Augusta Administrator Randy Oliver chats on the phone while waiting for the plane behind him to be repaired Wednesday morning at Augusta Regional Airport at Bush Field. Many travelers say such delays are not uncommon for the airport. JENNIFER BRUNO/STAFF

Problems hurt Bush Field

Web posted March 26, 2000

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By Justin Martin
Staff Writer

If there is a worse way for an airline to make an impression on a region than leaving 50 of its business owners and community leaders stranded at an airport in the middle of the night, Jim West doesn't know what it is.

But that's what happened last year when the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce's annual pilgrimage to Washington got stuck in Atlanta on its trip home.

Mr. West, the chamber's executive director, is still flabbergasted by the ordeal.

Bad weather delayed the plane's departure from Washington, so Mr. West called ahead to let Delta officials in Atlanta know that the Augustans would be coming in late.

``They said, `Oh yeah, we'll work with you; we'll do what we can when you get here,''' Mr. West said. ``Well, when we got in, Delta didn't do a thing. Nothing. Not even an apology. We were on our own.''

OTHER STORIES: • Aviation groups come to airport's aid • Aviation commission looks to GAIN • New airport promotions prepare for takeoff • Airport hopes to see funds • Experts push master plan for airport • Airport ignores funding • Board moves to study expansion • Inspectors: Airport outdated • Commission rethinks airport plan • Commission OKs design of new terminal • Airport gets fund priority • City sets sights on airport facilities • City looks to land major airlines • Local leaders discuss airline service goals • Delta jets to depart from area • Airport panel OKs new terminal plan • Growth alarms officials • Augusta's size hurts airport expansion plan • Firms vie for airport plan • More airlines doubtful • Problems hurt Bush Field • Airport business picks up • Augusta airport plans disappointed by Delta

The group finally resorted to renting a fleet of limos and stuffing as many people into each one as they could. The group arrived in Augusta at 4:30 a.m.

Horror stories like these have made travelers willing to drive the extra hour to Columbia or the two or more hours to Atlanta in their efforts to avoid Augusta Regional Airport at Bush Field.

Business travelers and tourists alike gripe about service, ticket prices, the size of the aircraft -- even the long-term parking. For these reasons, both the airport and airline services have made Solutions 2000's list of the area's top 15 problems.

For the most part, people who use Augusta Regional say the airport itself is fine. Sure, it is antiquated, they say, and the lack of counter space and the awkward baggage claim area can be a hindrance, but those who travel through Bush Field say it is also quaint, easy to get in and out of, and hardly ever crowded.

Those positives are some of the reasons John May chooses to fly out of Augusta rather than Atlanta on his business trips. But as Mr. May, a customer service technician for International Paper, said, it comes at a price.

Once, Mr. May was to fly from Augusta to Atlanta to catch a flight to Europe. When he arrived at Bush Field, Mr. May learned that the first leg of his flight -- the hop to Atlanta -- had been canceled.

With no other choice, Mr. May rented a car and sped toward Atlanta, hoping he wouldn't miss his flight to Europe. He made it -- barely -- but if he had missed the plane, he would have had to wait 24 hours for the next one.

When you travel as much as Mr. May does -- between 75 and 100 trips per year -- it is not so much the big things, such as canceled flights, as it is the little things, such as glitches, that are most frustrating.

There was the time he arrived late one Friday night from an exhausting weeklong journey overseas. Tired and eager to sleep in his own bed, Mr. May, 44, stumbled through the terminal, collected his bags and found his way outside.

He had parked in the long-term, credit-card rate lot. No hassles, no fumbling for cash or loose change; all he had to do was slide his credit card into the slot at the exit gate, and he would be on his way.

Mr. May slid his credit card in and out and waited for the gate to rise.

Nothing happened.

He tried several more times; still, the gate didn't budge.

Frustrated, he pushed the call button on the box, and a voice crackled over a small speaker, asking him whether he was using the right card and whether he was putting it in the right way.

The voice then asked Mr. May when he checked into the credit card rate parking lot.

``Early Monday morning,'' he told them.

The computer had crashed around midday that Monday, the voice said, so Mr. May would have to come inside the terminal office to get things squared away.

