ACI-NA’s JumpStart stages a comprehensive field of American LCCs and legacies

anna.aero is unashamed to declare an interest – we were the official Media Partner for this show.

This week 351 airlines and airports attended ACl-North America’s (ACI-NA) Marketing and Communications Conference in Montréal, Québéc, hosted by Aéroports de Montréal staged in tandem with ACI-NA’s JumpStart Air Service Development Program of 1-on-1 airline-airport meetings – around 50 planners attended from 21 airlines with every major legacy and low cost represented with Southwest sending the biggest team. anna.aero has also expanded the award of our “annies” to conference presentations in the “Marcom” conference – normally these are dedicated to airports with memorable exhibits.

Best slides of the show

We liked McGill University’s Professor Louis Gialloreto’s the best. (The publisher of anna.aero, who knew Louis when he was an Air Canada executive 20 years ago relates: “We were allowed to call him plain old Mister Gialloreto when we used to clean his shoes in those days.”) Louis’ use of entertainment to deliver extremely high-brow messages is after our own heart (bear in mind his paper was on ‘Airports Filling the Customer Service Gap’). Gialloreto also announced a deal between McGill and Aéroports de Montreal that allows airline and airport executives who are changing planes in Montreal to experience “airport lounge executive learning opportunities.” So, if you have a four-hour lay-over, instead of duty free shopping you could consider one of Louis’ “learning buffets … select your topic and enjoy 1-on-1 learning with top professors while you wait to connect to your next flight.”

Runners up (no particular order)

We also liked this one – ok it looks a little heavy but it’s not an easy subject. Here Lucinda Harshman, Director of Air Service Development, Pittsburgh is explaining the grandly-named Pennsylvania Air Service Committee. It’s a fancy name for re-inviting feed from small regional carriers back into PIT “from communities that have lost these services”, encouraging its use as a non-congested “multi-carrier” connection point. Conclusion: So how the hell do you do that? Well, like Harshman says “Carriers require a minimum level of revenue per flight (so) develop a program to support this for a set period of time to keep prices low enough to stimulate traffic.” Harshman would like to see this: “Become a model that could be replicated throughout the country.”

So what does this slide tell us? It’s by Steve Martin, author of a “Guidebook on Air Service Development for Small Communities”. Like Pittsburgh’s Harshman the top line tells us that if your airport gives direct financial assistance to a carrier to support its new route this will help. (No big surprises there then Steve.) The second set of lines recommend you hire a consultant; no surprises there either (Steve works for InterVistas Consulting).

This one is from Robert J. Deluce, CEO, of Toronto’s Porter Airlines. We liked it because it tells a great story and it’s so darn pretty. We wish Porter and all their airport partners all the best of luck with the Thunder Bay services, shown here as starting later this month on June 26th.

You can helpfully and generously download Mr Deluce’s paper along with all the others from the homepage of aci-na.org

The exhibitors’ annie award for creativity goes to Aéroports de Montréal for its Maple Candy. We deny any bias here, anna.aero’s Jon Lassetter had to eat six pounds of the stuff before he was really sure.

Dayton, Ohio – the home town of the Wright Brothers – markets on the basis of its claim to be the “Birthplace of Aviation.” Thankfully, the Wright Brothers were misled when they thought the only perfect conditions for powered flight lay far away in Kitty Hawk NC. You can indeed start a new route to anywhere at JumpStart. Dayton was promising “aggressive start-up programs” to carriers prepared to do so.

James Bogusz, Marketing Communications Manager, Victoria Airport Authority, agreeing that they are an obvious choice for new air services.

James C. Cherry, President and CEO, Aéroports de Montréal – adjusts the mic at the host reception…
…at which Karen Sinclair, Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Halifax International Airport enjoys the quale…	…and at which there were orchids with paté – “very tasty” according to Lassetter. (Orchids are poisonous Jon!!!)

The floor of the Marcom conference. We should also mention that Detroit’s Michael Conway, Director of Public Affairs for Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA), was named 2009 winner of the Ted Bushelman Legacy Award for Creativity and Excellence. WCAA operates the nation’s 12th busiest airport – Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) – and Willow Run Airport (YIP). Conway becomes only the second individual to receive the Ted Bushelman Legacy Award, which was first presented last year to the award’s namesake, Bushelman, who served as Senior Director of Communications at Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport for 40 years.

JumpStart’s 1-on-1 meetings took place in closed booths. All the majors and all the low-costs took positions with Southwest leading the way in having four.