Hey Chicago pilots, BOHICA!!!

[wsuffa]

This sell-out will further destroy GA access to Chicago.

(Crain’s) — The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday accepted the city of Chicago’s preliminary application to lease Midway International Airport to a private operator.
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Chicago officials must craft a concession agreement, put out a request for proposals and submit a final application and get final approval from the FAA. The city also wants to get input from the seven airlines operating at Midway, he said.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=22333

 

[Anthony]

Bill,

What impact do you think this will have?

 

[ScottM]

Bill,

What impact do you think this will have?

I know you directed this to Bill but I am going to answer anyways.

Generally when the lease goes into effect the company that runs the ariport raises fees for all users. The airlines have the ost leverage to keep their fees responable with the little guys having no recourse to higher fees. That pretty much will mean that bug smasher traffic will go to zero at Midway. When that happens the only things flying into Chicago are biz jets and heavy metal.

 

[wsuffa]

Bill,

What impact do you think this will have?

I think it'll push up fees for private aircraft, and push to limit or restrict GA.

New Orleans Lakefront has been on the list for some time, and there has been a long campaign against the move (to the point that there were brochures at Millionair on how to fight it).

Basically, selling or leasing the facility to a private operator means a couple of things: 1) it means there will be more incentive to maximize revenue and concession fees back to the city (meaning higher fees and incentive to reduce or eliminate small, slow aircraft that pay lower fees), and 2) give that it is Chicago, you can bet that the concession agreement will contain NO protection for small GA. Given the demise of Meigs, and the inability to get into ORD, and the desire to maximize large commercial flying at Midway, I think the only possible effect on small GA will be negative.

If federal subsidies are reduced, look for even more fees.

But that's only my opinion.

BAA and the Dutch group are used to operating airports in a high-fee, large aircraft environment.

 

[Anthony]

Hmmm. Thanks guys. That's not good. No Meigs, no Midway, no GA. I have no reason to go to Chicago and I'm not going to create a reason by visiting there.