Columbia Regional Airport update

Thumbing through a notebook this afternoon, I realized I missed reporting some airport information out to you, our faithful online reader. The information comes from last week’s Airport Advisory Board meeting at Columbia Regional Airport. 

After attending the board meeting on Wednesday, I scrambled the next two days to find out the time, place and content of conversations between a representative from Northwest Airlines and Columbia businesses that have a stake in the city’s incoming commercial air service. The full version of that story can be found here.

Following it led me away from some of the other facts I gathered at the meeting. I’ve appended them to this post. And I hope they serve you in some way and help us have a conversation about all things related to the airport.

• Board member Bill Carner handed out a spreadsheet he made detailing the time and money it would take to fly out of Columbia versus St. Louis. The flights were for a September weekday and a Saturday stay, parking was not included in the cost element and the data was derived from research on the Expedia Travel Web site. Carner said he is going to pitch this and an article on commercial air service  to Inside Columbia magazine. ”It’s just something that I think goes to the heart of what the customer is looking for,” Carner said.

The city and airport is in the process of having a consultant evaluate the airport and update its master plan. The most recent plan was completed in 2003. Board chair Greg Cecil suggested members sign up for subcommittees reporting back to the whole group. The subcommittees would look at specific aspects of the airport, including:

• general aviation
• commercial air service
• airport infrastructure

Airport manager Kathy Frerking reminded the board that all of the rules and regulations for the board would also apply to the subcommittees. 

Also:

• Frerking said that Aug. 8 will be air cargo carrier DHL’s last day at the airport. 
• Hertz, one of two rental car companies at the airport, verbally requested a relief in rent for this summer. Frerking said Hertz is not getting as much business now, since the gap in commercial air service at the airport started on June 30. The board tabled the request until its August meeting and asked that it and others be put in writing for consideration.

The Missourian will continue to follow these developments at the airport. Expect updates to appear here, in the paper and online this month.