It”™s no surprise that Stewart International Airport, along with thousands of other regional airports, is struggling these days, said Diannae Ehler, general manager. The cost of fuel, along with airlines shrinking schedules to make their flights profitable, has taken its toll from New York to California.
Ehler, along with members of the Stewart Airport Commission (SAC), met on Tuesday morning, Sept. 23. Stewart, which hit its highest record for passengers in 2007 when 913,000 people passed through its terminal has only seen 660,000 passengers as of August. She reported the Port Authority anticipates a total of approximately 760,000 to 780,000 passengers by December 31.
“Air Tran left on Sept. 3,” Ehler reminded commission members. “That was one-third of our service. Cargo remained flat. But it”™s been stable and numbers are staying steady. We”™re pleased about that.”
Ehler stressed the Port Authority”™s continued and frequent dialogue between current carriers at its other three airports and potential candidates. To ensure Stewart is going to get the proper, focused attention it needs to become a strong regional airport, the Port Authority is in the process of choosing a marketing agency that specializes in the industry to help put Stewart on the map.
Peter Fushan, PA senior research analyst for customer services and standards, gave commission members an overview of the series of entrance/exit interviews it has done at all of the Port Authority”™s airports. Stewart”™s customer satisfaction numbers came in well above average, Fushan noted, with more than 80 per cent “highly satisfied” with the services.Â
The market survey on Stewart revealed 59 percent of its users were female, average age 43, with a median income of $95,000 a year.
When it came to boarding, 18 percent used airport kiosks and 28 percent chose the online method, the rest using the traditional checking in procedures; 72  percent of travelers came to the airport by car. Regionally, Orange accounted for 32.9 percent of  the  airport users; Dutchess, 22.8 percent; Sullivan, 5.7 percent; Putnam, 3.7 percent; Westchester/Bronx, 1.6 percent; Rockland and northern New Jersey both tied at 2.4 percent. 20.3 percent came from “other” upstate areas.Â
“What this survey demonstrates is we have a fairly large catchment area we can grow,” said Ehler. She is confident a new marketing team will help the PA strategize the best way to grow the airport, which seems to lean toward the school calendar, not the business calendar, noted Ehler. She stressed a need to get more business-oriented flights into the regional airport.
One thing current passengers would like to see more of, according to Fushan”™s survey presentation: availability of food services within the waiting areas once they”™ve gone through the check-in process.Â
After the presentation, SAC”™s co-Chairman Lou Heimbach told fellow commissioners and  the public that, while he appreciated the high rating Stewart got from its polled customers and the overall high satisfaction rating received, “What I want to see are flights that will get me to where I want to go ”“ more flights at the right price are going to trump a five-star restaurant. People are driving to Albany because they want to use Southwest, not because of the food.”
Ehler didn”™t disagree ”“ she”™s confident the new marketing team will not only help Stewart turn the corner, but she reminded SAC of the PA”™s commitment to the airport. “We”™re here for the long haul,” said Ehler. “And we will position ourselves for the time when the economy and airport services begin to pick up.”
In the interim, the Port Authority, waived fees and rentals for carriers at Stewart from September through February, 2009. And though flights and passengers are down, the Port Authority moving forward on rebuilding infrastructure and focusing on safety and security in and around the airport””and courting new airlines to build its roster.
In related news, state Sen. Thomas Morahan (R/C-New City) and new state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos introduced legislation asking that the two non-designated seats on the Port Authority”™s Board of Commissioners be given to a one resident of Long Island and one resident of the Hudson Valley.
