BTR
IN FLIGHT
Newsletter
Baton Rouge
Metropolitan Airpor t
FALL 2012
Auction Broadcasting Company (ABC) Breaks Ground On
New Facility At The Aviation Business Park At BTR
The recent ground breaking for ABC Auctions (Auction Broadcasting Company) at The Aviation
Business Park at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport is the first development on the nearly 300 acres
located on the north side of the airport. A $2 million automobile auction facility will be constructed
on 20 acres, from which ABC Auctions anticipates selling about 600 cars per week to dealerships in
the Gulf Coast Region.
Auction Broadcasting Company, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, was founded on the CEO's vision
of giving dealers the option to bid live from the comfort of their offices against other bidders in the
lane at the auction, dramatically changing the traditional auto auction format.
The Aviation Business Park at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport has land available for development
for both aviation and non-aviation related businesses, including sites with runway access. Basic infrastructure such as roads, natural gas, water, and electrical/sewer service is already in place. Full-time
security is also provided by the airport.
To learn more about the competitive leasing rates and economic incentives that are available at The
Aviation Business Park, contact BTR Airport Administration at 225-355-0333.
Right: Ralph Hennessy, BTR Assistant Director, Greg Ferris,
Ferris Engineering, Ulysses Addison, Metropolitan Councilman
and Rose Doolittle, Airport Commissioner
Left: Ground Breaking Ceremony
November 2, 2012
AIRPORT ADMINISTRATION
AIRLINE NEWS
From the Flight Deck………………….....3
American Airlines....................................................6 Airport Events......................................................4
United Airlines……................................................6 New Commissioner……>>……….........….5
Delta Air Lines........................................................7 TSA Updates and Tips……………….…….5
US Airways….….………….……………....….7
AIRPORT COMMISSION
Chairman’s Corner…………………..........2
AIRPORT NEWS
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THE CHAIRMAN’S CORNER
MAYOR-PRESIDENT,
MELVIN L. “KIP” HOLDEN
MAYOR PRESIDENT
The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport has joined the
Thanks Again customer loyalty program. In many ways, this
is an airport version of an airline frequent traveler program, providing BTR customers with an opportunity to
earn frequent flyer miles on their airline of choice for purchases made at BTR.
CITY/PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE
AIRPORT ADMINISTRATION
Anthony Marino,
Director of Aviation
Ralph Hennessy,
Assistant Director of Aviation
Greg Beeson, Acting Operations
Manager
Jim Caldwell , Marketing & Air
Service Development Manager
Cary Morgan, Business Manager
Greg Pierson, Electronic &
Unlike programs at some airports, the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Thanks Again Rewards Program allows
our customers to earn 1 mile for every dollar spent on
parking, shopping or dining at BTR. Some airports only provide rewards for a single
category.
Information Systems Manager
Michael Taffaro,
Airport Legal Counsel
Jason Wilson, Administrative &
Development Manager
Our Fly Easy ad campaign touts how BTR makes business or personal travel easy
through the benefits of a shorter drive, closer parking and faster check-in. Now BTR
makes it easier for customers to earn even more frequent flyer miles:
AIRPORT COMMISSION
Jim Ellis, Chairman
Anthony “Buddy” Amoroso
Gary Beard, designee
Bob Breaux
Senator Sharon Weston Broome
Alfred Buckley
James “Jimmy” Dodds
Senator Yvonne Dorsey
Rose Doolittle, designee
Dr. James Gilmore, designee
Representative Valarie Hodges
Representative Dalton Honore
Andrew McCandless
Michael Samuel
Jonathan L. Starns
Trae Welch



Enrollment is FREE at thanksagain.com/BTR
Register up to 5 credit or debit cards securely online
Then simply use your registered cards when paying for parking, shopping or dining
at BTR
The Thanks Again program is also in effect at many shops and restaurants in the hub
airports served from BTR, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Memphis
and Houston. We encourage our customers, both frequent and less frequent travelers, to join the BTR Thanks Again Rewards Program.
Thank you for choosing the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport.
Jim Ellis, Chairman, Airport Commission
METROPOLITAN COUNCIL
J. Michael Walker, Mayor Pro Temp
Ulysses Addison
Joel Boe
Rodney “Smokey” Bourgeois
Ronnie Edwards
Allison Gary
Chandler Loupe
Donna Collins-Lewis
C. Denise Marcelle
Trae Welch
Tara Wicker
Scott Wilson
Earn 100 Bonus Miles!
Text FLYBTR to 88257
For more program information go to www.thanksagain/btr.com
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FROM THE FLIGHT DECK
The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) was represented at the recently held
Boyd Group International Aviation Forecast Summit. One of the primary messages at
the summit was how current airline planning strategies, particularly in terms of seating
capacity, have become more important than economic factors in determining passenger levels at airports.
