As the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority continues to gather feedback for planned improvements ” including the construction of 10 gates at Terminal 2, roadways and other parking improvements ” the Airport Authority Advisory Committee members met for a quarterly meeting Jan. 17.
Members discussed what challenges lie ahead and how the Airport Authority can engage the public in meeting those challenges.
Committee members heard presentations from experts about current trends that would affect air traffic to and from Lindbergh Field. A presentation from Heidi Gantwerk, vice president of Viewpoint Learning, outlined how the Airport Authority would communicate with the community to answer the overarching question:
“What kind of San Diego do you want to live in? And how does this airport support that vision? That’s how we talk to the public about it,” Gantwerk told committee members.
Gantwerk, an executive with a community relations and public policy firm, said the Airport Authority would benefit from daylong “choice dialogues” with the community.
The dialogues consist of airport representatives presenting possible scenarios on development and comparing those scenarios to what the community thinks is important, she said.
The community has certain “values” in mind when considering the airport, Gantwerk said. Those include limiting airport growth to maintain quality of life, creating sustainable regional and environmental development and maintaining economic development while supporting a sustainable regional solution for air and ground transportation.
The community meetings are designed to work with residents and community leaders to garner public support for a long-term plan for Lindbergh Field, she said.
The Airport Authority met with members of the community in October to help create a long-term plan for the airport.
The next two “leadership meetings” were scheduled to take place in October but were postponed because of the San Diego County wildfires.
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 12 at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina, West Tower 1590 Harbor Island Drive. Though not an official public meeting, residents are invited to attend these meetings, Gantwerk said.
While Airport Authority Advisory Committee members look to gain public support for long-term plans, trends in the industry will continueto play important roles for the future of Lindbergh Field.
Stephen Van Beek, director and chair of Federal Practices Group, said improvements in technology have led to airlines becoming more efficient, resulting in industry growth.
With Virgin America Airline entering into the local market, adding daily flights to San Francisco starting at $39, competition between airlines would be good for the average flier, he said.
He added, however, that the additional 18,000 seats a month offered by Virgin are expected to fill quickly, bringing that much more traffic to the airport.
He said if San Diego International Airport wants thrive in the future it must pay attention to two important factors. San Diego International Airport must make the customer’s flying experience “fun again” and the Airport Authority must pay attention to the long-term growth of Lindergh Field and surrounding airports beyond 2015 and short-term improvements, he said.
For more information on the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, visit www.san.org.