The ultra-low-cost carrier model aligns perfectly with the airport’s leisure market focus, where vacation traffic to Florida, Las Vegas, and Arizona destinations dominate passenger volumes. Allegiant’s growth from less than seven percent of airport traffic in 2016 to over 54 percent by 2021 and currently 80 percent, keynotes the market’s appetite for affordable leisure travel. The airline’s unique point-to-point network means all three-based aircraft depart from Flint each morning and return by evening, creating what Sapone describes as regular eight-hour workdays for flight crews. The model created 88 high-wage jobs in the region that previously did not exist, including pilots, flight attendants, and maintenance technicians. The airport’s capital improvement projects proceed without increasing rates, funded instead through FAA and Department of Transportation grants that support terminal modernization while preserving the competitive cost advantage. LEADERSHIP VISION FROM PITTSBURGH TO FLINT Nino Sapone arrived at Flint Bishop International Airport with 26 years of experience at Pittsburgh International Airport, where he served as vice president of operations through a transformational period. His background includes a bachelor’s degree in education from California University of Pennsylvania and credentials as an accredited airport executive, along with service as past president of the Northeast Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives and served on AAAE Board of Directors.“My primary goals are to grow the airport’s air service portfolio, foster economic growth, create employment opportunities and make a positive impact on where I’m at, and that’s why I’m here,” he says. Pittsburgh’s evolution from a struggling postindustrial city to a thriving hub of medical technology, high-tech industries, and thriving educational institutions provided a roadmap for 213 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 10 FLINT BISHOP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx