Frontier Airlines Rocks!
Posted on 07/01/2009
I was in Denver yesterday with Joyce visiting Frontier Airlines at the G-O. We had great meetings all day- sales, corporate communications, marketing, planning and scheduling. Frontier folks work exceeding hard to build a quality brand based on customer service. I particularly loved the DirectTV®! I was able to watch a new show called Saving Grace on TNT, on the way home and it sure helped pass the time. And even though the flight was 100% full, the cabin still felt roomy thanks to the great big Airbus 319 fuselage.
If you can believe it, we flew to Denver and back in the same day. Don’t you think that is amazing? I mean, we had the privilege of meeting face-to-face with our airline partner without having to spend the night…all the way out west! After 13 years in the business, I am still star-struck by this industry. Although there is always one crisis or another, flying is still the coolest way to travel.
Thanks Frontier for such a great service to our community and for such a great trip yesterday.
Akron-Canton Airport grows in May despite economy
Posted on 06/19/2009
Every month I wait, with a knot in my tummy, for the airlines to report their passenger boardings to us. The figures come in one-by-one for about a week. Sometimes, they are up sometimes they are down. This month, thankfully, more were up than we were down. Our margin of increase in May was very slim, just 177 more passengers than last year, but in this economy up is up! Read the press release.
At the AAAE National Conference in Philadelphia earlier this week, I had the opportunity to chat with many of our brethren in the airport industry. Without exception, everyone was being affected by the economy. Some were just hanging on. Others were desperate to see a return in both capacity and demand. Most were optimistic that we’d weather this storm, like we have so many times in the past.
That’s why I feel like we need to say “thanks.” "Thanks" to the excellent airlines that continue to serve our market with flights to cool places. A special shout out to AirTran Airways, US Airways and Frontier Airlines for actually investing additional resources in our market. In the end though, the airlines and the airport depend on loyal customers. So, "thanks" most of all to the many new and returning customers from throughout the Cleveland+ region. It is your support that truly makes Akron-Canton Airport a better way to go.
CAK Social Media Takes Off
Posted on 06/11/2009
It is hard to believe that Twitter didn’t exist a few short years ago. Communications platforms like Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Facebook are appearing out of nowhere and totally redefining how we talk and relate to one another. Photos, videos, quick chats, and updates can be uploaded in real time. They show the world, very quickly, what's happening everywhere. There is no doubt in my mind that we are in the midst of a total communication Revolution. This certainly isn’t a slow gradual progression or refinement, this is utter Revolution.
Well, we at CAK love Revolution! We strongly embrace new technology, new products, and new ways of doing things. So, we jumped into Web 2.0/3.0 with both feet last year; and what began as an experiment has quickly transformed into a key strategic priority for our airport. If you’d like to see what we are doing become a Facebook fan and/or follow our tweets on Twitter. Clearly, you already follow my blog (thanks by the way).
Social media is really cool. It is cost free and a very effective way to build a lasting relationship with customers and partners. Airports have never really had the chance to build lasting relationships with our customers (airlines, car rental companies and other partners hold the data and therefore the power to connect one-on-one), so this is revolutionary for us too.
Because we are kinda becoming experts at this stuff, I have a few best practices to share with you before you jump in.
- Define your market and know who you are trying to reach
- Think strategically about how to best communicate with your target audience and which platform(s) best fits your needs
- Think about your social media plan as a way to engage customers in a totally new way
- Make it interactive
- If you are a control freak, this stuff will drive you nuts
Most of all, you must be committed for the relationship to last. If you’d like to know more about what we are up to, I will be staring in a webinar hosted by WorkSmart emarketing on June 24, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.
Cleveland+ Airport CAK welcomes more passengers/ wins tourism award
Posted on 05/15/2009
Pinch me cuz I must be dreaming! Why you ask? Well, CAK passenger traffic was up 8% compared to last year and we are up 2.35% year-to-date. Read more here. Now, that may not seem like a lot to most folks...but in this economy, any increase is a big deal. Plus, we welcomed more passengers than ever last year making an increase that much more noteworthy.
Airports are volume businesses. We thrive and give back more to the community (connectivity, jobs, income, taxes) when more travelers come through our doors. So during a huge economic slowdown, airports could struggle mightily.
I am so proud that our little airport continues to eek out modest gains even during the most challenging times.
Also, as a side note...we are thrilled that our web site was selected for an Akron/Summit CVB Zenith award for best tourism web site. We think it is pretty great too. Thanks Susan, Gregg and Jim!
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