http://www.gjfreepress.com/article/20080901/COMMUNITY_NEWS/808319983/1076/P= EOPLE&parentprofile=3D-1 Piloting change at Grand Junction Regional Airport by Emily Anderson GRAND JUNCTION =E2=80=94 With more passengers flying in and out of Grand Ju= nction Regional Airport, the airport=E2=80=99s manager says now is the perf= ect time for the airport to complete its $20-million, year-and-a-half-long = construction project. The airport has boarded more passengers each month this year than it did in= corresponding months in 2007. From January to July 2008, Grand Junction fl= ights have carried 116,082 passengers to and from the airport. From January= to July 2007, the airport saw 97,302 fliers. Fliers can expect to park in a newly paved parking lot and ride to and from= the airport on freshly paved roads by Labor Day. Reconstructing the airpor= t=E2=80=99s parking lot and the roads around it has been the airport author= ity=E2=80=99s number one priority for years, said GJRA Manager Rex Tippetts= . =E2=80=9CThe roadway system at the airport was really bad,=E2=80=9D Tippett= s said. =E2=80=9CThere was no storm water system, there were cracks four in= ches wide in the pavement, the streets were inadequately lit, the parking l= ot was inadequately lit.=E2=80=9D A landscape project will take another two years to complete, and improvemen= ts around the airport=E2=80=99s exterior other than paving should be done b= y Oct. 1, said Tippetts. More projects are on the way. A 20-year master plan is being reconsidered a= t the moment, but is likely to include interior remodeling of the airport. =E2=80=9CEverything needs to be rebuilt at the airport,=E2=80=9D Tippetts s= aid. The airport=E2=80=99s 10,501-foot-long runway could turn into a taxiing lan= e, and a replacement runway of the same length could go just north of the e= xisting runway. A second runway 3,700 feet north of the current runway is a= lso a possibility, but not until at least 25 to 30 years from now, said Tip= petts. Tippetts said the airport is doing well and ready to grow. Grand Junction n= eeded more seats at a time when other airports had too many seats available= , he said, which is why he believes other airports have cut flights. =E2=80=9CAirlines want to lower supply so they can raise the price. There i= s a lot of surplus capacity nationwide. We didn=E2=80=99t have a surplus. W= e actually had a need,=E2=80=9D Tippetts said. The extra need is shown in flight numbers. United Airlines saw more ticket = sales this year. New Frontier flights have had more than 3,500 passengers a= month since starting flights at GJRA in May. The addition of American Eagl= e flights to Dallas have seated about 10 percent of passengers so far this = year. And that=E2=80=99s without flights in January through March. United=E2=80=99s Denver flights were the most popular flights in 2008, carr= ying 39.3 percent of GJRA passengers. United is followed in popularity by U= .S. Airways=E2=80=99 Phoenix flights (12.2 percent), Lynx/Frontier=E2=80=99= s Denver flights (9.8 percent), American Eagle=E2=80=99s Dallas/Ft. Worth f= lights (9.1 percent), Allegiant=E2=80=99s Las Vegas flights (7.4 percent), = Great Lakes=E2=80=99 Denver flights =E2=80=94 which ended in May (4 percent= ) =E2=80=94 and SkyWest=E2=80=99s Salt Lake City flights (2.6 percent). Sky= West is operated by Delta, the only airline that=E2=80=99s seen a dip in pa= ssenger numbers this year at GJRA. Car rental outlets have taken in less money by July this year than by the s= ame time in 2007. From January to July this year, rental car revenues reach= ed $3.73 million. Last year, rental companies took in $3.84 million by July= 31. Reach Emily Anderson at eanderson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx =0A=0A=0A <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".