airline they flew through, and then combine this information with airline
reported data from the US Department of Transportation (DOT). Jeff noted
that the true market data is calculated for the year ended Sept 30, 2022,
and that the data focuses on passengers who come from the primary
catchment area, or the total number of travelers who theoretically should
use COU based on drive time, a population of about 500,000. Jeff stated
that this data shows that 159,000 total annual passengers (both
enplanements and deplanements), domestically and internationally,
originate from the catchment area. He said that the Columbia community
generated 49% of total catchment area passengers, while Jefferson City
generated 13%, and that Columbia, Jeff City, and Ashland had the highest
COU retention. Ron explained that in 2017, passengers flying out of COU
were typically very business-oriented, and that now most passengers are
focused more on leisure. The representatives from Mead & Hunt went on to
discuss data showing catchment areas for people flying in both
domestically and internationally. Jeff explained that 48% of those
passengers using alternate airports used Southwest Airlines, while
American Airlines captured 23%, and Delta Air and United Airlines
combined captured 20% (other airlines captured 9%). He displayed a
graph which shows average domestic one-way fares for COU, MCI, and
STL. The COU fare gap for the year ending in September of 2022 was $67
for STL and $54 for MCI, and he stated that the fare gap is at or near the
highest levels during the past 10 years. Matt Jenne asked if the fare gap
graph compared lower cost airlines, or if it’s only comparing American
Airlines to American Airlines and Jeff explained that it compares all
airlines. Regarding industry trends, Ron explained that the pilot shortage
continues, and although it is getting better but is still an issue, particularly
impacting regional and small airlines and markets. Ron stated that airline
costs have increased overall, primarily due to increased operational costs
such as payroll, maintenance, and fuel. Ron said that fuel prices peaked in
April 2022, although they are still higher than two years prior. Ron explained
that travel demand has changed when it comes to travel for business
versus for leisure, domestic travel versus international travel, and that
working from home has impacted travel dynamics, as meetings can often
be held virtually and no longer require airline travel.
VII. REPORTS
Report from Mike Parks
Mike Parks presented his report to the Board. He stated:
-Enplanements continue to be strong at over 8,000 for April.
-Larger aircraft are being used more frequently at COU.
-Tower operations, which is any aircraft that the traffic control center talks