TAILSPIN: SAGGING BOARDINGS WORRY CITY AIRPORT ADVISORY BOARD

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The city's Airport Advisory Board continues to express concern over the number of boardings at the Municipal Airport, which have lagged well behind last year's pace.

The airport last year reported slightly more than the 10,000 boardings needed to receive $300,000 in annual Federal Aviation Administration entitlement funds for airport development.

But during the first three months of 1991, boardings have dropped well below last year's level.

At Wednesday's Airport Advisory Board meeting, Airport Manager Mark Seesing reported that there have been 1,607 total boardings this year, 616 less than were recorded in the first three months of 1990.

The number of boardings in March, 601, also lagged behind last year's count of 771.

"It's going to take a divine miracle to make 10,000 enplanements this year," said board member Truman Cole.

The threat of the FAA cutting off the city's entitlements prompted board members to discuss ways to change the city's airport marketing strategy.

Cole suggested that more should be done by the city administration and City Council to make the airport a priority.

"We're going to sit on our duff until enplanements get so low that we lose our federal funding," he said. "If the usual response to these types of things occurs, once this happens, then there will be some realistic planning into what can be done to put this airport back on the right track."

Cole said he thinks the airport now is a "dead issue" to city officials. He said that until people need to use the airport, boardings will continue to sag.

"I have not seen anything done at that airport that can be seen as a step in the right direction to marketing that airport," he said. "I think that we have to make an effort outside this community to bring things to this airport to reverse the (boarding) trend."

Cole said he thought the airport manager has been saddled with too many airport maintenance responsibilities, which has prevented him from working to market the airport nationally with hopes of attracting additional airline service for the city.

He said the city should consider hiring someone to "mow the grass and put up signs" and let Seesing work to market and promote the airport.

"You're up to your hip pockets in alligators, and you're being asked to drain the swamp," Cole added.

Board Chairman Jerry McClanahan said he didn't know of any "quick fixes" to reverse the boarding decline.

"Maybe you're right Truman," McClanahan said. "At the end of the year, when we're under the 10,000 enplanements and $300,000 goes right down the drain, maybe then people will sit up and take notice."

Board member John "J.T." Seesing suggested that more can be done to promote local passenger rides at the airport. He said that if Cape Central Airways, the airport's fixed base operator, provides rides, the boardings count toward the FAA's annual boardings threshold.

Mark Seesing said at least one airline recently has shown an interest in providing service in Cape Girardeau. He said a Texas-based airline likely would be willing to serve the airport if Trans World Express, the current airline, pulls out.

"They definitely would like to come in if TWE pulls out and may be interested in coming in even if they don't," the airport manager said.

He said the airline, which he wouldn't name, is an independent that could provide connecting flights to any airline that flies out of St. Louis or Memphis. TWE only provides connecting flights to Trans World Airlines' flights out of St. Louis.

J.T. Seesing said that given TWE's record of canceled flights and poor service: "I'm almost ready to say, `Let's kick TWE out.'"

But Mark Seesing said it's likely that any airline serving the airport would have difficulties similar to those experienced by TWE.

"You're probably going to have troubles with anybody, but you've got to be able to say, `Look, you're going to have to be able to provide us with this minimum service,'" he said.

"They can spend $100,000 on an advertising campaign and have it blown away with one canceled flight."

Public Works Director Doug Leslie said it's difficult to combat the "stigma" associated with a canceled flight such as one recently that was to bring 11 reservists back from the war in the Persian Gulf.

In other business, the board re-elected McClanahan as its chairman. Other officers elected were: Steve Nesler, vice-chairman, and James Bowman, secretary.