Buffalo Niagara International Airport: Well Positioned
Transportation
Written by Deborah Geering   
Tuesday, 01 September 2009
Buffalo Niagara International Airport: Well Positioned
Learn how planning plus positioning keeps the sun shining over this airport.
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With a nationwide drop in passenger traffic in the past year approaching 12%, airport directors may not always have a lot to be thankful for these days. But William Vanecek, director of aviation at Buffalo Niagara International Airport since 1998, counts his blessings.

At BNIA airport, traffic is down only about 5.5%—after phenomenal growth a few years earlier. Due to a combination of careful planning and some lucky happenstances, BNIA is well positioned to take off again when the economy picks up.

One of its greatest assets is about 15 miles up the interstate: the Canadian border. “Every morning, I wake up and look north, and I sing ‘O Canada,’” Vanecek joked. “Their numbers have helped us become very successful.”

Buffalo Niagara International Airport: Well Positioned
William Vanecek, director of aviation
Vanecek is referring to the Canadian passengers who opt to fly in and out of BNIA. Up to 35% of the cars parked in BNIA’s lots come from across the border, and surveys conducted by the airport indicate the passengers drive from as far as Toronto, 100 miles to the north.

In 1997, BNIA hosted about 3 million passengers. After JetBlue arrived in February 2000 (flight number one in their system and in our hearts, Vanecek said) and Southwest arrived in October, the number leaped 33% to 4.2 million.

Meanwhile, as passenger totals rose, airfares dropped. In 1996, BNIA had the second highest airfare average in the nation, Vanecek said. But the arrival of Southwest, JetBlue, and the nation’s other top discount carrier, AirTran Airways, brought BNIA’s fares down to among the lowest in the nation.

“We’re fortunate that we have the three lowest-fare carriers in the market. They are the ones that have really helped us turn into a very competitive airport,” said Vanecek, who through the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is also responsible for operations at Niagara Falls International Airport.

Clearing customs
Low fares are only part of the story of BNIA’s growth, however. Convenience also plays a role. The modern terminal, which opened in 1997, was designed with easy-in, easy-out access in mind. Close gates (now numbering 25), no trams, and accessible ticket and security areas help travelers move quickly to their ultimate destinations.

Canadian travelers have another reason for choosing BNIA: clearing customs on the ground, in their car, is more predictable than going through the process at an airport. “They can time when they want to leave home, when they want to get to the airport, and with certainty get across with not much of a delay,” Vanecek said.

Two events not anticipated when the new terminal was designed have required Vanecek to stay on his toes. One was the arrival of the low-fare carriers. “When we built the new terminal, the 5 million-passenger mark was anticipated to occur in 2020. We passed it in 2006,” he said. The other, of course, was 9/11. Security upgrades changed traffic flow inside the terminal.

To accommodate more stringent inspection requirements, the airport moved its checkpoint to a wider hallway. “That, unfortunately, put about 50% of our food and beverage locations pre-security,” Vanecek explained.

And passengers like to conquer the unknowns before they snack. “They want to get through the security checkpoint lines, find their gate, and then they go look to see what’s available.” Ideally, airports prefer to place about 90% of retail past security, he said.

Meanwhile, security checkpoint waits were exceeding an hour at busy times, and baggage was missing flights. To preserve the airport’s claim of easy in, easy out, Vanecek knew it was time for improvements.

First up was a new bagging screening process. The resulting $32 million in-line baggage sorting and screening system, which opened this spring, tripled baggage flow-through to up to 2,400 pieces per hour.

It required adding 25,000 square feet to the baggage area, so Vanecek decided to have the contractors add a second floor at the same time, creating an extra 25,000 square feet in the terminal.

Next up was increasing the security checkpoint to nine lanes, which required relocation of some of BNIA’s concessions. Vanecek approached the airport’s concessions partner, Buffalo-based Delaware North Companies, with an offer.

“I think partnerships between airports and master concessionaires work when both sides can benefit,” he said. “I sat down with them and said, ‘You should have the best concessions with us because we’re your hometown airport. How do we make this your showcase?’” In the end, Delaware North agreed to kick in $7.6 million toward a $13 million concessions renovation, and BNIA extended the company’s contract 15 years.  

The new food court, built in the space above the baggage expansion, opened in May. In addition to the food court, Delaware North obtained a license to open an airport location of Anchor Bar, originator of the Buffalo chicken wing. “It’s amazing to come into the airport at 7:00 in the morning and see people sitting down to eat chicken wings,” said Vanecek.

With the expansion projects completed, Vanecek said it’s a waiting game for airport leadership. “All of us now are in an uncertain time; we don’t know where the industry is going.”

That’s not to say he doesn’t have plans. Even in the midst of an economic downturn, Vanecek is making plans for the air-port’s next growth spurt. Next up: a bigger baggage claim area, more parking spaces for automobiles, and more spaces for airplanes, too.

“Airlines like to get a lot of early morning flights out to feed their hubs,” Vanecek noted. “If we are going to experience significant growth, we’re going to have to address how to get more planes here at night so they can get out in the morning.”

Deborah Geering, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.
 
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