e-link is a quarterly newsletter for our tenants, vendors and business partners to stay linked in with the projects, accomplishments and development at Southwest Florida International Airport and Page Field. April 2013 ¾ The South Road Re-alignment project, which redirects traffic connecting between U.S. 41 and Metro Parkway away from the Page Park community to Danley Drive along the south side of Page Field, has been completed. It also includes additional parking for Jerry Brooks Park, eliminating the need for park patrons to cross a busy roadway, and provides better roadway access to the south side of the airport. ¾ Base Operations at Page Field was rated among the top 30 percent of fixed-base operators according to a prestigious international survey conducted by Aviation International News (AIN). The 2013 FBO Survey is conducted annually and asked pilots, flight attendants and dispatchers to provide feedback on the level of customer care at individual business and general aviation service providers throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South and Central America and the Caribbean. This is the first time the Lee County Port Authority FBO has been recognized in the AIN survey. AIN conducted the online survey to qualified subscribers and asked them to evaluate FBOs they visited the previous year in four categories: line service (fueling, towing, storage and crew support); passenger amenities (customer service, waiting areas, arrival greeters and assistance with baggage); pilot amenities (rest areas, courtesy cars and hotel reservation services arranged by customer service representatives); and facilities (friendly and functional building, aircraft hangar space and aircraft ramp parking). ¾ The Lee County Port Authority was recognized by the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association at the 2013 Local Image Awards. LCPA received an Image Award for its Southwest Florida International Airport Facebook Launch in the Public Relations Programs Internal category. FPRA conducts the Local Image Awards annually to recognize outstanding public relations programs and to encourage and promote the development of public relations professionalism in Southwest Florida. They have become a standard of excellence and demonstrate the best of innovation, planning and design in the region. From L to R: Erin Croop, LCPA public affairs coordinator; Vicki Moreland, LCPA public affairs director; Barbara- Anne Urrutia, LCPA public affairs manager; Angie Strait, APR, LCPA public affairs coordinator Page 1
May 2013 ¾ Moody s Investors Service affirmed the A2 rating and revised the outlook to stable from negative on Southwest Florida International Airport s $323 million airport revenue bonds. The bonds are payable from net revenues generated by operations of Southwest Florida International Airport. The A2 rating is based on the strength of Southwest Florida International Airport s origination and destination market, fairly stable population base and limited competition in the region. Other airport strengths include: enplanement levels that have remained relatively stable and have shown growth in 2013; a diversified airline base that includes low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers; competitive cost profile; and strong liquidity with unrestricted cash and investments. Maintenance of the A2 rating recognizes the improving passenger volumes and expectation that the debt service coverage ratio will continue to modestly increase. The stable outlook reflects the expectation of improvements in passenger traffic as well as the stabilizing economic condition of Southwest Florida. ¾ JetBlue Airways announced it will begin new seasonal daily nonstop service between Southwest Florida International Airport and Hartford s Bradley International Airport on Oct. 24, 2013. This is the first time JetBlue will offer service between Hartford and Fort Myers. ¾ On May 8, Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways combined their operations at Southwest Florida International Airport. The airlines now operate all their flights out of Concourse B. Ticket counters have been moved next to each other and are located across from Door #3 on the departures level. ¾ The annual Federal Aviation Administration FAR Part 139 Inspection was conducted at Southwest Florida International Airport with no discrepancies noted. The inspection covers many areas including airfield lighting and marking, Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting training and equipment, tenant fueling, accident and incident records, airfield pedestrian and vehicle training, document review of emergency preparedness elements and a review of the physical layout of the airport. The Airport Certification Safety Inspector commended RSW for our procedures and the overall appearance of the airport. Page 2
¾ LCPA was honored with the 2013 General Aviation Architectural Project of the Year Award from the Southeast Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives for the new General Aviation Terminal Complex at Page Field. It was recognized for its vintage architectural feel, inclusion of historic World War II aircraft, environmentally friendly design and construction and energy-saving solar power system. The project was selected from all general aviation projects in the southeastern United States, including 12 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. ¾ The Florida Native Plant Society recognized LCPA for the Page Field Terminal project with a 2013 Florida Native Plant Society Award of Merit. The judges were impressed with the creativity involved in choosing a high percentage of native plants that were aesthetically pleasing while meeting FAA requirements. ¾ Southwest Florida International Airport celebrated its 30th anniversary on May 14, 2013. Southwest Florida Regional Airport opened on May 14, 1983, and was the newest airport in the nation until Denver opened in 1995. On May 14, 1993, RSW s 10th anniversary, the name of the airport was changed to Southwest Florida International Airport, to reflect its emerging global status. On Sept. 9, 2005, commercial operations moved from the original terminal to the new Midfield Terminal Complex. Our facility is still one of the newest terminals in the nation. Some of the milestones from our 30 years of service to the region are: In 1984, the first full year of operations, the airport served 1.3 million passengers. In March 2013, more than 1.1 million passengers traveled through the airport in a single month! RSW has accommodated more than 148 million passengers since opening in 1983. We rank among the top 50 airports in the U.S. for passenger traffic. Currently, 19 airline partners serve the airport with 44 nonstop destinations throughout the U.S., Canada, Germany and Mexico, as well as endless connection possibilities through some of the largest hubs in the world. Southwest Florida International Airport generates a regional economic impact of more than $3.8 billion annually. Page 3
