Central Air It’s been nearly three years since Delta Airlines made its last scheduled flight to the St. Cloud Regional Airport, effectively forcing fliers in 76 zip codes to take off from other destinations. “In economic development we don’t measure loss, we measure gain,” said Jami Bestgen, a marketing consultant who has helped launch the “Let’s Go” initiative. She admits the loss of service has been significant. “It’s frustrating because people see air service
as more essential now that they haven’t had it for a few years. “Absence has definitely made the heart grow fonder.” Bestgen has heard these frustrations first-hand, after reaching out to nearly 800 businesses in the region, and sitting down with nearly 400 respondents who revealed they spend more than $22 million on airfare every year. Bestgen’s research also found that 40 percent of their flights were
They’re also a critical calling card that tells potential businesses and skilled employees that your region has the resources to compete.
to or connecting in Chicago, making service to O’Hare, the third largest hub in the U.S., a necessity. “O’Hare has four times as many connections as MSP, flies direct from more destinations, and costs less,” she explained, noting that travelers in the region could see $3.6 million in airfare savings by traveling through O’Hare instead of Minneapolis-St. Paul International. St. Cloud’s “catchment area”— the annual number of airline trips taken by people within the airports’ service area— exceeds 350,000, making it a potentially larger market than Duluth or Rochester, both of which are served by more than two air carriers. But sheer numbers aren’t enough to attract airlines. “It’s really hard to get your
Rick Adair
Brainerd’s airport interim manager
3rd Quarter 2012
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