Growth, fares fuel airport boardings, officials say

Staff File Photo Passengers ride an escalator toward the boarding area at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport. Despite the recession, airport boardings rose 3 percent in 2009 over 2008.

Fueled by growth in the region and lower airfares, Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport posted its third best passenger boardings total on record in 2009, officials say.

Despite the recession, airport boardings rose 3 percent over 2008 to their highest level since 1993, Lovell Field reported.

Mike Landguth, the airport's chief executive, said economic growth and ticket prices are convincing more people to use the facility.

He said that "more and more regional passengers are flying through Chattanooga instead of enduring the hassle and inconvenience of driving long distances to use other airports."

Airport spokeswoman Christina Siebold said companies are expanding their market here.

"They've got to do a lot of traveling to take advantage of those opportunities," she said. "We're taking advantage of that."

Ms. Siebold, too, cited competitive fares in the market. She said average fares at the airport dropped 17 percent in 2009.

J.Ed. Marston, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce's vice president of marketing, termed the airport "a key asset."

He said Lovell Field is critical in some economic development projects on which the Chamber works.

"It's a key access point," Mr. Marston said. "It gives people in our market the ability to carry the sale of products to the world. It helps establish the relationships our executives need. It's a key point of entrance and egress."

Ms. Siebold said some of the business growth includes Volkswagen, which is building a $1 billion automotive assembly plant at Chattanooga's Enterprise South industrial park.

Existing business growth also is a factor, she said.