City of Columbia, Missouri

Meeting Minutes

Airport Advisory Board

City Hall

701 E. Broadway

Conference Room

1A/1B

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

1:00 PM

Regular

Columbia, MO 65201

I. CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 1:01 PM.

8 -

Present:

B.J. Hunter, Matthew Jenne, Todd Culley, Gary Thompson, Thomas Richards, Britt

Smith, Jon Poses and Raman Puri

1 - Randa Rawlins

Excused:

2 - Mike Parks and Amy Schneider

Non-Voting:

II. INTRODUCTIONS

Board Members, staff (Stacey Button, Lauren Weber), and guests (Mike Murphy, Shane

Messenger) introduced themselves.

III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Todd Culley made a motion to approve the agenda as submitted with a second

by Jon Poses. Motion passed unanimously.

IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

February 22, 2023 Minutes

Attachments: AAB Meeting Minutes February 2023

The February 22, 2023 meeting minutes were approved as submitted with a

motion by Gary Thompson and a second by BJ Hunter. The minutes were

approved unanimously.

V. OLD BUSINESS

BJ Hunter stated that he has continued to receive complaints about the cell service in the

new terminal. Mike Parks said he is currently working on getting a draft agreement with

T-Mobile, which once approved will work toward enhancing the cell phone signal for all

T-Mobile users. He said that he met yesterday with AT&T. They are drawing up plans

now, and once they complete the agreement and get it approved by City Council, they

anticipate service for AT&T users to be improved by the end of the calendar year.

Regarding people being kicked off of Wi-Fi in the new terminal, Mike said that he spoke

to IT who found an issue that has since been fixed. Tom Richards ask if Airport staff have

considered putting up signage in the new terminal notifying travelers that there is Wi-Fi

available. Mike said that he doesn’t think there is anything up currently, but that he will

take a sign from the old terminal to hang in the new one. Jon Poses asked why it takes

so long for the cell service to be improved. Mike explained that they have to complete an

air space study in order to install new antennas, which takes 60 to 90 days, so the

planning and approval phases take time.

VI. NEW BUSINESS

Passenger Demand Analysis Discussion

Mike displayed the most recent Passenger Demand Analysis from the FLYCOU website,

which contained information through 2017. Tom Richards asked if there is a plan for

updating this analysis. Mike explained that Mead & Hunt is in the process of updating it

and will have a completed plan soon. Tom requested a review of the new PDA by the

consultant from Mead & Hunt, and Mike said that he will try to arrange to have one join

via Zoom for either the April or May meeting, depending on when it’s completed. Matt

Jenne inquired what the normal time between completing these analyses is, and Stacey

Button responded that in her experience it has

been between three and five years, although this one was delayed by the pandemic. Gary

Thompson said that it would be helpful for marketing efforts, and Tom added that the data

would be helpful in understanding what share of the market is using COU so that they

can guide objectives on how to capture the remaining market share. He also suggested

that the analysis be completed more frequently. Matt suggested that even older data is

helpful to show COU’s proven track record even before the pandemic. Jon stated that

distributing informational brochures or pamphlets about the Airport would be useful in

attracting interest, and Gary added that this practice used to be common and was very

effective. Mike stated that the Airport will be re-evaluating where advertising dollars are

spent, noting that at the Lake of the Ozarks they recently took out a full-page ad in an

area magazine as well as a billboard installation. Jon said that ultimately adding more

flights and airlines will be the most successful tool in getting people to fly COU. He added

that it may be too soon to start advertising, as they may want to wait until the cell service

has been improved and the concessions vendor is open for business. Matt responded

that food and cell service won’t necessarily change anyone’s mind and that they will fly

out of COU when it’s the most convenient and/or the cheapest option. Tom wanted it

noted in the minutes that the Board has requested to see the final Passenger Demand

Analysis and discuss it with a consultant once completed.

