While the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey”™s has accomplished some remarkable inroads since taking over Stewart International Airport last November, some things don”™t change as quickly. One of them is getting the word out that the airport is there and should be considered as an alternative to downstate”™s three major Port Authority airports, which were used by more than 110 million passengers in 2007.
Just as former airport general manager Charles Seliga urged the public to “use it or lose it” ”“ referring to flights available out of the Hudson Valley ”“ new PA general manager Diannae Ehler is essentially conveying the same message to the traveling public. She related the sentiment to the Stewart Airport Commission (SAC) at its meeting on Tuesday, April 1.
Stewart”™s numbers started to soar when AirTran and JetBlue started offering direct service to Florida. Under the PA”™s stewardship, as well as the introduction of low-cost carrier Skybus, those numbers have continued to climb, and Ehler predicts at least 1 million passengers will use Stewart in 2008. Stewart”™s passenger numbers climbed 195 percent between 2006 and 2007, to just under a million last year.
Despite the increase in travelers, the 11 million people in Stewart”™s catchment area need to utilize the airport and look there first before looking at the three metro airports ”“ JFK, LaGuardia and Newark ”“ said Ehler. As a result, the PA will start a marketing and media blitz to get the word out.
“People want flights west, to L.A., to Chicago and Las Vegas,” said Ehler. “We want them, too, and we”™re working to make it happen.” She is also working to get the airlines currently flying out of Stewart to offer more flights and to provide greater flexibility.
“I would rather see four flights with 100 seats go out each day than two flights with 200 seats go out,” said Ehler. “That”™s the goal. We need to offer more flexibility to our customers. We had several major snow events this winter. If one flight gets cancelled, we have to have a backup that is not an eight- to nine-hour wait.”
And while passenger service has gone up, cargo has gone down, and assistant airport manager Jack Martini is not sure what to attribute it to: the economy or the fact that Stewart has remained inaccessible for so long. Now, with Route 747 opened and state Department of Transportation”™s plans to build a fluid, high-speed link between the I-87 and I-84, officials are hopeful that cargo carriers will be utilizing the PA”™s newest acquisition.
Ehler also told the SAC that the PA is exploring bringing international flights into Stewart. Initially, they may be charter flights, but she hopes to eventually have a separate international terminal offering regular flights to European destinations.
In addition to more Transportation Security Administration workers and extra parking, the Port is making some significant cosmetic upgrades to the airport, including clearer signage and landscaping. Not as noticeable, but importantly, relationships with its immediate neighbors have been spruced up dramatically, particularly the town of New Windsor, since National Express Group flew the coop.
The PA has smoothed over several financial potholes left behind by National Express, much to the delight of town of New Windsor Supervisor George Green. “We have gotten more accomplished in five months with the Port Authority than we did in five years with National Express,” he said.
Ehler pledged to continue working with New Windsor on outstanding issues from the former owner.
In addition to the $125 million the state DOT is pumping into the revamping and reramping of the Thruway and I-84, plans to integrate new turning lanes, new exits and entrances are in varying stages of completion. DOT officials say most of the work is done, and the new tollbooths will be up and running by mid-2009. Officials from the DOT let the commission know that The Marketplace, which is scheduled to break ground, has been advised of roadway reconfigurations and is planning its incoming development on Route 300 accordingly.
Louis Heimbach, president of Sterling Forest L.L.C. and member of SAC, asked the Port Authority to appoint a member of SAC to the PA”™s governing body. His request was echoed by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, who says the Hudson Valley needs a voice on the Port Authority”™s panel.
The PA is putting out an RFP ”“ request for proposals ”“ for a new operator for Stewart”™s day-to-day operations. Currently, it has a one-year agreement with AvPorts that is nearing expiration. Ehler says the contract for the airport”™s daily operations will run for five years, with a five-year option to continue. And as for luring new business to Stewart, Ehler says the PA is currently in discussion with Cessna to bring business development to the 2,600 acre airport.