Flight schedules are more important than ticket prices in determining which regional airport to use, right? Right! That’s one of the findings of the Business Traveler Survey Review conducted in early 2013 by the Dane County Regional Airport (DCRA), which queried the Top 100 employers in Dane County.
Another finding: 83% of all business travelers use DCRA routinely. Midway and Chicago Rockford are the least-used venues. In fact, when asked, “Which airports do you routinely use MOST?” Milwaukee scored equally with Chicago – with an underwhelming 5% of the vote each.
These largest area companies have made a strong investment in the airport’s infrastructure by supporting local ticket and parking revenue. An impressive 54% of the respondents said staff members fly weekly out of the airport. Another 28% reported monthly flights, 12% said they used the airport at least quarterly, and 6% said “other.”
Still, we’d all like more flight options for personal and business flying. Specifically, we’d like more direct flights. We’d also like great prices and convenient schedules. And if we all agree that more flights (or carriers) would be a good goal, then here’s what the airport can do to get it: encourage you to fly more often on the carriers and flights that are available now at DCRA.
It’s a simple equasion: we get more options based on customer demand, not wishes.
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I don’t have people in the air every week, but I do occasionally fly for both business and pleasure, and I’d much rather leave from Madison – even if there is a connecting flight in Milwaukee – than drive all that way to save a few bucks. By the time you figure in gas and parking (and opportunities for speeding tickets), Milwaukee isn’t a dream destination. I do fly out of O’Hare when I am already in Chicago on personal business, but I’d rather fly into O’Hare from Madison than lose my car again in an O’Hare lot! Been there, done that.
DCRA is seriously asking your business to help grow its business, and you are no doubt serious about wanting it to grow its business to help you grow yours. We’re in this together.
Toward that end, here’s IB’s official travel policy: “We recognize the great value of the Dane County Regional Airport as an asset to the Madison-area business community. The availability of convenient, affordable air connections for customers, vendors, and visitors is essential to the economic development of our area. Expanded and improved air service is dependent on volume. Our policy is to support our local airport by using it for all business travel, and we encourage our employees, vendors, and customers to do so, too.”
