BIA: fewer flights, unhappy fliers Airlines take away seats to raise yield

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BANGOR – Area businesspeople rely on air travel to connect them with profitable clients and innovative markets, but recently service from the Bangor International Airport has declined, resulting in limited options and inconvenient schedules.

Don Martin, a consultant from Winterport, flies out of BIA weekly for meetings, but airline decisions to reduce capacity or leave the Bangor market entirely have made planning his trips nearly impossible this year.

In the past few months Martin, who is a Delta Air Lines platinum frequent flier, said he dealt with losing the airline’s morning flight to Atlanta, which was only seasonal. He coped in November with losing his backup airline, American Eagle. But when Delta said it would discontinue its morning flight to Cincinnati in January, he reached his breaking point.

“I’ve seen this nice evolution of services, airlines and flight schedule opportunities over [an] 18-year period, which has been great for the business traveler,” Martin said. “To see that almost reverting back to where we were 20 years ago – it’s disheartening to a business traveler when you see that type of a trend.”

In the past 10 months Bangor International Airport has experienced the lowest passenger traffic and seat availability since 2001.

The airport, which served more than 480,000 travelers at its peak in 2005, is expected to have around 400,000 pass through its gates by year’s end, according to Risteen Masters, BIA’s marketing manager. The 33 percent reduction of available seats between the first 10 months of 2005 and 2007 is partially to blame for the loss of nearly 80,000 passengers, said BIA Director Rebecca Hupp.

“For every two seats taken away [by the airlines], we lost one passenger,” Hupp said. “I think the statistics are reflective of the industry. Airlines are trying to force a higher yield by [offering a] smaller capacity.”

In the last 10-year period, BIA had a passenger low of 370,000 in 2001 and the high of 480,000 in 2005.

At its peak, airlines made 731,953 seats available to travelers using BIA in 2005 compared to the 475,874 recorded this year through October.

National airline passenger numbers rose 0.23 percent from 2005 to 2006, according to the Federal Aviation Administration Web site. The FAA does not track airline capacity by seats. It uses a formula that would not provide a direct comparison to BIA’s trends, said Jim Peters, FAA spokesman.

The top six air carriers in the nation – American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines Inc., Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways – have scheduled 4.4 percent fewer seats for January 2008 than they did in 2007, according to a USA Today report. Despite 3 percent passenger growth from January to August this year, compared to the same time period in 2006, the large carriers will have 72,000 fewer seats available daily in the continental U.S., according to the report.

As passenger numbers at BIA declined, the number of seats available to customers dropped almost twice as fast. The load factor, or percentage of seats sold compared to those available, is higher than 80 percent for four of the five airlines that remain at BIA, Hupp said.

The data show that Bangor’s demand is strong, but airlines control seat availability, flight times, flight routes, aircraft flown and ticket prices, Hupp said. Airlines invest in the markets where the highest return can be realized, she said.

The loss in November of American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, has been the greatest disappointment for BIA. Delta’s decision in April to fly 19-seat turbo-propelled planes to Boston instead of 50-seat jets is unpopular with travelers, as is the recent cancellation of the morning flight to Cincinnati, she said. On a positive note, the airport has attracted three new carriers since 2002 – Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and Allegiant Air LLC.

Cindy Hardy, owner of Bangor Travel Services, said the steady decline in capacity makes it difficult to sell BIA to customers. The decline presents limited options for customers whose lives demand more flexibility, she said. Many of her customers grew angry after learning about the discontinued morning flight to Cincinnati.

“You can’t get angry to the point of being frustrated because this industry changes so quickly,” Hardy said.

Hupp outlined three goals she is working on to increase service for BIA patrons. She has asked US Airways to extend its seasonal service to New York, trying to fill the void left by American. The airline is unwilling to make any commitments, though, she said. Air service to Washington, D.C., would be another goal, as is encouraging Allegiant Air to expand its niche leisure market to include a second destination in Florida, Hupp said.

Historically, residents blame BIA for airline decisions, claiming it charges the companies too many fees, said Hupp. On average, the airport charges airlines $3.06 per passenger in terminal and landing fees. This amount is at par or below the fees charged by other airports of equal size, she said.

Asked whether Bangor can withstand the current downward spiral and survive for years to come, Hupp answered without hesitation.

“There is no question that Bangor will continue to serve the region as the transportation point,” she said. “It is critical to businesses and business development.”

Successful businesses and businesspeople may have to consider moving if area airports do not provide them with necessary and timely connections to the world.

For now, Martin said, he will adjust his travel routine and continue to fly from Bangor, even if it means leaving a day early and staying in a hotel to make a Monday morning client meeting. He enjoys the quality of life in Maine, but realizes that someday soon he may have to relocate to be near an airport with more options, he said.

“It’s the greatest feeling in the world to step off that airplane in Bangor,” Martin said. “I just wish there were more to step off from.”

Toni-Lynn Robbins may be reached at trobbins@bangordailynews.net or 990-8074.

Facts about Bangor International Airport

. American Eagle’s pullout in November resulted in 2,072 fewer seats per week. At the time of its departure, the airline flew 37-seat jets to Boston four times a day during the week and two times a day on weekends and to New York once daily on weekdays and twice on weekends.

. In 2001, American Eagle held nearly 50 percent of the passenger market share at BIA, but this October retained only 17 percent.

. Delta Air Lines Inc. will eliminate its morning flight to Cincinnati beginning Jan. 4. The airline previously flew to Cincinnati twice daily and the change reduces BIA’s weekly seat count by 700 to 980.

. Delta pulled its 50-seat jets from its Bangor-to-Boston routes in April, replacing them with 19-seat turbo-propelled planes. The jets flew to Boston three times daily, whereas the turbo-props flew four times during the week and three times on weekends, a loss of 1,100 seats a week. Even after adding two more flights once American Eagle left in early November, BIA passengers lost more than 600 available seats to Boston when compared to April.

. The airport attracted three airlines in the past five years – Northwest Airlines in 2003, Continental Airlines in 2002 and Allegiant Air LLC in November.

. Northwest flies two daily flights to Detroit, adding 1,400 weekly seats.

. Continental flies once daily to Newark, N.J., adding 700 additional seats.

. Allegiant’s twice-weekly flights to Orlando, Fla., added 600 seats weekly.

. Delta added a route to Atlanta in 2006. BIA gained 980 seats weekly from the once-daily flights, and a second daily flight was added this year for the summer season.