Airport unveils marketing campaign

Do You SRQ?

If you don’t, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport President Fred Piccolo is determined to make sure that you — and the company you work for — start. And at the very least, airport officials want you to start price checking local airfares before automatically booking a flight at Tampa International Airport or other competing airports.

Wednesday, June 27, at the Powel Crosley Mansion across the street from the airport, Piccolo officially released the “Do You SRQ?” marketing campaign and initiatives for reducing what the airport industry terms as “leakage” to other airports.

Airport statistics show more than 1 million local passengers leak to Tampa International Airport; a quarter-million passengers leak to Southwest International Airport, in Fort Myers, and a little more than 125,000 people leak to Orlando International Airport — every year.

Piccolo hopes that more than 1,000 local businesses and non-profit companies sign a pledge to look for airfares, locally, before booking flights with other airports.

“What’s hurt our community and our airport is the level of competition and the willingness of people to go to other airports,” Piccolo said. “We’ve become very competitive and want people to realize that.”

Piccolo was quick to point out the airport isn’t in dire straits and has recovered 95% of the business it was predicted to lose when Southwest Airlines officially pulls its local AirTran flights Aug. 12.

The airport, which has $28 million in reserves, $100 million in fixed assets and is on schedule to pay off all of its remaining $9 million debt in 2014, has attracted the likes of JetBlue and Delta Airlines, for service to LaGuardia International Airport, and United Airlines, which will begin offering flights to Chicago in November. Piccolo is hopeful the addition of United will eventually lead to coveted Midwest stops in Indianapolis and Milwaukee. Adding a non-stop flight to Pittsburgh and restoring service to Baltimore is also on Piccolo’s wish list, as well as acquiring more non-stop flights.

“History has shown the community favors its local airport even more when we offer non-stop flights,” Piccolo said.

The airport is spending $130,000 of its $225,000 marketing budget on the new campaign.

A study by the Florida Department of Transportation, Piccolo said, revealed that the airport has close to a $1-billion-a-year economic impact for the region “without taking a penny out of taxpayers’ pockets.”

“But we are leaking $1.5 million ($4.5 million in local sales tax revenues) each year to other airports,” Piccolo said. “That leakage costs local jobs, local business revenue, shifts millions in taxes away and results in fewer local flights.”

“We believe it’s time to say enough is enough,” said Piccolo, who explained the airport’s goal is to reduce leakage 3.8% annually over the next five years.

Piccolo said he understands there are some gaps in service with which SRQ can’t compete. Until those gaps are filled, he urges residents to only use carriers at competitor airports that also use SRQ.

“By leaving your airport next month, AirTran is saying they can get your business without actually servicing your community,” Piccolo said. “If you have to go to another airport, at least fly airplanes that support your local community, and we can force those companies to bring their service back home.”

 Click here to view SRQ's marketing campaign