``I remember saying, `No problem, just lift the gate and I'll drive around,''' Mr. May recounted. ``It was raining and I was tired.''

But the staff wouldn't do that.

``They told me I had to walk over.... I couldn't believe it. It was raining. Did they think I was going to drive off without paying?'' Mr. May said, still incredulous over the evening's events.

Though such glitches can be fixed rather easily, the real problems, such as ticket shock, the lack of direct flights and the time efficiency element that most travelers look for are not so easily addressed.

``The biggest thing for us is the time efficiency,'' said Angela Keszegi, a spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble's Augusta office. ``You drive to Columbia and you can get a direct flight to Cincinnati. It saves you an hour and a half, two hours, because if you go through Augusta, you have to go to Atlanta and you get stuck in the layover.''

With as many as 20 employees taking business trips each week, Ms. Keszegi said, Procter & Gamble cannot afford to lose time or money.

Paul Meyer, general manager of John Deere Commercial Products, said his company sends about 10 to 15 employees a week on business trips to the Midwest and beyond. Most, if not all of them, drive to Atlanta to get on their planes.

``Personally, I'd rather fly out of Augusta,'' Mr. Meyer said. ``It's very easy to get into, very easy to get out of.''

So why go to Atlanta?

``A lot of it is availability,'' Mr. Meyer said. ``We would like to see more options, more airlines (at Augusta), then I think you'd see the volume; you'd see more people using the airport.''

Travel agents such as Beverly Kesel of The Vacation Shoppe agree.

``Honeymooners can save an extra $100 or $200 on flights out of Atlanta,'' Ms. Kesel said. ``That's money they can spend on their trip. It's worth it for them to drive to Atlanta.''

Perhaps the most glaring example of the ticket shock travelers speak of was found on the Delta Air Lines Web site: a round-trip ticket from Savannah to Atlanta sold for $103. The cost of a round-trip ticket from Augusta to Atlanta was $257.

Ed Skinner, chairman of the Augusta Aviation Commission, has heard these complaints before. He said he thinks the planned $22 million in renovations to the airport terminal will take care of some of the problems.

``We're about halfway through the process, about to go out for bonds, and I think once (the renovations are complete), it will make us more attractive to the other airlines,'' Mr. Skinner said.

As chairman of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce's Air Service Task Force, Julian Miller has become very familiar with the complaints of the community. The role of the task force is to serve as the liaison between the community and the airlines.

``We have several problems,'' said Mr. Miller, who also is general manager of The Augusta Chronicle. ``One is that we're losing jets to turboprop (planes). The second is we're losing the number of seats on flights, and the third is we're paying high ticket prices.''

Delta officials point to the low number of passengers per departure, the poor ticket sales and the stagnant customer base as reasons the airline will not increase or improve its services at Augusta.

As Douglas Blissit, Delta's vice president for network analysis, recently said, Augusta is ``very far down on the list for getting additional service and ... high on the list as we consider redeploying our assets.''

A recent study shows roughly 36 percent of area travelers drive to other cities to catch flights. The study also showed 115,000 of those travelers would use Augusta if fares were within $100 of those of the other cities.

``I would,'' said Woody Merry of The Money Group, who is also a member of Leadership Augusta's board of directors. ``I just went out to San Diego. I flew out of Atlanta because I saved $654. Six hundred and fifty-four dollars! If the ticket price was within $100 or $150 of the price to fly out of Atlanta, I'd fly out of Augusta.''

There have been talks in the past, as there are talks now, to try to lure another airline into Augusta. Such a move would increase competition, improve service and, ideally, lower prices from Augusta, Mr. Miller said.

Two airlines are now expressing interest in bringing service and adding flights from Augusta to the Washington and New York areas, Mr. Miller said.

To bring them here rather than to other cities equally in need of air service, Mr. Miller said, a committee is now studying what kinds of incentives Augusta can offer. One suggestion has been discounted advertisement rates in the newspaper, on television and on radio.

``We have to see what we can do,'' Mr. Miller said. ``We have to really step up our efforts and do whatever we can.''

Reach Justin Martin at (706) 823-3552.