urbanSTL

It's good that MidAmerica made the first cut of 32 out of an initial 70. I decided to look up some St. Louis advantages to landing the Airbus plant.

I would think Airbus would probably want to go where military aircraft manufacturing is already a main industry, but not necessarily. I would love to see all of the areas that are under consideration to make a better assessment.

Positives for St. Louis
-GKN Aerospace Services-North America is headquartered in Clayton, with a plant at Lambert International Airport in Hazelwood.
-GKN Aerospace Services, a division of British firm GKN PLC, is already a MAJOR contractor to Airbus.
-Airbus is partnering with Northrop-Grumman, which has an office in St. Louis, to build the tanker.
-Boeing's refueling tanker is built in St. Louis i.e. the region has an experienced workforce with tankers.
-Boeing's tanker contract denial by the U.S. could open the door for Boeing's St. Louis tanker employees to jump ship.
-Boeing St. Louis, where the refueling tanker is built, is Airbus' only rival. In other words, where else is there a similar workforce in the United States?
-St. Louis' military aircraft workforce is second to none. Northrop-Grumman, Sabreliner Corporation, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, GKN Aerospace Services-North America, QinetiQ (a British firm), LMI Aerospace, etc.
-Lots of land availability at MidAmerica Airport.
-MidAmerica would sell land to the lowest bidder to get more activity at the airport.
-Scott Air Force Base, Cost of Living, Rail (The Norfolk Southern Railroad borders the southern edge of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport), Distribution, Port, and Foreign Trade Zone status for MidAmerica is pending.

Negatives for St. Louis
-Boeing's backyard (St. Louis & Chicago).
-Workforce could be saturated.
-Low bid incentives (risk)

Anyway.........here's an article from September/2004 from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It mentions sites in Missouri (Kansas City International and Cape Girardeau (90 miles south of St. Louis), and Illinois (Peoria, MidAmerica, and Rockford).

I really do believe Illinois would break the bank to get this plant.

Link: Partnership could rival Boeing

and a related article...........

Boeing company should focus on ethical reflection

Airline tests daily flights

For two weeks in February, TransMeridian will fly daily

BY PATRICK J. POWERS

News-Democrat


MASCOUTAH - Passengers flying out of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport during two weeks in February will be able to do so any day of the week, TransMeridian Airlines announced Wednesday.

It will be the first time in the airport's history that daily scheduled passenger service will be offered. Daily flights will be available from Feb. 16 to 27. TransMeridian Airlines currently flies to Sanford International Airport near Orlando, Fla., three days a week.

"It's great news," Airport Director Tim Cantwell said. "We're going to be looking at 50,000 to 65,000 passengers next year."

The Lithia Springs, Ga.,-based airline reported an 80 percent load factor since it established service here last November. That means the airline has been able to fill 80 percent of every plane, or 132 of the 165 seats available leaving MidAmerica Airport.

"We reviewed the market reaction to our service and have confidence that adding more frequency is the right thing at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport," Colin Wheeler, TransMeridian's assistant vice president for scheduling and planning said in a news release.

MidAmerica Airport last month announced it has served more than 10,000 passengers so far this year. Cantwell said that number should continue to climb with the recent addition of Allegiant Air and increased frequency of TransMeridian's flight times.

Allegiant Air flies MidAmerica passengers to Las Vegas four days a week.

TransMeridian last month announced it has carried more than 7,000 people out of MidAmerica Airport this year. It has carried more than 8,800 passengers out of the airport since it started offering flights last fall.

"TransMeridian is providing a valuable service to our community and the community is responding," St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said in a news release.

Original estimates for the airport made in 1997 projected the airport would serve 1.1 million customers by 2000. However, a pair of failed airline ventures and a general downturn in the airline industry proved that figure unrealistic.

Contact reporter Patrick J. Powers at ppowers@bnd.com or 239-2562.

Great news. I may actually take them from MidAmerica one day.

Allegiant Air offers "fly free" plan to Vegas

By William Lamb

Of the Post-Dispatch

08/11/2005

Airline offers plan to take friend to Vegas

Allegiant Air has introduced a "fly free" program, allowing a MidAmerica Airport customer who is purchasing a ticket to Las Vegas to receive a free ticket for a friend, as long as hotel reservations are made through the airline's Web site.

The Las Vegas-based airline, which began flying to and from MidAmerica in April, announced its arrival at the airport in March with a press conference that featured a Vegas showgirl. The airline initially announced a twice-weekly flight schedule to Las Vegas, but increased that number to four weekly flights before its MidAmerica debut on April 29, based on advance ticket sales.

Since then, traffic has been strong and steady, said Tyri Squyres, an Allegiant spokeswoman.

cont...

