Airport needs 200 riders in 3 weeks for $1 million
By Kay Stephens
Altoona Mirror (Pennsylvania)
December 9, 2008
MARTINSBURG - The Altoona-Blair County Airport has three weeks to get about 200 more people boarding airplanes so it counts 10,000 passengers this year and qualifies for a higher federal subsidy.
The airport has a long list of people interested in free or lower-cost flights, an idea that surfaced last month when numbers showed the airport could reach the 10,000 threshold.
What it needs is a way to pay for them.
Airport leaders said Monday night that they're still working on financial arrangements to offer flights at less than $100 that they hope will push ridership numbers over 10,000.
They said they expect to have an announcement soon. They talked last month about trying to provide an opportunity for first-time fliers.
Maybe some of the local employers or businesses who appreciate the airport would be willing to help with the pursuit, airport Authority Chairman Don Ruggery suggested.
If the airport makes the 10,000 passenger threshold, it qualifies for $1 million in federal subsidy to be spent on the airport's safety measures and enhancements. If it falls short, it qualifies for $150,000 in subsidy.
''If you hit 9,999, it's still $150,000,'' Airport Manager Charles Pillar said.
The airport received a grant for promotional measures, but before spending it to reduce ticket prices, it needs approval from the state Bureau of Aviation. Other airports, including the DuBois Regional Airport in Jefferson County, which resumed a flight schedule in September, have used grant money to cut ticket prices and attract passengers.
As of Nov. 30, the Altoona-Blair County Airport had counted 8,879 passengers. So far this month, 157 people have boarded flights there, and 536 more have reservations. The airport offers three flights a day, with seating for up to 33 passengers.
Pillar said he is aware of 300 to 350 passengers who boarded private aircraft this year at the airport and can be counted in the total. Letters were mailed to about 30 private carriers asking them to complete forms documenting their riders.
"We're going to be close,'' Pillar said. ''I think it's going to come right down to the wire at the end of the month.''
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$9,703,083,356,000.00
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$31,684.81 Per Citizen |
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