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Initiative Seeks Pledges to Lure Business Air Service
BOARDMAN, Ohio – Mahoning Valley businesses of all sizes were urged Thursday morning to get on board with a new initiative to restore daily commercial air service to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, simply by stating how much of what they now pay for air travel they’d be willing to spend there if the service they needed was available.
Area businessman Gary Wakeford, a member of YNGAir Partners, an airport support group, and chairman of the Travel Bank Air Service Initiative, announced the effort Thursday at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s Salute to Business breakfast.
“In all my years in business, this is the first opportunity that I have ever reviewed that will allow all of you” to have the ability to have a significant, long-term economic impact on the region “without having any cost whatsoever to you, without costing you any tangible resources and without costing you any significant investment of your time,” he said.
Area businesses are asked to review the dollar amounts they are now spending on an annual basis on commercial airfare -- now most likely being spent at Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Akron-Canton airports -- and pledge through the initiative’s website that they will spend those dollars at Youngstown-Warren, assuming it can provide commercial service that is convenient, cost effective and works for their needs. The goal is to raise $3 million to $5 million in pledges.
The airport has been without regularly scheduled air service to the hub of a major U.S. airline since 2003. Allegiant Air provides several scheduled flights weekly to leisure destinations.
“Companies looking to invest into a region want to have the ability to move their intellectual capital -- their executives and employees -- into and out of the region swiftly,” said Eric Planey, vice president of international business development with the chamber. “It is essential that the business community of the Mahoning Valley support this service with the Travel Bank Initiative. Supporting it will ultimately support your company, and that is a classic win-win scenario.”
The pledged air travel dollars will show airlines “we’re willing to put our money where our mouth is with respect to who would use the service,” added Dan Dickten, aviation director at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
The Vienna Township airport recently received a $780,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to be used to provide a revenue guarantee for startup of daily commercial service geared toward business travel, Dickten said. He reported he is in discussions with several network service carriers to provide service to major destination airports such as Dulles in Washington, O’Hare in Chicago and Detroit, “all of which have very good connecting flights, both domestic and international,” he said.
The area is “already well along in the process of restoring commercial airline service to the area,” Wakeford emphasized. Information on what dollars are available to be spent would catapult that effort to the next level.
“This is a nonbinding pledge. It is not a contract. It is simply a good faith gesture on our part” saying these are the travel dollars area businesses are spending now and that they will be willing to spend at Youngstown-Warren if air service were provided that met their needs, he added.
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.