New airport manager has packed agenda | CBT Conversation
Schneider, who had been managing a small airport in Jamestown, N.D., since April 2008, replaced Kathy Frerking, who had managed the city’s airport for four years and now works at the Chamber of Commerce.
Schneider’s duties include directing operations; preparing long-range plans and policies for development and construction at the airport; negotiating airline services; and working with consultants, tenants, airlines and government departments.
In Jamestown, Schneider worked with Delta Air Lines, also Columbia’s carrier, and managed terminal renovations. Columbia is in the early stages of projects to rebuild the airport terminal and expand the runways.
In a CBT Conversation, Schneider said he believes passenger counts will continue to rise and that there is “a very good possibility” that Columbia will get air service to a second major destination such as Chicago or Dallas in the next two years.
What are your general goals as airport manager?
Schneider: My goals are to effectively manage the airport and ensure that it grows and is financially feasible. Working with the city and airport staff, I want to make sure that when people in the community look to air travel, they look at Columbia Regional first. I also want to ensure that our airport tenants and general aviation users have a first-class facility to conduct their business.
When do you expect the Federal Aviation Administration to finish its review of the airport master plan adopted by the city, and when would you guess that work might start on the runways? Do you anticipate major changes because of the switch from propeller planes to jets after the plan was adopted? Is there anything the City Council can do to expedite the process?
Schneider: The FAA can often take quite a bit of time to approve things. They are thorough, and these documents are often very large. Even if the master plan is not approved, we can still move forward with our capital improvement projects such as runway work.
We are in the process right now of getting our engineering and grant paperwork in order so that if congress approves funding, we will be able to start runway work as early as mid-summer 2011.
The only major changes I see going to regional jets is that now a jet is considered our “design aircraft,” which will help validate longer runways, which is a very good thing. It will not make the master plan outdated in any way other than that.
City Council members will not need to take any action on this process, but in the future their support of the airport’s capital improvement projects will be key to ensuring the success of the airport. I really feel that support for the airport needs to come from the top down. I am happy to say I feel right now that is the case.
Schneider: I think it is very important. Safety is always a No. 1 priority. As the airport continues to grow and expand, it will become more and more important that the intersection be fixed. This year alone, nearly 70,000 commercial passengers will have to deal with the unsafe interchange. Next year, it could be 80,000.
The number of passengers getting on planes in Columbia was just short of 32,500 through November and is on pace to pass the best year of the past decade, about 34,000 in 2000. Do you have a strategy for getting even more seats filled next year?
Schneider: We have some really great marketing people with the city of Columbia, and they have developed a great marketing plan. We are continually tweaking it and making improvements. This will help ensure that the public knows about the service and what is offered at the airport. We also work with Delta to ensure the pricing models are correct and airfare out of Columbia is competitive to our neighboring commercial service airports. A great airline with good reliable service at a price that is competitive is what it will take to get the seats filled.
Your experience overseeing an airport expansion and terminal renovation in Jamestown gives you some insight into what’s in store for Columbia. What are your initial thoughts on the efforts to improve the runways and expand the terminal here?
Schneider: Our runway work is a safety priority and will need to be completed before we can start major work on the terminal. We are starting some improvement on the terminal right now, including new restroom facilities and new seating. The major work on the terminal will more than likely be a few years down the road when the runways are complete. There are many funding sources, though, and things change, so the schedule for the terminal could be bumped up. There is a lot of support to upgrade the existing terminal, so it is a project we will be working on as soon as funding is available.
As Columbia strives toward its goal of getting service to a second destination, rate the following hypothetical locations from one to five, the most desirable first: Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Salt Lake City and Dallas. What do you think are the city’s chances of getting service to one of those airports in the next year or two?
Schneider: Based on conversations with city and community leaders, my rating would be:
1. Chicago; 2. Dallas; 3. Denver; 4. Minneapolis; 5. Salt Lake City.
I think there is a very good possibility that in the next two years, we attract service to at least one of these destinations. I think by far Chicago is the favorite, but something like Dallas would be great for western travelers. Dallas is a large hub with great weather. I think the community definitely needs to think about Dallas as an option, and I think they would be very pleased with the service that would be provided and the connections that passengers could make from there.
Final thoughts?
Schneider: As a new manager I have to give credit to the people who got the airport to where it is today. Support from the city and past airport manager have put the airport in a great position to grow and expand. I want to continue to grow the airport to ensure its future success.