St. Clair County will pay airlines $100,000 to bring new flights to MidAmerica Airport
A new incentive program at MidAmerica Airport will pay airlines $100,000 to connect the metro-east airport with new destinations.
The Air Service Incentive program aims to add more non-stop flights from the airport to underserved markets while making the airport desirable for low- and ultra-low cost airlines. The program was unanimously approved by the St. Clair County Public Building Commission on Thursday.
The airport currently offers flights to 12 destinations through Allegiant Air. Johnson said the goal is to continue adding to those offerings through Allegiant and other carriers.
The $100,000 reward is intended to be used toward marketing and advertising any new route. The carrier can also request that MidAmerica handle the marketing. Johnson said that money would come from the county’s current advertising and marketing budget for the airport.
St. Clair County gave MidAmerica $5.2 million for its operating budget in 2021. Roughly $277,000 of the operating budget is allocated for advertising and marketing.
The program would be open to all carriers, regardless of service type. On top of the $100,000 award, “landing fees” at the airport would also be waived for the first two years of service to any new destination.
For new seasonal routes, the county is offering $50,000 marketing and advertising, as long as the service is operated for at least 12 consecutive weeks.
As for the cost of the new program, Johnson said the upfront payout can be made up through the new revenues generated by new destination offereings.
MidAmerica is also currently competing for a grant with hopes of bringing seven new destinations. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development Program helps smaller market airports add destinations to its offerings.
The grant would bring seven roundtrip destinations to MidAmerica via Allegiant Air, the airport’s sole flight provider, including Denver, Newark, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego and Orange County, California.
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 7:00 AM.