On-time Arrivals and Departures Data

Mike displayed the United States Department of Transportation graph that was shared

with the board prior to the meeting. This graph showed information regarding the total

arrivals compared to the total on time flights by month, as well as a chart showing the

reasons for the delayed arrivals. Tom noted this data shows that the biggest cause of late

arrivals in 2021 was the aircraft arriving late, and asked if there is any data that shows

late arrivals that COU has control over. Mike said that the maintenance agreement that

they are working on will help alleviate late departures due to aircraft maintenance. Tom

pointed out that the Columbia Regional Airport’s on time performance is about the same

as the airports in St. Louis and Kansas City, which would be another good reason to

provide this information publicly. Britt Smith stated that the challenge is that if your flight

is delayed in St. Louis, you have other flights available as an option. Gary asked if there

was corresponding departure data, and Tom stated that there is but that he would like to

discuss with a consultant on how to gather the right data in order to present it correctly.

Gary Thompson motioned to see the arrival and departure data and analysis of

that data (including comparisons to Kansas City and St. Louis airports) twice a

year. BJ Hunter seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

VII. REPORTS

Report from Mike Parks

Mike Parks presented his report to the Board:

-He will continue to update Board on AT&T cell service improvements.

-He is looking into removing trailers from the back of the old terminal this summer in order

to improve line of sight.

-Mike said he is continuing the procurement process with the vendor for concessions and

will hopefully have an update at next month’s meeting.

-Mike stated that marketing will be one of the topics on next month’s agenda, as the

Airport has a contract with a new marketing company, Woodruff. Gary stated he would

like to see the process early and often, as he felt it was too little too late in the past.

Mike said that he will try to get them to present at April’s meeting. Tom asked what the

objectives and goals are for this new marketing agency, and Mike explained that it’s very

early in the contract and that they haven’t established that as of yet.

-Mike explained that a Pavement Management inspection will be completed by Burns and

McDonnell Engineering where they will walk the entire pavement and provide a condition

report to the airport, which will be used to determine priorities for future pavement repairs

and reconstruction.

-Mike explained that the TSA only operates during flight times. This means that if the

flight is delayed, TSA agents eventually leave the Airport and if you leave the secure area

during that time you can’t get back in. He spoke to TSA about this issue to find out if it is

possible to have them stay after hours, but was told that there has to be a time limit due

to overtime costs. They explained that they will make an announcement one hour before

they close the security check-in. Mike stated that he is working with TSA to find a

resolution for food dellivery if flights are delayed for a long period of time.

-Mike stated the enplanement numbers are far better in February 2023 than they were in

February 2022, and noted that in January 2022 United Airlines left COU. Todd Culley said

that he thought United leaving COU was supposed to be temporary. Mike explained that

they did “suspend service” although the Airport does not currently have a date of return.

He went on to say that he will be meeting with them this summer to remind them that the

demand is still high in Columbia. He expects that the pilot shortage improving will help.

Jon asked whether Mike had any update on the pilot shortage, to which Mike responded

that he continues to hear that it’s improving but he hasn’t seen any specific numbers.

VIII. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND STAFF

Tom asked if anyone would prefer to hold the meeting at a different time. Matt said it

would be better for him to hold it later in the day. Tom said that Randa Rawlins told him

prior that 3:00 PM would be a better meeting time for her. Mike noted Conference Room

1A/1B is booked at 4:00 PM on the fourth Wednesday of the month, so the Board would

only be able to meet for one hour. Gary inquired about the conference room at the Airport,

and Mike said it should be completed by the next meeting date if the Board would like to

hold their meeting there. Tom stated he will send out an email to get the Board’s

opinions, as he would prefer to meet early morning or late afternoon. The Board decided

that there will be no changes to the meeting time or date next month, and agreed to

discuss it further during the April meeting. Jon expressed his support of continuing to

hold the meetings at City Hall, and Tom said that they will plan on holding the meeting at

1:00 PM at City Hall in April.

IX. NEXT MEETING DATE

April 26, 2023

X. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 2:04 PM. with a motion by BJ Hunter and a second by

Jon Poses. Motion passed unanimously.