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/s ... enDocument

MidAmerica aiming at D.C. service



Allegiant touts Orlando flights



BY ALIANA RAMOS



News-Democrat



MASCOUTAH - With the Orlando, Fla., area route back in place, and the Las Vegas route thriving, MidAmerica St. Louis Airport officials have started to look ahead to another destination: Washington, D.C.



This news came Wednesday, just as Allegiant Air announced it will fill the vacancy left by TransMeridian Airlines from MidAmerica to Orlando Sanford International Airport in Florida. TransMeridian Airlines decided to terminate operations in September and file for bankruptcy, despite flights out of MidAmerica that were about 80 percent full.



"We are really excited to be here, based on the success of our Las Vegas service," said Tyri Squyres, a spokesman for Allegiant Air. "We'll try to keep our fares low despite the rising cost of fuel."



The airline offers flights four days a week from MidAmerica airport to Las Vegas. Squyres said about 75 percent to 85 percent of its 150 passenger seats have been full for its Las Vegas flights.



Allegiant Air's nonstop jet service will start Feb. 1 with flights twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with a $59 one-way introductory fare.



Allegiant will receive an additional $25,000 in marketing incentives from St. Clair County. The county gave the airline $220,000 in marketing incentives and waived a year of landing fees when Allegiant began service to Las Vegas in April. Airport Director Tim Cantwell estimated that the landing fees for a year are about $30,000 to $35,000.



While Allegiant's Las Vegas and Orlando routes target leisure travelers, Cantwell said he hopes that a Washington, D.C., service would help to attract business travelers in the private and federal sectors.



Washington was identified by a 2004 Mead & Hunt study as one of the top 25 destinations for passengers in this region, Cantwell said.



He said MidAmerica is looking into the possibility of contracting with the government's General Services Administration to provide flights to federal employees to the Washington area. "This is something we couldn't even consider before the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure commission) decision," Cantwell said.



Earlier this year, the commission recommended against closing Scott Air Force Base and urged instead bringing in an additional 800 jobs, including military, civilian and contractor positions. The base employs almost 14,000 military members and civilians, including active duty military, guard member s and reservists.



Mike Boggs, of Mead & Hunt, a Madison, Wis.-based consulting firm, explained that the U.S. General Services Administration puts out contract bids for airlines to provide flights to federal employees between cities such as Mascoutah and Washington, D.C. The airline with the best bid becomes the authorized carrier for government travel.



Cantwell said he's in talks with several airlines with 50- to 70-seat planes.



Contact reporter Aliana Ramos at aramos@bnd.com or 239-2507.

So is an STL move definite?

An interesting fact, and something promising for MidAmerica. Allegiant is the largest airline to ever have flights out of MidAmerica. It's nearing 1 million passengers.

I never quite understood why MidAmerica never went this way earlier, when it was clear that St. Louis isn't large enough to support two major airports O/D airports and that the metro was going to support Lambert alot more than MidAmerica. I think we could all see this pretty clearly as far back as 2000. Why not get in the warehousing and such? I mean DHL was looking for a new faclity 2 to 3 years ago and it went o Cincy, but I would argue that with the open space and lack of competition for airtime, MidAmerica would have been perfect. Their own mid continent hub. Well better late than never I guess.

Pact is signed for cargo flights between MidAmerica Airport, Indonesia

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

03/10/2007



Officials signed an agreement in Jakarta on Friday that is expected to establish an "air bridge" for cargo between Indonesia and MidAmerica Airport.



St. Clair County owns and operates the airport, and County Board Chairman Mark Kern and Airport Director Tim Cantwell were in the Indonesian capital to finalize the accord.



The agreement is a breakthrough in county officials' effort to lure air cargo operations to the nine-year-old airport. It apparently will result in regular cargo service between MidAmerica and Hang Nading International Airport, located on the island of Batam in the Riau Islands province of Indonesia.



MidAmerica has a 50,000-square-foot cargo terminal and adjacent six-acre ramp that were completed in 2005.



Other parties to the agreement are the Batam Industrial Development Authority, which manages the Hang Nading airport; Oregon-based Evergreen International Airlines; and Cardig International, an aviation services provider based in Indonesia.

'Air bridge' links MidAmerica to Indonesia

St. Clair County Chairman Kern signs memo

BY MIKE FITZGERALD

News-Democrat

St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern, right at table, and Mochamad Prijanto, deputy chairman for planning and administration, Batam Industrial Development Authority, left, sign a memorandum of understanding.







The deal to create an "air bridge" linking MidAmerica St. Louis Airport to Indonesia has gone through as planned, an airport spokesman confirmed Friday.



St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern signed a memorandum of understanding with the industrial authority of Batam, an island off the Singapore coast that is the home of scores of electronics factories fueling Indonesia's growth.



