CAPE AIRPORT GETS ONLY 2 PERCENT OF MARKET

Lower ticket prices and proximity to major airports are causing more local air travelers to catch planes in St. Louis rather than in Cape Girardeau, according to a recent study.

But the information is no surprise to local airport officials, who say they intend to step up marketing and outreach efforts to encourage more passengers to begin their journeys here. The report is considered a first step in trying to attract other airlines and services to the airport.

"It's no secret," airport manager Bruce Loy said. "You hear on the street what people are doing. Essentially, our biggest competitor is Interstate 55."

The Cape Girardeau airport serves about 330,000 area residents, of which, about 60,000 are considered potential customers based on booking information supplied by local travel agencies.

Only 2 percent of those 60,000 fly out of Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Three-quarters drive to St. Louis, and about a fifth go to Memphis, Tenn.

"What we found is we're not retaining," Loy said. "There's a fantastic amount of room for improving."

In addition to St. Louis and Memphis, other airports that get a cut of Cape Girardeau's air business are Kansas City, Mo., Nashville, Tenn., Little Rock, Ark., and Paducah, Ky. Only Paducah is within 100 miles of Cape Girardeau.

The airport provides non-stop air service to St. Louis on a 19-seat turbo-prop aircraft.

Loy said he believes the airport may have lost some customers because of problems with a previous commuter service, Transtate Airlines, that flew out of Cape Girardeau.

In May, the airport switched to Corporate Airlines, which has provided much improved service for customers, Loy said.

"We've had problems getting the word out that we have this new airline," he said. "They have a better on-time rate, better completion rates, new seats in the planes, different mechanics. They're providing much better service."

Fare higher than average

The study indicated the average airfare out of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is the second highest of all seven airports highlighted in the report. However, it is only $70 higher than the average fare from St. Louis.

Average fare from Cape Girardeau is $461, while that of St. Louis is $391. Paducah, at $548, is the only airport with higher average fare than Cape Girardeau. The cheapest average fare is Kansas City, Mo., with $167.

However, with so few passengers using the Cape Girardeau airport, the average fare amount can be misleading because it often is based on one ticket purchased by a one-time traveler, the study said.

Loy said that with so many choices for booking and air fares, customers are choosier about what flights they will take, where the flights will originate and what they will pay.

Some travelers decide it is more cost effective for them to drive hours to a major airport than to fly out of Cape Girardeau.

"It's all fare related when it comes right down to it," Loy said.

Another deterrent to travelers flying out of the Cape Girardeau airport is skittishness about the turbo-prop planes used by the airport's service.

Mary Ann Mathys is a satisfied customer of the Cape Girardeau airport, but said she feels somewhat nervous about the turbo-props.

"I don't like the small planes," she said Sunday afternoon as she prepared to board a plane to St. Louis.

Otherwise, Mathys likes the convenience of the Cape Girardeau airport and its nearness to her family's home. A California resident, she flew to St. Louis and then to Cape Girardeau last week to visit her parents, who live in Gideon, Mo.

"St. Louis is too far for my parents to drive," she said. "With all the snow and ice last week, I didn't want Dad to drive to St. Louis."

30 percent possible

Loy said airport officials now will look to step up the airport's marketing efforts. First, he said, they will see what it will take to keep current customers coming back.

Then, he said, officials will broaden their focus to increase the airport's customer base. Using the study, they will determine what markets they are underserving and try to add air service for those destinations.

"It is not unrealistic that we should be able to retain 30 percent of that 60,000 somewhere down the road," Loy said. "We think that based on what we're looking at, we have the potential to provide service to Memphis and the Chicago area, if not even Kansas City."

Meanwhile, Loy said he believes the report is positive overall and will be a valuable tool in the airport's quest for better service and a stronger customer base.

"To me, it's half full, and there's a lot of room for improvement," he said. "To me, it means there's potential."

AREA AIRPORTS

A breakdown of where local passengers go when they want to travel by air:

St. Louis, 73%

Memphis, Tenn., 19%

Nashville, Tenn., 2%

Cape Girardeau 2%

Kansas City, Mo., 2%

Little Rock, Ark., 1%

Paducah, Ky., 1%

Source: CGI Travel Agency