The theme of slow growth by airlines pervaded the conference. The Airlines for
America (A4A) Association predicts that U.S. airlines will reduce seating capacity next
year by 2.4 percent domestically. In years past airlines have often focused on adding
flights or bigger aircraft when competitors reduced them, making market share gains the paramount goal and profitability secondary. In recent years airlines have been more cautious, forgoing opportunities to gain share if the
chances of profitability were slim. Flights under 250 miles dropped 24 percent between June 2007 and June 2012;
flights between 250 and 499 miles dropped 16 percent. Smaller airline hubs have been hit with large decreases in
flying, particularly hubs in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Memphis, Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
High fuel costs are driving this change. Fuel was 10 percent of the airline industry's operating costs in 2001, but today it is about 35 percent. Fuel now represents the highest single cost for airlines, surpassing employee payroll and
benefits. Airlines have been able to offset the high fuel prices to some extent by reducing seating capacity through
flight cutbacks and/or use of smaller aircraft. Adjustments to seating capacity have allowed airlines to maximize
revenue per seat, resulting in historically high load factors (percentage of seats filled) exceeding 80%. Industry consolidation has also contributed to capacity restraints, resulting in fewer airlines and aircraft, particularly among the
major network airlines (American, Delta, United and US Airways—all of whom serve BTR).
Despite the fact that a majority of the airports in the U.S. are served primarily by regional jets, some network airlines are beginning to retire many of their smaller 50-seat regional jets (Delta for example) in favor of larger aircraft
that are more cost-effective at today's fuel prices. With more seats, costs per seat mile (1 seat flown 1 mile) are
lower, which makes the larger aircraft a more profitable option provided the market can support the additional seating capacity.
The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport has recently experienced this change. Delta has scheduled a mainline DC9
jet into BTR as well as the larger CRJ700 regional jet. It is vital for our community to support these flights and our
other BTR service. Delta is acquiring AirTran's fleet of Boeing 717 jets, seating 110 passengers including First Class.
This aircraft has great potential for service to BTR if our community shows that we will fill the larger jets. We appreciate your support in helping us meet this challenge.
Anthony J. Marino, Director of Aviation
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2012 ARC Baton Rouge Plane Pull Competition and Festival
The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport hosted the 2012 ARC Baton
Rouge Plane Pull Competition and Festival on October 27th. Thirty
teams of twenty competed to see which team could pull a FedEx 727
jet a distance of 12 feet the fastest, but trophies were also awarded
for the slowest pull and the most enthusiastic team. Approximately
3,000 people attended the event.
The Plane Pull Competition and Festival is the largest fundraiser for The
ARC Baton Rouge, which provides assistance for people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities. Team Turner from Turner Industries (pictured right) won
1st place for the fastest pull.
12th Annual Friends of BTR Charity Golf Tournament
The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport raised $12,000 during its "Friends of BTR Charity Golf Tournament."
Checks for $6,000 each were presented to the Baton Rouge Eye Bank and the Baton Rouge Food Bank during the
November airport commission meeting.
Jim Ellis, Baton Rouge Airport Commission Chairman and Anthony Marin,
Director of Aviation present check to
Charlene Guarisco Montelaro, Greater
Baton Rouge Food Bank (left) and
Ginger Miller, Baton Rouge Regional
Eye Bank (right)
BTR HOSTED LOUISIANA EAA FLY-IN WITH EAA CHAPTER 244
For the second consecutive year, BTR hosted a Louisiana EAA Fly-In with EAA Chapter 244 of Baton
Rouge. Over 100 EAA members and guests attended the BTR Fly-In, with many arriving in one of over 35 aircraft
flown to the event. EAA stands for Experimental Aircraft Association, but members have a wide range of aviation
interests and backgrounds and fly a variety of manufactured and home-built aircraft. EAA is an association whose
members share the spirit of aviation with a community of recreational pilots, builders, and restorers.
General aviation flights are important to the Baton Rouge Metro Airport; the GA classification represents diverse
operations from corporate to recreational flying. General aviation employs about 1.3 million people in the US and
annually contributes about $150 billion to the US economy. AT BTR, General Aviation represents an important
segment of the airport's business and flight operations.
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Gary Beard
Gary J. Beard is a recent appointment to the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport
Commission. Gary is a life-long resident of Baton Rouge. He and his wife, Diane,
have been married for 31 years and have 6 children.
Gary graduated from LSU in Civil Engineering and is a licensed professional engineer. He has worked in engineering and construction projects throughout the
world.
Gary served two terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives and was a member of the House Transportation Committee and Chairman of the Select Committee on Cellular Technologies.
“It is an honor to be selected to serve on the Airport Commission. I am proud of the success and growth the
Baton Rouge Airport has achieved under the leadership of the Director and his staff. I look forward to the opportunity of working with them during my tenure on the Board.”
TSA Screening Modifications & Holiday Travel Tips
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has recently implemented modified screening procedures for
children 12 and under, passengers 75 and older, and active members of the military; they no longer have to remove their shoes and light outer garments. Additionally, passengers who have disabilities, use medical devices or
need assistance have a new resource to turn to: the TSA Cares hotline program. Passengers can call 855-7872227 to speak to an agent who can tell them what to expect during screening.
