As the end nears for regular daily airline service to Toledo, the agency managing Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport describes it as thriving while not taking responsibility for the impending collapse of passenger service there.
"The airport is much more than simply the passenger service," said Joe Cappel, the port authority’s vice president of business development. "That is of course what the average person may be most aware of, but it's not everything out there."
"Every day at Toledo Express, we are handling dozens and dozens if not a hundred flights a day," Mr. Cappel said of non-passenger flights.
"We're talking about losing two out of the total," Mr. Cappel said of American's two Chicago round-trips that will end on Sept. 7 when American Airlines withdraws from the market leaving only Allegiant Air, which caters to leisure travelers and through non-daily flights.
As far as the end of daily offerings and attracting new ones, Mr. Cappel blamed multiple factors but not the port authority. His list included reduced service by airlines, related airline business decisions, parked regional jets, a pilot and crew shortage, the price of fuel, and new industry dynamics since 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic and its lasting impact.
"Remember, it's not the airport that picks the airlines," he said. "It's the airlines that choose which airports they decide to fly into."
Stakeholders agree that the airport is showing strength but say that may be true in terms of cargo and industrial type service, but described the lack of progress on bolstering passenger air service options as unacceptable.
When American withdraws from Toledo Express, residents will need to leave town to catch a flight to see family, go on a business trip, or attend an out-of-town funeral.
"I think it's very sad, and I think it's going to hurt a lot of business up and down Airport Highway," said Cindy Steltmann, manager of the Airport Lounge, a business unaffiliated with Toledo Express.
"People do stop for food, lunch, gas, whatever they need to either get on that plane or get off that plane," she said.
Disappointment
The state of passenger service is raising concerns within the airport grounds.
"I feel disappointed in the condition of it, and the lack of emphasis and advertisements and amenities to grab the attention of the surrounding area," said Marion Rapp of the Federal Aerospace Institute, which prepares people for careers in taking care of and maintaining the types of jetliners Toledo Express is losing.
"I think it's been neglected," she said when asked about the nearing collapse of passenger service. "I am very concerned."
Toledo Express is lagging in touting itself to potential customers. Its website encourages people to "check out our latest blog post," but the latest entry is more than 13 months old.
It promotes something that soon will end, hopping on a non-stop American flight for a Chicago weekend getaway. The blog also promotes a “sweepstake,” which expired more than 14 months ago, for a roundtrip airline ticket out of Toledo Express to one of six national parks.
The website's most recent news release is nearly five months old. And the latest announcement highlighting its passenger travel statistics dates back to Jan. 22, 2020, when it touted "positive growth and momentum."
“Year after year, more residents continue to choose their local airport over others," port authority president and CEO Thomas J. Winston said in that announcement.
In a little more than a month, Toledo travelers won't have that choice when booking a daily flight.
As that day approaches, Mr. Cappel highlights the strength of multiple portions of Toledo Express that are not daily flights.
His list included the Ohio Air National Guard, corporate aircraft hangars, general aviation, a Toledo Public Schools' academy, and the Federal Aerospace Institute training academy for airline maintenance technicians. There's also Amazon Prime, which flies in two large aircraft a day for its e-commerce network, Tronair, which employs more than 300, National Flight Services, Grand Aire, and TOL Aviation, he said.
"You have about 20 different businesses that depend on that airport to operate," Mr. Cappel said.
In addition to various food-related and other traveler-related offerings on the terminal’s second floor, “27 diverse businesses" are at Toledo Express. The list ranges from the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, which has a substation at the airport, to the Aerospace & Natural Science Academy of Toledo, and Plastic Technologies, Inc.
Ms. Rapp also noted the sizable roster of companies on the airport grounds, but spoke of it being "extremely important" to return the airport to vibrancy through passenger travel.
"I think it's vital to have an upgraded, functional airport," she said.
That, she said, would help those attending the Federal Aerospace Institute.
"As for the direct impact on our school, it would be nice to have the students work locally," Ms. Rapp said. "There are quite a few of them who would like to work locally here. To have a very vibrant and functioning airport would be monumental for them."
Dropping names
Mr. Cappel of the port authority said that Toledo Express continues to try and attract new passenger service.
"We are marketing the airport to all different kinds of airlines," he said. "We are still talking to American. If there's an opportunity to bring Chicago back or perhaps Dallas or bring the Charlotte flight back. We are talking to United. We go to conferences and there's folks from Delta, American, and United all there."
He also mentioned meeting with Allegiant about new potential routes serving Toledo Express. "Allegiant is adding the Phoenix flight back into their mix," he said, referencing flights between Toledo Express and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.
There's also the "ultra-low-cost carriers and the low-cost carriers."
"We're talking to carriers like Breeze and Avelo and Sun Country and others that fly primarily to leisure destinations," Mr. Cappel said. "We know that those routes can be successful in Toledo."
He mentioned South Florida/Fort Lauderdale, Nashville, and Las Vegas as examples.
"We know that people are leaving our market, driving to Detroit, and flying to these cities," Mr. Cappel said. "We think that there's an opportunity for low-cost carriers to serve those markets directly from Toledo on larger aircraft."
"That is probably the best opportunity that we have at least in the short term until the regional jets that are parked are able to get back into service, until the network airlines can address the pilot shortage and the crew shortage and until the price of fuel comes down," he said.
Toledo Express, he said, has offered various incentives to airlines, including incentives such as minimum revenue guarantees and fee waivers. "All kinds of different things that the airlines like to enjoy when they pick which airports to serve," Mr. Cappel added.
Mr. Cappel emphasized that no layoffs had been made involving port authority personnel at the airport as American prepares to withdraw from Toledo. No deferred maintenance is in the offing, either.
"We will have to maintain the airfield," he said. "It is expensive to operate an airport because you have a lot of fixed costs. No matter if you have one passenger or 100 million passengers, you still have to maintain the airfield and maintain the facilities to an operable condition."
In all, 100 percent of all of the airplane hangars out there are leased out, he said.
"When you look at it from that perspective it's a very busy place," Mr. Cappel said. "We'll actually need to build more buildings and more hangars to accommodate the growth of these companies that rely on that airport."
Ms. Steltmann, the manager at the lounge along Airport Highway, noted the personal connections that businesses away from the airport grounds have to those looking to fly out of Toledo Express.
Because of its airport theme and name, Airport Lounge gets regular calls from people thinking it's part of Toledo Express.
"I actually got a phone call one time where a lady was in distress, and she needed a plane ticket," Ms. Steltmann recalled. "I actually took her credit card number and booked an entire flight ticket for her over the phone."
First Published July 31, 2022, 11:00 a.m.
