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Consultant: Getting commercial flights at YNG is 'uphill effort'
YOUNGSTOWN
The Western Reserve Port Authority’s aviation consultant said it is “an uphill effort” to bring commercial flight service back to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, but he hopes the airport will be able to do so sometime next year.
Mike Mooney, a partner in Volaire Aviation Consulting, delivered a presentation to the port authority board at its meeting Wednesday, then consulted with the board in executive session for more than an hour about the airport and possible commercial flight agreements.
In his presentation, Mooney highlighted several airline trends that make it challenging for smaller markets to attract and retain commercial airlines.
The Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna lost its last remaining commercial airline, Allegiant Air, in January.
“Small communities today have a big challenge. The airline industry is making a lot of money,” Mooney said. “Wall Street now says, ‘You need to keep making money.’ ... You don’t want to take risks in a strong economy, with a pilot shortage, so for smaller communities it’s kind of a pay-to-play situation. That’s going on around the country.”
Another challenge he highlighted is the consolidation of the airline industry to just a few major players.
“Today, Delta, United, American and Southwest provide approximately 80 percent of the seats that are flown in the United States,” he said. “It can be a challenge for smaller communities because there are a whole lot less people to talk to.”
Mooney also discussed trends in the market for Ultra Low Cost Carriers (ULCCs) such as Allegiant, Spirit and Frontier that have put the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport at a disadvantage.
Those carriers began investing heavily in the Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Akron markets, thus hurting Youngstown, he said.
“You got run over in that situation,” Mooney said, noting that Youngstown was the only airport in the region with a ULCC in 2011. By 2017, they were all over this region, which is what he points to as Allegiant’s reason for leaving the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
Although those airlines are starting to shift their strategies because they are overextended in the Cleveland-Pittsburgh-Akron triangle, he doesn’t see that having an impact on Youngstown in the immediate future.
As for what would work in this market, Mooney said, “Right now, the best opportunity appears to be the independent regional business route, Monday through Friday, to a major metropolitan area.”
WRPA Executive Director John Moliterno said officials are in talks with “multiple companies and carriers,” and hope to have an agreement in place by year’s end.
In other business, the board authorized the port authority to accept two grants from the city. One is a $50,000 Community Development Block Grant that will fund financial training for small start-ups.
The other is a $32,000 water grant for the Harshman Building, which the port authority is developing. Eastern Gateway Community College will occupy part of the building, with plans to move into classrooms there in time for the spring semester.
The board also approved a two-year contract extension for Anthony Trevena, economic development director for NEO Development and Finance Authority, a division of the port authority. His salary rate will remain $90,000. The board agreed to pick up 7 percent of his state retirement system contribution.
Also, the board approved a $388,592 contract with Jess Howard Electric Co. for phase one of a lighting project at the airport. Ninety percent of the cost will be covered by a Federal Aviation Administration grant.
Wednesday’s meeting took place at The Enclave, Youngstown State University’s new student apartments on Wick Avenue. YSU President Jim Tressel spoke at the meeting, as did representatives of apartment developer LRC Realty.