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Every day 3,600 passengers check in at an airport in Central Texas.
Wading through the TSA lines, each of these fliers makes their way to Dallas, Killeen, Austin or Houston.
Unfortunately, less than 9% of these potential customers depart from Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport. But why?
In the 17 years since its inception, Killeen Regional Airport has become an integral part of regional military transportation thanks to its partnership with Robert Gray Army Airfield. At the height of the post-911 conflict in Southwest Asia, the regional airport averaged 385,000 passengers per year, up to a peak of over 400,000 in 2010.
But every apogee has a perigee.
In 2011 Osama bin Laden died, and with him came the promise of former President Barack Obama to reduce the US presence in the Middle East. However, this withdrawal resulted in lower military demand and, as a result, lower passenger numbers.
In 2015, the airport’s passenger numbers had dropped to 289,000, and the airport’s worst year before the pandemic was 2017, when it only occupied 260,000 seats. In the same year, Delta Airlines announced that it would be leaving Killeen Airport, removing the Atlanta route and leaving only American Airlines and United Airlines the flights to Dallas and Houston.
And just three days ago United Airlines announced their own decision to leave the airport on January 4th. The resulting shortage will come in the form of three daily flights, around 100 daily seats and the loss of connecting and one-way flights to and from Houston.
The move was unfortunate, but not unexpected.
“Due to changes in the long-term carrying capacity of this route, United will discontinue service to Killeen at the beginning of the new year. We will work with affected customers to help them develop alternative plans, ”said Charles Hobart for United Airlines.
Hobart said the main reason United Airline made its decision was the result of pandemic losses.
Over the past year, the aviation industry as a whole has suffered massive setbacks over safety concerns, the Boeing 737 recall, and the COVID-19 pandemic that crippled the world and created massive human resource problems for the sector.
In 2020, Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport carried just over 163,000 passengers. And in April the airport saw fewer than 3,000 leaflets.
“It was a dark time,” said Mike Wilson, Killeen’s executive director of aviation.
Wilson, who started in Killeen last May, was given the Herculean task of wrestling the airport from its main competitor Austin and boosting passenger numbers.
For the most part, the 16-year-old aviation industry veteran has succeeded in this endeavor, with passenger numbers in March above pre-pandemic levels.
Much of this current success could be attributed to the inflow of state and federal funds, with the airport receiving many millions of dollars in grants.
To the delight of the Killeen flying community, the airport was recognized this year as a recipient of a 1 million grant.
This is on top of a $ 10.4 million grant from the American Rescue Plan Act, a $ 15 million grant from the Federal Aviation Improvement Program, and a $ 3.3 million grant from the military airport program.
While the majority of these grants are largely based on enplanements, or how many people take off from Killeen Airport, the SCASDP is a highly selective grant that has only been awarded to nine regional airports across the country – and only one in Texas.
With six terminals, relatively short queues, a new baggage system, sleek looks, and even a gift shop that may be the only place to buy Killeen items, the focus is unmistakably on community service.
“One of people’s biggest annoyances is that airports are cashless. So you come here and pass the gate and suddenly you realize you need something to eat, ”said Jared Provost, airport operations manager. “We were at a stakeholder meeting and Tailwinds was thinking of this idea of loadable cards for the vending machines.”
Provost also mentioned the airport’s 300+ cameras, its commitment to security and the introduction of a post check-in checkout.
“These little things make a big difference to the community,” he said.
Despite all of these improvements, many see Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport as a replacement for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
According to Wilson, up to 73% of the area’s residents prefer to travel to Austin than fly to Killeen. Their biggest complaint so far is that the airport just doesn’t offer enough options.
Unfortunately, the airport’s meager route options are an issue that has so far remained inevitable.
The problem, according to Wilson, is that airlines and their prices are set by the airlines, not the airport.
“I’m just a landlord,” said Wilson. “I will provide land on which they can do their business.”
The problem is, business goes where it has customers, and airports can’t set up a flight to Atlanta any more than the city can set up a grocery store.
The main problem is that regional airports have a paradoxical relationship with airlines. In order to secure more routes, the airlines want increased travel numbers and increased demand. However, with so few options available to travelers, this need is difficult to demonstrate.
“The best way to stop airlines departing and encourage others to start new services is to have the people in our area use our airport and fly the airlines we have,” said Wilson.
In addition, pricing is a serious issue for local flyers. While United Airlines offered relatively inexpensive flights from Killeen to Houston and charged only $ 60 for a two-week one-way ticket, American Airlines tops what Wilson called the “price pyramid”.
Preferably, an airport includes airlines with multiple “pricing models”. For example, while American Airlines charges a comparatively high price, Southwest Airlines is pretty cheap. However, with no competition from other airlines, pricing models remain locked down, and many customers decide that the 60-minute drive to Austin is worth the price difference.
Wilson and his team will continue to develop the airport for the time being. The completion of a new company hangar is planned for the new year, which will be filled by CSI, an air emergency service, after completion. CSI is expected to create at least 24 new positions.
The airport will also begin construction of another company hangar shortly, which is due to be completed next summer.
And of course the airport will continue to develop its marketing program to attract more regional customers from Georgetown, Lampasas, Killeen and almost every other local city.
American Airlines has given Wilson a firm “maybe” on whether they will fill the void created by United’s departure.
“We spoke with American about additional capacity in light of United Airlines’ departure and they have indicated that they will try to meet demand if there is additional demand,” said Wilson.
Until then, the City of Killeen has been and will continue to drive passenger numbers at Killeen Regional Airport.
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