The signing ceremony occurred at 10:30 p.m. Thursday CST, or 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jakarta time, said Jim Grandone, the spokesman.



The memorandum's signing removes the last technical hurdle preventing international air freight service between MidAmerica and Hang Nading International Airport, on Batam. However, no cargo flights have been scheduled between the two facilities.



A copy of the memorandum was not available by press deadline Friday.



Grandone, the airport spokesman, issued a press release stating that the pact cites many shared interests between MidAmerica and the Batam Industrial Development Authority, which oversees Hang Nading airport.



These shared interests include marketing to the air cargo community, promoting air commerce between the two airports and establishing an "air bridge" between them, according to the press statement.



Also signing the pact were representatives of Evergreen International Airlines, an Oregon-based operator of wide-bodied freight haulers, and Cardig International, of Jakarta, Indonesia, a provider of aviation services, logistics, catering and security.



In an e-mail sent to the News-Democrat before the pact's signing, Kern called it "a key agreement and economic link for Southern Illinois, in fact, the entire state of Illinois, for Illinois product export and jobs. Through this (memorandum of understanding), Indonesia, a rapidly developing country, provides our region with a partner for growth."



Former U.S. Ambassador Alphonse F. LaPorta, also on hand for the signing, emphasized the significance of Batam to the agreement, according to the press release.



"This agreement with MidAmerica Airport recognizes the important position of the Batam Industrial Zone in U.S.-Indonesian trade and industrial relations," LaPorta stated. " Batam's geoeconomic position close to Singapore should be maximized for U.S. trade reasons and the operations of large U.S. companies abroad. "



St. Clair County's pact with Indonesia represents the last piece of the puzzle needed to realize county leaders' plans for turning the airport into a major hub for air cargo traffic.



It also represents a solid chance for seeing profits from the $319 million airport, which has lost money every year since it opened in 1998 with the intention of becoming a hub to passenger flights.



Those plans never quite panned out, as several passenger airlines came and went, though the latest air carrier to operate out of MidAmerica -- Las Vegas-based Allegiant Airlines-- has reported that its passenger flights are growing briskly.



Under the direction of airport Director Tim Cantwell, who also was on hand in Jakarta for the signing of the memorandum, the county hopes to capitalize on air cargo assets that include:



• A state-of-the-art, $8 million warehouse that includes a six-acre ramp, an adjacent 50,000-square-foot air-cargo terminal and spacious truck and van parking.



• The airport's designation last year by the federal Customs and Border Protection Agency as Port 4581, which allows it to operate a port facility next to the air cargo terminal staffed by federal inspectors.



• A multiyear deal, signed in October 2006, between the county and Trade Zone Partners LLC, which is leasing 26,000 square feet of the air cargo facility.



What's more, under a memorandum of understanding signed last summer, Trade Zone Partners plans to convert a 1,080-acre swath of airport land into Port America, which would feature new warehouses, a distribution center, office buildings, a retail center and a 140-room hotel and conference center operated by an upscale national chain.



Contact reporter Mike Fitzgerald at mfitzgerald@bnd.com or 239-2533.

This should help the Metro East grow as a distribution hub. I'm glad the airport seems to have found its niche as a cargo center. This should be great for the whole region.

Plus, check out MidAmerica St. Louis Airport's updated website. It's much more efficient and user-friendly.



MidAmerica airport accepts first international cargo

St. Louis Business Journal - 2:55 PM CDT

Monday, April 2, 2007







MidAmerica St. Louis Airport received its first international air cargo shipment Monday: corn seed owned by Monsanto.



The shipment consisted of 144,000 pounds of St. Louis-based Monsanto's corn seed. Monsanto (NYSE: MON) develops insect- and herbicide-resistant crops and other agricultural products.



The DC 10 flight, which originated in Panama, was flown by Centurion Airlines, according to a release. The shipment was the first of nine scheduled to arrive this week. Total air cargo weight to be processed from those flights is 1.4 million pounds.



"This is a big step for us," St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern said in a statement. "Centurion Airlines selecting MidAmerica clearly indicates the market demand we are aiming to capture is there." St. Clair County, Ill., owns and operates the airport.



St. Clair County officials said they recently signed an agreement with Batam Industrial Development Authority in Indonesia to create an "air bridge" between Southeast Asia and the midwestern United States. Evergreen Airlines and Cardig International are in discussions to provide the airlift for that bridge, according to the release.



Located in Mascoutah, Ill., MidAmerica St. Louis Airport is a designated U.S. Foreign Trade Zone. The airport has 3,600 acres of land and its air cargo terminal designated as part of Foreign Trade Zone 31, which is operated by the Tri-City Regional Port District in Granite City, Ill.