by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Starting soon, it may cost $2.50 more to board an airplane at Jacksonville International Airport if the proposed increase in the passenger facility fee is approved by the U.S. Senate.
Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration approved increasing the fee from $4.50 to $7, said Jacksonville Aviation Authority Executive Director and CEO Steve Grossman.
“That would result in an extra $7 million a year for Jacksonville for capital projects,” he said Monday at the JAA’s monthly board meeting.
The fees are collected by the airlines and turned directly over to aviation authorities all over the country. That fee has helped fund about 72 percent of the cost of terminal expansion at JIA.
Grossman and some of his staff went to Washington, D.C., the first week of March to meet with area senators.
In addition to the fee, Grossman said he also talked about the authority’s effort to re-establish Cecil Field in the FAA’s Military Airport Program, which is designed to provide federal funding for former military airports that are now general aviation airports. Cecil was in the program, but the FAA requested that JAA drop out to allow others to participate. Just 15 airports are in the program.
“We graduated out, as we should have, to allow others to get in,” said JAA Director of External Affairs Michael Stewart. “We were told we would not be eligible for another five to seven years.”
Stewart said JAA approached U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson about proposing legislation that would allow Cecil and other airports in a similar situation to reapply for the program.
“It’s an FAA decision,” said Stewart. “There is no guarantee. It only allows you to compete.”
Grossman said the meeting with Nelson and U.S. Sen. George LeMieux and their staffs went well.
“We went up there to press our delegation to change the language,” said Grossman. “It was a productive week.”
In other news from the meeting:
• Construction is under way at JIA to remodel and enhance the walkway between the ticketing area and the courtyard. One of the completed elements will be artwork by Boulder, Colo., artists George Peters and Melanie Walker. The two own Artworks Studio Inc. and the piece, called “Sky Bridges,” will be installed next spring.
• The board unanimously approved a plan proposed by the JAA’s marketing department to expand its airline incentive program. Grossman said developing new routes, both domestic and international, is a matter of marketing and cultivating relationships with the airlines.
“Hosting the airline summit in November was a big step,” said Grossman. “Incentive programs are fairly common. They have become an essential part of the package for both domestic and international flights.”
Barbara Halverstadt of JAA’s marketing department said that previously, in order for an airline to be eligible for the program, the flight must be daily with at least 50 seats. The program for new service, she said, would reduce the flight requirement from seven to two a week for domestic flights and once a week for international flights. While that number sparked debate, JAA Board member Jack Demetree defended the proposal.
“You have to get them (the airlines) interested,” he said. “If you go out there and ask for four or five days, they are going to say, forget it.”
• The board also approved the demolition of three buildings at Cecil Field. Two of the buildings are near LSI Inc. Cecil Field Senior Director Bob Simpson said LSI will pay for the demolition, which will create about five acres of developable space. The authority will pay for the demolition of the third building.
• The lease agreement with Alenia North America Inc. was extended for a second time to allow Alenia officials and the Department of Defense to work on a contract for Alenia to build military planes at Cecil. The new extension expires Sept. 30.
• The next meeting of the JAA board is scheduled at 8:30 a.m. April 26 in the Ed Austin Board Room.
356-2466