MARTINSBURG - The idea of offering free flights from the Altoona-Blair County Airport sounds too good to be true. At this point, it probably is.
Free flights in December are only an idea and they may not be affordable for the airport, Manager Chuck Pillar said. More likely options to increase the airport's 2008 passenger numbers will be discounted tickets and/or destination trips to Washington, D.C., museums.
As the end of the year nears, the airport is closing in on counting 10,000 passengers, a threshold officials want to see crossed. If it happens, the airport's federal funding for safety and structural improvements will return to the $1 million level. It's currently at $150,000 because the airport hasn't attracted 10,000 passengers since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
It's going to be close, Pillar said, and the number could fall 400 or 500 short.
At the end of October, the airport counted 8,172 passengers, an average of 817 for the 10-month period.
If at least 1,828 passengers board flights in November and December, the airport will reach the 10,000 threshold. But to do that, it needs an average 914 passengers flying this month and next.
Members of the Altoona-Blair County Authority have been aware of the numbers.
A few months ago, they worked with Colgan Air, the company that provides daily flights to the Washington-Dulles Airport, to initiate a cable television advertising campaign in September and October. The ads stopped in the weeks leading up to the election when rates increased.
It has since resumed to remind potential flyers of the airport's convenience and competitive ticket prices.
At the authority's recent meeting, members talked about what they could do to draw passengers. They have $18,000 for marketing in a grant funded by revenue from the state's jet fuel tax. A portion of that $18,000 could be used for discounted tickets or free flights.
Pillar said he wants to wait and see what November numbers look like before spending money on ridership enticements.
"I wouldn't recommend throwing money at that if we don't stand a chance of making 10,000," Pillar said.
Authority member Gary Orner proposed offering a $75 ticket discount available to 100 flyers. That tactic has been used by other airports. The Clearfield County-Dubois Airport did it at the beginning of September when it resumed daily passenger flights. Authority member Herb Bolger, however, cautioned that a discount price carries no guarantee of attracting additional passengers.
"They might have flown anyway," Bolger said.
Pillar said he likes the idea of trying to increase passenger numbers by catering to people who want to fly for the first time. He also likes the idea of working with some school children or youth organizations to fly to visit the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
"Maybe we could get some donations for something like that," Pillar said.
Authority Chairman Don Ruggery said he, too, is trying to come up with some ideas.
"Everyone has been working hard on this," Ruggery said. "We have much better odds this month ... I just don't know if we're going to make it."
Pillar said he started a list of people interested in free flights. News of that option prompted a flood of phone calls.
"I've talked to hundreds of people, some who cannot afford to fly, a woman with a Down syndrome son who loves aviation and would love to fly. They wanted tickets for the mother, the dad and the boy," Pillar said.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 946-7456.
