Ready For Takeoff?
Gov. Dannel Malloy
Photo by Steve Kotchko
Posted 8/15/11
Backed by a gaggle of Democratic and Republican legislative leaders and state officials for a ceremonial bill signing at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy put pen to paper, posing for a nice photo to commemorate a new aviation law.
The bill, creating the Connecticut Airport Authority, takes Bradley and five other state airports out of the hands of the Department of Transportation. The Authority should be free of state government red tape and delays, allowing faster decisions on air service, marketing, and contracting. Malloy is playing catch up, virtually all other states separated airports from their DOT’s years ago.
The new Authority takes over January 1st. Beyond Bradley, the board will take over state-run airports in Danielson, Windham, Groton/New London, Waterbury/Oxford, and Brainard Airport in Hartford. Bradley will be the main focus, “a gem in the rough”, in Malloy’s words.
Malloy, ever the optimist despite the recession-plagued economy, teased reporters with predictions that Bradley could again see international flights, and non-stops to the West Coast, instead of the all too familiar multiple connections Bradley air travelers now endure.
“I have had discussions with representatives of foreign governments, including Europe, who are excited about the prospect, as hopefully the economy turns around, of joining us at Bradley for international service.” The governor said he’s ready to “work with anyone with goodwill” to create new long-haul flights to “California or western cities.”
He hinted he’ll be working with executives at major corporations in Connecticut to recruit their help in pushing U.S. carriers and foreign airlines to do more at Bradley. The governor will be making key appointments to the Airport Authority and vowed that the “business community will be well-represented in those ranks.”
Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman also spoke at the Bradley ceremony, claiming the creation of the Authority will see to it that “Bradley Airport is not just a place to catch a plane, it will also become a major economic engine for Connecticut”, creating new aviation-related jobs.
Senate President Pro Tempore Donald Williams (D-Brooklyn) touted Bradley’s convenience for much of Connecticut and parts of Massachusetts compared to JFK, LaGuardia, and Logan airports. “It is so much easier and pleasurable to come to Bradley instead of fighting the traffic and the hassle elsewhere.”
Even State House Republican leader Lawrence Cafero (R-Norwalk), one of Malloy’s most vocal critics, was on board for the Airport Authority law. “This is a wonderful and historic day, because many of us believe our fine airports in Connecticut can be even better,” he said. “We wanted to give them freedom and flexibility and allow them to be the hubs for economic development we know they can be,” he added. Cafero noted that past attempts failed, under Republican governors, and he credited Malloy for seeing the potential, and working with lawmakers in both parties to get the law approved.
Connecticut’s new Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, Catherine Smith, said passenger traffic at Bradley rose 9% last year, despite continued stress in the economy. She said it was a significant achievement that while the state experienced the snowiest winter in years, Bradley logged just two hours of unscheduled closure. Bradley has a reputation for keeping its runways open, and because of its inland altitude, is often an alternate landing site for commercial jetliners unable to land at fogged-in coastal airports in New York or Boston.
Malloy said transforming Bradley’s control from the “old management style” of letting the DOT handle it, to a new quasi-public authority creates “a far better, far more nimble management structure” that can capitalize quickly when business opportunities arise, instead of seeing decisions languish in the snail-paced process of state government.
The chatter about creating an independent airport authority has gone on for years. Now it is happening, and supporters of this strategy will have to find a way to get Bradley’s fortunes off the taxiway and onto the runway for take-off. Many of the airport’s inherent problems must be addressed.
Bradley has suffered from start-and-stop air service. State officials trumpet the arrival of a new airline at Bradley, or new flights to new locations. Too often, if there is an economic downturn, or a big hike in jet fuel prices, those flights are the first to go. Just a few years ago, the airport set up an international arrivals building, complete with a connecting jetway, and U.S. Customs facilities. Air service to Amsterdam with connections to other European cities flourished for a while and then disappeared, a victim of the economy.
Even if European air carriers do express an interest in starting flights out of Bradley, there is a complicated business and political dance that will occur if U.S. carriers with overseas service, and/or other regional airports complain about the competition. In such cases, the “nimble” nature of the Airport Authority that Malloy describes will need to be fueled and revved on the runway pronto.