Another security procedure change allows passengers to carry snow globes in their carry-on luggage during the
holiday season, provided they "appear to contain less than 3.4 ounces (approximately tennis-ball
size)." However, the entire snow globe, including its base, has to fit in a single quart-size plastic bag like other
liquids.
Other reminders: Liquids are limited to quantities not exceeding 3.4 ounces and
packed together in a single quart-size bag per passenger. Wrapped gifts are not prohibited, but officials warn that the screeners may open them.
For more information, visit www.tsa.gov. Another option for learning whether something is allowed onboard is to download the "MyTSA" application to your iPad or
smartphone and use it to search for information on specific items.
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NEWS FROM...
Vote For Your Favorites In The Celebrated Living Readers' Choice Platinum List
Survey Sweepstakes
You Could Win a Pair of His and Hers TAG Heuer Watches by Casting Your Vote
Celebrated Living, the luxury magazine of American Airlines, has launched its popular CL Readers' Choice Platinum List Survey Sweepstakes in conjunction with the CL winter issue, which features actress Jennifer Lawrence.
When readers visit www.celebratedliving.com/promotions to vote for their favorite hotels, golf courses, spas and
cruise lines, they will automatically be entered into a sweepstakes and have a chance to win the Grand Prize of a
pair of TAG Heuer watches.
The summer 2013 issue of Celebrated Living will unveil the winning hotels, golf courses, spas and cruise lines. The
deadline to cast votes and enter the sweepstakes is Feb. 14, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
American provides 8 daily, roundtrip flights from BTR to its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub.
United Network Operations Control
In May of this year, United unveiled its world-class Network Operations Center (NOC). United’s NOC is the most
advanced and sophisticated “nerve center” in the airline industry. From this massive space on the 27th floor of Chicago’s Willis Tower, United manages thousands of flights every day of the year. This immense coordination effort
includes teams of people responsible for flight planning, dispatch, weight and balance, weather services, aircraft routing and coordination with Air Traffic Control. Additionally, the NOC has representation from many other departments, including: Technical Operations, Crew Scheduling, Inflight, Cargo, Flight Operations, Corporate Security, IT,
and Customer Service Coordinators.
The new center was recently put to the test with what may be one of our biggest weather challenges ever: Hurricane Sandy. With Sandy impacting an area stretching from just south of Washington, DC to well north of Boston, as
well as four of United’s hubs, the result was thousands of cancelled flights and hundreds of thousands of customers
affected. The NOC was the hub of decision making for the discontinuation of service before the storm and resumption afterwards. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all of this is just another day in the life of United’s
Network Operations Center.
United provides 8 daily, roundtrip flights from BTR to its Houston hub.
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BTR AIRLINES
7
Delta Air Lines scheduled a 120-seat DC9 jet to replace one of its CRJ 200 50-seat jets on the Baton Rouge
(BTR) to Atlanta (ATL) route effective November 04, 2012. The mainline jet is configured with 16 First Class, 14
Economy Comfort, and 90 Economy seats. Delta Air Lines currently utilizes CRJ 200 & 700 regional jets , seating
50 and 65 seats respectively, for its other BTR flights.
The Delta DC9 schedule on the Atlanta - Baton Rouge route is as follows:
Atlanta to Baton Rouge
Flight
Aircraft
Departs
1340
DC9-50
1:50 p.m.
Baton Rouge to Atlanta
Flight
Aircraft
Departs
1340
DC9-50
3:05 p.m.
Arrives
2:26 p.m.
Arrives
5:35 p.m.
Delta will be replacing many of their 50-seat CRJ 200 jets with larger aircraft over the next several years, which
will lead to bigger aircraft in markets that can support the additional seating capacity. We encourage BTR customers to book Delta's DC9 Atlanta flight whenever possible to show that our market can support increased
service with larger aircraft.
Delta provides 7 daily, roundtrip flights from BTR to its Atlanta hub, and 1 daily roundtrip flight to Memphis.
Consistent Performance
In 2012, US Airways' is continuing its best performance ever on the most important operational metrics. Through
August year-to-date, US Airways is leading in on-time performance among the major U.S. carriers based on the
DOT Air Travel Consumer Report. During 2012 US Airways has also led the industry in baggage handling and
customer service rankings.
US Airways To Expand Wi-Fi Service
US Airways is expanding the Gogo internet in-flight service it currently offers on all Airbus A-321 aircraft. The inflight internet service is being expanded to the airline's entire A-320 fleet of aircraft and the Embraer 190/175/170
family of aircraft, with a mid-2013 completion date. The service provides high-speed internet connections that include product offerings for movies, books, games and more.
US Airways provides 3 daily, roundtrip flights from BTR to its Charlotte hub.
Pre Sort Standard
8
U.S. Postage
Paid
Baton Rouge, LA
Permit No. 2276
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
9430 JACKIE COCHRAN DRIVE, SUITE 300
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA 70807
225.355.0333 • (F) 225.355.2334
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