DFW: Airport Board & Policies

[dfwcre8tive]

Pepsi slated for expanded contract at D/FW
Agreements amended also for airport shuttle vans and Tolltag users
10:19 PM CDT on Tuesday, April 5, 2005
By SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News

Officials at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport will again grant preferred beverage rights to Pepsi Bottling Group LLC in a new expanded agreement. In addition to various event sponsorships, Pepsi would also develop six Lego-themed children's play areas in airport terminals as early as this fall, said Pat Gleason, D/FW's vice president of revenue management. Pepsi would also develop a music performance stage in Terminal D, the airport's new international terminal slated to open in July. The beverage deal received preliminary approval at an airport committee meeting on Tuesday.

Separately, board members sent along contracts for airport van service and an amended agreement with the North Texas Tollway Authority for TollTag readers in more parking areas and at all airport entries and exits.

Formal approval of the contracts by the airport's board of directors is scheduled on Thursday. The proposed Pepsi deal would call for at least $750,000 more in annual non-aviation revenue than the beverage company's initial 1995 contract, Mr. Gleason said. Pepsi would pay the airport a minimum annual fee of $1.2 million the first year, growing to $1.3 million the fifth year.

The airport would also get 40 percent in commissions on vending sales, plus bonus payments should growth exceed certain levels. "We're very excited about the prospect of continuing our relationship with D/FW," said Pepsi spokeswoman Kelly McAndrew.

The board is expected to approve 4-year service contracts to shared-ride operators City Shuttle LLC, SuperShuttle DFW Inc., and Classic Shuttle Acquisition Corp. (dba Yellow Checker) that call for faster service to more places and more airport oversight. Under the proposed contracts, shared-ride operators would have to begin transporting passengers off airport property after a maximum of 20 minutes. Existing rules allow the vans to circle airport terminals for as long as 35 minutes. The new contracts also expand the customer service area to include Denton, Collin, Rockwall, Kaufman, Ellis, Johnson, Parker and Wise counties. Previously the operators were only required to serve Dallas and Tarrant counties, and parts of Collin and Denton counties.

Under the amended agreement regarding TollTags, customers would be able to use the electronic payment systems while parking at the airport's Express, Remote and In-field lots. Currently, airport visitors can use their TollTag accounts to pay for pass-through and drop-off fees, and parking at the terminals only.

If approved, airport officials have set an August target date for the system to be in place.

E-mail smarta@dallasnews.com

[RobertB]

Officials at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport will again grant preferred beverage rights to Pepsi Bottling Group LLC in a new expanded agreement. In addition to various event sponsorships, Pepsi would also develop six Lego-themed children's play areas in airport terminals as early as this fall, said Pat Gleason, D/FW's vice president of revenue management. Pepsi would also develop a music performance stage in Terminal D, the airport's new international terminal slated to open in July. The beverage deal received preliminary approval at an airport committee meeting on Tuesday.
Concerts, LEGO bricks (all uppercase is the correct way (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEGO#The_LEGO_trademark) for this brand name, and LEGOS is similarly deprecated), and the new airport train on top of it all. Now I'm *really* hoping that the feds drop the requirement for ticketed passengers only in the secure areas. This could keep the kids occupied for the whole summer!

[rjlevins]

I wonder if they are going to be Lego's Si playstations.

[Mballar]

I've been representing City Shuttle on those contract negotiations with the airport, and I'm glad that it's almost over.

[Tnekster]

From the January 6, 2006 print edition
Planners aim to restart airport board
Area council sees need for regional data on future of aviation
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2006/01/09/story3.html
Margaret Allen
Staff Writer
Booming population growth in North Texas is prompting the region's primary intergovernmental planning agency to revive a long-dormant airport advisory committee.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments is working now to lay out the scope of work for an aviation technical advisory committee. The committee will be similar to the one that was active at the 16-member government planning group into the mid-1990s, said Mike Sims, a senior program manager for the Council.

"A lot of local governments have come to us and said we need to take a look at the activity at the general aviation airports," Sims said.

At the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration also is interested in getting data and research input from the COG, according to Mike Nicely, manager of the Texas Airport Development Office for the FAA. Federal grants supply up to 90% of the money for major infrastructure projects at the dozens of general aviation and commercial airports in North Texas. The grants, totaling millions of dollars, are channeled through the aviation division of the Texas Department of Transportation.

With input from the regional council, the FAA will gain a better picture of the region's expected growth, allowing the FAA to prioritize where money is most wisely spent, Nicely said.

Each individual airport's so-called masterplan looks narrowly at the infrastructure needs of the particular field. In contrast, information supplied by COG will take a look at how each airport fits into the overall airport system in the Metroplex.

"That might identify needs that masterplans didn't foresee because they are so narrowly focused," Nicely said.

North Texas has more than 15 airports and heliports open to commercial or general aviation.

The revived technical advisory committee will be more an informational body than a prescriptive one, Sims said. Such a committee might look at demands on regional airspace, surface traffic flow around airports, cargo flights, protecting land for future runways and updating general aviation and heliport regional plans.

Airport managers will likely welcome revival of the committee, said Bob Porter, airport manager for Arlington Municipal Airport. A former chairman of the old committee, Porter doesn't view a technical committee as one that would interfere with what he described as the friendly competition that exists between the region's growing airports.

"All of us are here to help the common good when it comes to those kinds of issues," said Porter. "We often share and work together."

Sims said the committee will become an information and planning resource.

"We're not going to dictate things to those airports," he said. "In all the times we've talked about this, we've never heard anyone say 'Let's do less aviation planning.' You can hire one consultant to do a lot of work for the entire region."

Initially, the Council of Governments will be gathering lots of data, then later supplying the FAA with its research, Nicely said. That input will help determine funding decisions, he said.

"It may be a couple years down the road before we have a real tool to guide us in making our investment decisions," Nicely said.

The Council has sent the FAA a letter saying it expects to apply for planning funds for a regional aviation system plan focused on updating regional heliport and general aviation plans. It plans to hire a consultant in late summer to develop the plan.

The COG will seek approval Jan. 9 from the Regional Transportation Committee to restart the technical advisory committee and apply for the FAA funds.

If approved, the committee would have about 25 members. They typically are airport managers appointed to serve by local governments.

mallen@bizjournals.com | 214-706-7119