gateway hubs, and route structures. Airlines indicating an interest in serving the South Central Kentucky area would be solicited and visits would be made with presentations of the findings of the study. Important in the overall study effort will be the development of incentives for airlines to serve the South Central Kentucky region.
Del Rio, Texas has not had scheduled airline service for more than 5 years. During this time, significant economic development has occurred in the area, including major manufacturing maquiladoras across the border in Mexico, local service industries, and the military at Laughlin AFB. In determining air service potential, an aviation consultant, R.A. Wiedemann & Associates, Inc., was retained to work for the City of Del Rio in a potential two-Phase project. The purpose of the first phase was to determine if there was sufficient demand in the Del Rio area to warrant scheduled air service. The feasibility of such service was determined in general terms such as potential aircraft sizes, flight frequencies, and aircraft load factors. This first phase indicated potential feasibility, and thus, a second phase was undertaken. The second phase of the study examined potential air carriers and commuter airlines, gateway hubs, and route structures. Airlines indicating an interest in serving the Del Rio area were solicited and visits were made with presentations of the findings of the study. Important in the overall study effort will be the development of incentives for airlines to serve the Del Rio region. In the spring of 2005, airline service to Del Rio was initiated by Continental Express.
Fayetteville, North Carolina is the fourth largest metro area in the state. In the past, it had enjoyed significant jet air service, receiving up to 28 jet departures daily. More recently, the trend in replacement service by commuter-type carriers and aircraft has reduced the number of flights, available seats, and total passengers served at the airport. Activity declines from a high of 223,000 enplanements in the late 1980's to roughly 160,000 passengers in 1995, have placed the airport on notice that air service will not grow on its own. Thus, in 1995, the City of Fayetteville retained R.A. Wiedemann & Associates to assist in the development of new markets, the attraction of new airlines, and the development of marketing materials that can be used by the City to attract additional air service.
Complicating the whole picture is the presence of low-fare carriers serving Raleigh-Durham International Airport, only one-hour’s drive from Fayetteville. Carriers serving Fayetteville must compete not only with service, but also with low air fares to recapture passenger “leakage” from Raleigh.
A total marketing approach, designed by R.A. Wiedemann & Associates, incorporates the development of a high quality video for use in marketing the Airport to prospective airlines, the development of statistical information to be used to improve existing carrier schedules and connecting banks at gateway hubs, and input on local advertising and promotional programs. Already, two airlines have been approached and are considering the addition of new air service.
In the spring of 2001, R.A. Wiedemann & Associates was selected to perform a forecast of aviation demand and air service analysis for the Parkersburg-Wood County Airport. The work will be completed in support of an on-going airport master plan. By way of background, Wood County Airport is served by USAirways Express (Air Wisconsin) with 19-seat Beech 1900 aircraft. The reduction from 36 seat aircraft came in 1994 when Crown Airways was replaced by the current carrier. Airline enplanements have steadily declined from a high in the early 1990's of over 44,000 to the current level of 22,000. In 1999, a leakage analysis was completed, showing that 53 percent of Wood County residents used the Columbus, Ohio airport. Other airports captured smaller percentages of the market, leaving Wood County with 33 percent of their market. This alarming trend has given Airport management an incentive to find solutions and stem the leakage flow to other regional airports. As a result, an air service improvement program will be undertaken to determine the best means of re-capturing lost demand. Among the mix of potential solutions to be examined will be to seek AIR 21 money dedicated to small community air service needs, to attract another air carrier to the market, and/or to provide incentives for local businesses to use the Airport.
In 1998, R.A. Wiedemann & Associates, Inc. was selected in association with the University of Illinois to perform a national assessment of the Essential Air Service Program for the U.S. Department of Transportation. In this regard, the DOT has increased its funding for the Essential Air Service (EAS) Program in recent years and needed an analytical measuring tool assess the program. In particular, the DOT was interested in determining what impact air service is having on the growth and development of rural America.
In response to this charge, the University of Illinois/R.A. Wiedemann & Associates, Inc. team developed a study process that would measure the impacts of air service on small communities. This process included the use of complex economic growth comparison models, commodity flow models, survey questionnaires for selected cities and travel agencies, and comparisons to international intermodal systems. Key to the study is the determination of relevant new criteria that can be used to determine a community’s eligibility for EAS inclusion. Economic justification for subsidy is critical, particularly in a deregulated market environment.
The results of the study will give the DOT the necessary tools to assess the impact of the EAS program on economic development in rural America, to measure the effectiveness of expenditures on any particular EAS community, and to provide justification for the inclusion of new or different communities in the program.
R.A. Wiedemann & Associates, Inc., in association with another national aviation consulting firm was selected to perform the Texas Small Market Air Service Needs Assessment Study. This study included 25 Texas communities, 5 New Mexico communities, and 1 Arkansas city. The focus of the project was to evaluate existing services and corresponding economic impact on each of the study communities. These communities were originally included in the project because they were thought to have inadequate, or limited air service, or service that has been overpriced. Some of the selected cities had no air service while others had significant levels of service, including Southwest Airlines service. The Study determined passenger leakage, quality of service, and airline fare parity and enabled each of the communities to gain third-party data for their airline service improvement efforts. In communities where new or improved air service is not likely, the Study identified realistic alternative solutions for a community to meet air service needs and presented benchmarks for air service initiation. All of the Study communities benefitted from the project, since its goal was to improve airline service, regardless of the current level.