Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports (2009)

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ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusions Based on the results of the literature review and the survey of airport managers, the research team reached a number of conclusions regarding the state of practice for managing small airports and the topics and information to be included in the guidebook. The research team’s primary conclusions are discussed below. There is an enormous amount of information pertinent to managing small airport available through a variety of sources. However, small airport managers often have questions related to specific topics and do not have the time necessary to wade through voluminous amounts of information online or read through non-pertinent material in general airport management publications. What would be most useful to small airport managers is a list of relevant publications, descriptions of each publication, Internet links to those publications that are available on line (e.g., FAA Advisory Circulars), and sources of additional information on specific topics, such as land use planning. Although the guidebook will be useful to a broad spectrum of readers, the primary audience is likely to be airport managers for public use airports. The main secondary audience is likely to consist of airport advisory board and commission members with oversight responsibility for airports. Most airport managers possess years of experience and with this experience comes a wealth of practical knowledge. In many respects, airport managers are the best source of information and innovative practices for other airport managers, particularly for airports that are located in the same general geographic area and have similar operational characteristics. However, the managers of small airports can learn a great deal from larger airport managers who may face certain problems, issues, or situations more frequently and, thus, gain knowledge more quickly regarding what techniques do and do not work. Terrorism is not a concern for small airports. The managers for small airports are much more concerned with locally-oriented safety and security issues, such as wildlife, theft, vandalism, and airport incursions. There is room for improvement at small airports with respect to utilizing and recording self- inspections, distributing appropriate safety information to contractors prior to construction projects, and involving all relevant airport stakeholders in pre-construction meetings. In general, small airports are doing an excellent job of coordinating airport zoning rules with local land use and zoning planning. However, the survey respondents may not be representative of the small airport manager population as a whole in this regard. Also, since zoning ordinances can change frequently, as well as zoning board membership and airport managers, this is an important topic that requires adequate discussion in the guidebook. In addition, the guidebook should reference the forthcoming land use planning guidebook being developed under a separate ACRP project. 13

ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports A majority of small airports operate on miniscule budgets. This situation necessitates maximizing every dollar allocated to the airport. Although small airport mangers are subject to various state, county, and municipal requirements when it comes to budgeting and tracking airport expenses, financial management is another area of opportunity for improvement. In addition, to discussing general financial management topics for small airports, the guidebook should encourage the development of better financial systems for small airports and provide sources of information to do so. Marketing is an enormous area of improvement for small airports. Marketing plans should include certain basic elements regardless of the enterprise and need not be overly complicated to develop, particularly for small airports. In the Internet age, one of the most important marketing tools for an airport is a web site. Although many airports indicated having a web site, there is a difference between a web site and a useful and user friendly website. Improved marketing is necessary to both airports’ economic viability and standing within the community. Perhaps the most important role a small airport manager possesses is to ensure the safety of the airport for all its stakeholders. There are many facets to the airport safety equation but one of the most important is adequate training of airport staff and personnel. Since small airport managers may not have the time to develop their own unique training programs and often use staff from other county or municipal departments to complete airport maintenance task, information about easily customizable training templates and classes would be of great benefit to small airport managers. Recommendations The final version of the Guidebook for Managing Small Airports represents the research team’s recommendations based on the literature review, data collection and analysis, and feedback from the Project Panel and the Industry Review participants. The Guidebook contains the research team’s recommended topics with which airport managers should be familiar and sources of additional information about each topic, Recommended Management Principles and Techniques The administration of public use airports involves many of the classic management principles applicable to most organizations. Drawing on information the from the survey of airport managers, the literature review, and its expertise, the research team identified five management principles and six management techniques that became the basis for the content of the Guidebook. Each of the topics and subjects addressed in the Guidebook pertain to one or more of these management principles and techniques. The research team recommends the following management principles: • Public Safety: Programs and policies must be implemented to ensure the safety of both the aviation public and the non-flying public. 14

ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports • Fiscal Responsibility: Fiscal responsibility is a critical component of airport administration involving the budgeting and expenditure of public and private funds. • Legal Responsibility: Airport owners are responsible for complying with local laws and ordinances, as well as applicable state and federal regulations. • Environmental Stewardship: An airport must be a good community “neighbor” regarding environmental issues such as storm water pollution, noise, and land use. • Public Goodwill: Public relations are vital to the success of any small airport. Airport managers must implement a wide variety of marketing and community outreach strategies to maintain a positive perception of the airport and build strong community relations. The research team recommends the following the management techniques: • Quality Management: Airport managers must focus the efforts of employees to strive for improvements in meeting the needs of the public and airport customers. Airport staff must be provided training, tools, and resources to maintain high-quality facilities and services. • Team-Based Management: Small airport owners must maximize resources available to airport managers through industry organizations, state and federal units of government, consultants, and other airport-related networks. • Strategic Planning: An essential function of the airport manager is developing and assessing the organizational vision, mission, goals, objectives, and direction of the airport. • Communication: Airport managers must communicate with governmental entities, customers, tenants, commissions, boards, and the general public. • Coordination: Coordination between federal, state, and local units of government, and airport owners and tenants is integral to the success of the airport. • Consistency and Standardization of Operations: Airport managers must strive for consistent application and enforcement of airport rules, standards, and polices. Use of the Guidebook The guidebook should not be viewed as the single authoritative source on the management of small airports but rather as a reference tool. The Guidebook provides an overview of the many tasks for which the manager of a small airport is responsible and directs the reader to sources of additional and more detailed information about particular topics or subjects. The aviation industry, and the role of airports in the industry, is not static. The FAA’s implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System will increase and accelerate changes in the aviation industry. Many aspects of managing a small airport from navigation aids, to security procedures, to land use regulations will change in the coming years. Therefore, the Guidebook needs to be a living document that is periodically reviewed and updated to reflect changes in the knowledge and information required to manage small airports. The research team recommends that this be done at least bi-annually and, if possible, on an annual basis. 15

ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports Additional Recommendations The process of developing the Guidebook, particularly the survey of airport managers and the industry review, reinforced something the research team has long known: Managers of small airports possess a wealth of knowledge and expertise often gleamed from years of experience. Thus, perhaps the best source of information for the manager of a small airport is another manager of a small airport. The research team strongly encourages small airport managers to exchange information with one another as often as possible. The research term further recommends that airport managers encourage their staff members and other public employees who assist in the maintenance and operation of the airport to share information with counterparts at other airports as often as possible. Small airports are subject to myriad federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances. In When ever a question arises regarding federal or state regulations, an airport manager should first contact the appropriate government officials who are responsible for airports. The FAA and state aeronautics offices employ numerous staff members whose jobs are to assist airports in complying with the pertinent laws and regulations. The research team recommends that airport managers avail themselves of the knowledge and expertise of these dedicated public servants. Recommended Topics for Future Research Projects Any of the subjects for topics included in the guidebook are candidates for future research. In many cases, the Airport Cooperative Research Program has already established or is in the process of establishing research projects related to these topics. Based on the results of the survey conducted during the study and its own knowledge and experience, the research team has several specific suggestions for future research projects. As noted in this report and the Guidebook itself, at many small airports in the United States the maintenance and operations functions are executed by municipal or county stay members who have other job responsibilities and are note employed by the airport. For example, a municipal employee responsible for the removal of snow removal from city streets may also be responsible for removing snow from the airport’s runways and taxiways. While these tasks appear very similar on the surface, there are nuances to them that must be known or disastrous results will ensue. In addition, the survey of airport managers revealed that training was an issue for must small airports. Therefore, the research team proposes a project to develop a Guidebook for Small Airport Operations. This guidebook would provide much more detail about specific tasks common to many small airports, such as pavement maintenance, airport lighting installation, NAVAID maintenance, and snow removal Research is necessary to create better tools to help airport managers determine the economic impact of their airports on both the community and regional levels. The few economic impact calculators that the research team examined as part of the study were out-of-date having been developed at least 5 years ago and regionally focused (e.g., for Nebraska airports or Minnesota airports). The ability to determine the economic impact of an airport on a municipal, county, and regional level would help airport managers justify the expenditure of scarce public funds to maintain and grow their airports. The research team acknowledges that ACRP Synthesis 7: 16

ACRP Web-Only Document 5: Development of a Guidebook for Managing Small Airports 17 Airport Economic Impact Methods and Models, published in 2008, addresses this research area but believes that given the importance of the topic additional research is warranted. Many airport mangers indicated that they would like more information about rates and charges. Studies of rates and charges can be time consuming and labor intensive projects that small airport managers are not able to undertake. State airport organizations sometimes produce studies of rates and charges for the state but these tend to be relatively infrequent. The research team recommends that ACRP, perhaps in cooperation with the FAA, the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), and national airport organizations, should under take national rates and charges surveys on an annual basis or regional rates and charges surveys that are conducted bi-annually or tri-annually. This will ensure that any airport manager could have access to reasonably recent rates and charges data. Although the ACRP has research field for maintenance, woefully little research has been conducted on airport maintenance techniques and best practices. This is an area of research that could pay large and immediate dividends for small airports as a number of managers indicated it is difficult to keep up with preventive maintenance tasks in a constrained budget environment. This type of research would be particularly beneficial to the smallest airports where maintenance functions are often performed by individuals not directly associated with the airport, such as personnel from municipal public works departments or county highway departments, who may not be familiar with the intricacies of navigation aids, airport lighting, and pavement maintenance for runways and taxiways. The research team recommends performing more research in the area of human resources. This is a topic that is often overlooked or under emphasized in aviation management and general business academic programs. Yet, managing personnel, whether employed directly by the airport or other entities, may be an airport manager’s must important responsibility and small airports present a number of human resource management challenges. In addition, like other modes of transportation, the aviation industry will experience profound change with the retirement of the Baby Boom generation. Managing this demographic shift in the population is an increasingly important task and research is necessary to determine its specific impacts on and responses for small airports. The marketing of small airports is an area ripe for additional research. Although ACRP has undertaken a number of marketing-related projects they tend to be focused on narrow topics such as marketing airline service. Research is necessary to determine the best general marketing practices for small airports from both a qualitative and quantitative standpoint. Another potential research topic related to marketing is the development of a marketing template or toolkit specifically targeted to small airports. This would encourage a large number of small airports to integrate attracting itinerant aircraft, increasing the number of based aircraft, and improving the image of the airport in the community into a single marketing plan which would help to better focus the time and financial resources of small airport managers.