¾ During May, 576,713 passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport, an increase of 8.4 percent compared to May 2012. This is the 11th consecutive month of increased traffic at RSW. Year-to-date, passenger traffic is up 6.7 percent from the same period last year. June 2013 ¾ airberlin announced it will be adding a fourth flight between Düsseldorf and Fort Myers beginning on Nov. 3. The addition of this service will provide RSW with a total of four weekly nonstop flights to Germany this winter. ¾ Silver Airways announced daily nonstop service to Orlando beginning July 2 and daily nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale starting Aug. 5. ¾ Frontier Airlines announced it will offer two weekly nonstop flights to Wilmington, Del. starting Nov. 2. ¾ MetJet announced it will begin weekly nonstop service to Cancun starting Dec. 7. This is the first time RSW will have service to Mexico. MetJet will also resume weekly nonstop service to Green Bay, Wisc. on Oct. 12. Page 4
Meet Southwest Airlines @ RSW "If the employees come first, then they re happy A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy so they keep coming back, which pleases the shareholders. It s not one of the enduring green mysteries of all time; it is just the way it works. Herb Kelleher It was the shared dream of Rollin King and Herb Kelleher to provide reliable, low fare air service within the state of Texas that created Air Southwest Co. in March 1967. Little did they know, when King drew a threecity route map on a paper napkin, it would take more than four years for that dream to become reality. At the time, flight routes and airlines that could fly them were strictly regulated by the federal government, which made the process of starting an airline a formidable task. The fledgling airline hit tough opposition from competing airlines before it even got off the ground. After several years of litigation, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of Air Southwest s right to fly within the state and in March 1971, Air Southwest was renamed Southwest Airlines. The new airline began flying daily routes on three Boeing 737-200s between Dallas, San Antonio and Houston on June 18, 1971. Southwest became known for being different than other airlines flight attendants in polka-dot orange blouses and hot pants, planes in the original desert gold livery, zany Halloween costume parties and humorous advertising campaigns. Decades later, Southwest s hard work has paid off with the airline being the largest domestic carrier in the United States, serving 97 destinations in 41 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and six international destinations. Despite its extensive route map and growth, little has changed in terms of the way the company operates. Southwest has stayed true to its core values of people first, where employees are not only encouraged to help control costs, but to have fun. It still exclusively operates one fleet type the Boeing 737 newer versions of the ones flown in its first year and takes great pride in being an on-time airline. Jeff Balducci, station manager for Southwest Airlines at RSW, explains, We operate very tight turns, which Station Manager Jeff Balducci (back row, second from left) and members of the Southwest Airlines team at RSW means there are typically only 25 to 45 minutes between arriving and departing flights. While other airlines have added luggage fees in recent years, Southwest remains adamant that bags fly free when you book a flight with them. And even if you ve never flown with Southwest, chances are you ve heard about their unique in-flight experiences that range from celebrating special occasions with toilet paper cakes, to singing flight attendants and trivia games at the gate. SOUTHWEST (Continued on Page 6) Page 5
SOUTHWEST (Continued from Page 5) Southwest arrived at Southwest Florida International Airport in October 2005, shortly after the new terminal complex opened, and today they are the airport s second largest carrier. At RSW, the Southwest team carries the fun into its culture committee, which hosts monthly events to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other achievements. It s just a small way of saying thank you to our employees who make our company successful, says Balducci. They also promote excellence amongst their peers through Operation Kick Tail, which encourages employees to recognize a job well done when they ve done something worth talking about. According to Balducci, Our company is incredibly supportive when it comes to helping others we have employees who tutor, some who donate time at the local food bank and even recycle cans off of our planes. On a national level, Southwest Airlines is a big supporter of the Ronald McDonald House. Even more is in store for Southwest this year as the company works to complete its acquisition of AirTran Airways. By the end of 2013, Southwest will replace AirTran in all the markets it serves, and in 2015 they will phase out operation of AirTran s Boeing 717 aircraft to focus on their streamlined fleet of 737s. At RSW, the two teams are already working together and the relocation of Southwest s ticket counter and gates from Concourse D to Concourse B is complete. We have the opportunity to make this a great experience for both AirTran customers and employees, says Balducci of the merger. Because we encourage our employees to be empowered, they take care of the customer and each other. And that makes for a happy, safe and efficient workforce, as well as happy customers. Page 6