[ATXboom]

Friday, April 18, 2008
Stop-and-go traffic? Not so much in the skies over ABIA
Austin Business Journal - by Kate Harrington Staff Writer

Central Texas economic development leaders may worry that, on the ground, Austin's transportation snarls are stifling the area's growth, but in the skies it's a different story.

Twelve new nonstop flights started in 2007 and 13 more are slated to begin in May or are already running as of early 2008 out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Central Texas could be in a position to reap economic windfalls such as company relocations from the new accessibility, industry experts say.

"There's no question that a new nonstop service route can contribute economic value easily in the millions of dollars, from many standpoints," says Kevin Schorr, managing director of TranSystems, a Kansas City-based transportation consulting firm that has worked with Austin's airport for several years. "There are many companies that will evaluate nonstop service when they're willing to relocate. Austin has been one of the most successful airports in the country [at getting nonstop routes]."

Austin is by no means typical, Schorr says, in the number of nonstop routes it has relative to the city's size. Usually cities similar in size to Austin with a comparable number of nonstop routes are home to airline hubs -- like Memphis, Tenn., or Cincinnati, he says.