If you thought airlines were hurting, have you thought about airports? Sure, they may not be in the same situation that airlines are in, but they certainly are no exception. The economic crises has bumped Los Angeles International airport out of the number five spot to the number six spot in terms of busiest airports; Paris’s Charles De Gaulle made the swap. Regional airports have been pounded the most, as many carriers have cut their short-haul and small city routes. Some airports are receiving a stimulus boost. Just ask Pittsburgh, who will be the first airport to receive stimulus money ($10 million) to repave and improve lighting on a crosswind runway. What happens to airports that are, well… dying?
Let’s take a trip to Daytona Beach, FL. Daytona used to service double the number of cities that it did (4), but that all changed when United, Continental, and AirTran pulled out. Vintage Props and Jets temporarily ceased operations and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; the leader in international getaway charters. Daytona, like many airports, sees their airline usage much smaller and isn’t enjoying the level of income that it was in years prior. The cut of income at airports forces staff cuts; on-top of the cuts to airline personnel at the airport.
Back to Los Angeles. LAX handled about 59.5 million passengers in 2008, declining 4.8% compared to 2007. “It’s a sign of the deepening economic crisis facing the airline industry.”
I’m sure most airports, like Pittsburgh, could use a stimulus. It’s like the F.D.R. era all over again; improve infrastructure to increase the work force. At the end of the day, airports aren’t making nearly what they made in prior years; unless the airport was lucky and received service from Allegiant. I’m sure airports will be stuck weathering this out – it’s an industry wide dilemma.
