Hampton Roads airports are not reporting the summer chaos seen in other US cities
Hampton Roads airports are working to accommodate industry challenges, but the region isn’t experiencing the long lines, staffing shortages and delayed and canceled flights that other cities are experiencing, airport leaders said.
Norfolk International Airport has been busier but well-staffed, and both vendors and the Transportation Security Administration were prepared for Fourth of July demand, said Charlie Braden, director of market development at Norfolk Airport Authority.
“With regards to cancellations and delays, we’re really sort of at the whim of the airlines,” Braden said.
So far this summer, Braden said the Norfolk airport is experiencing a 10% reduction in departures compared with the summer of 2019 along with an 11% increase in seats. And 2019 was the airport’s highest passenger growth year on record, Braden noted.
“This dichotomy of less departures but more seats happens when the airlines use fewer but larger aircraft,” Braden said. “Using fewer aircraft helps with the airline staffing issues, while using larger aircraft helps to serve high passenger demand.”
Part of the growth, Braden pointed out, is the entrance of Breeze Airways into the Norfolk market. Norfolk International Airport has seven airlines that fly nonstop to 40 different destinations.
To rectify the staffing shortages, the industry is accelerating the pipeline to get pilots certified to fly, he said.
“They didn’t anticipate the faster demand to be this high after the pandemic,” he said.
Norfolk International has between 80 to 90 departures daily. Braden noted the airport only had three cancellations, all to the Newark airport in New Jersey, on a recent weekday. When cancellations occur, Braden said airlines try to notify passengers well in advance and accommodate them on later flights. The airport terminals are open 24 hours a day with food, beverage and retail vendors, he said.
“We’re doing our best to make sure the experience turns out well for travelers,” Braden said.
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is operating 35-40% below pre-pandemic numbers, said Mike Giardino, executive director for the Peninsula Airport Commission. That stems from Delta Air Lines consolidating and dropping its service to the airport in May 2020.
American Airlines is the only carrier flying in and out of Newport News to and from one destination — Charlotte, North Carolina.
“We’re down to four to six Charlotte flights per day,” Giardino said.
Affected by the pandemic, federal regulations, fuel prices and pilot shortages, Giardino said it’s been a rough go, but the Peninsula airport is still recruiting air service.
While its workforce is 60% of what it was in 2019, Giardino said the airport is appropriately staffed to handle the current traffic flow.
“We own the realm of speed at our airport; we can get you from the parking lot into the airplane much faster than any other airport in the area,” he said.
For travelers faced with cancellations, Giardino said airlines have paid for transportation to Richmond and Norfolk International Airport if that is the only option.
“The building is open 24/7 — worst case, if folks have no other option than to wait,” Giardino said. “We try to give passengers the best experience we can here.”
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
