Extended Parking Contract

Proposed Extending Parking Contract

Republic Parking Systems would continue to manage parking at the Minot airport under a contract extension supported by a city committee Tuesday.

Minot Airport Committee

The Minot Airport Committee is recommending the Minot City Council accept the contract, which includes a management fee negotiated down from $128,000 a year to $52,000 a year. Airport Director Rick Feltner said the lower fee is possible based on costs being incurred by Republic. It also reflects the elimination of Republic's costs of preparing a management proposal, which would have been necessary to retain a contact if the city decided to request new proposals.

Parking Expenses

Feltner said use of the parking is down, reflecting fewer airline boarding, but revenue is tracking close to projections. The biggest budget issue is parking expenses are up due to higher than anticipated snow removal costs this past winter, he said.

Commercial Airline Boarding

In April, commercial airline boarding in Minot were down 4.86% from 2016 to just over 11,000 passengers.

Fare Rates

In information presented to the committee, Feltner discussed the community's concern that lower airline fares in Bismarck are contributing to Minot's boarding's decline. He examined Delta Air Lines fares for leisure and business travelers and found less of an overall fare disparity in leisure travel than exists for business travel, which tend to be booked on shorter notice. For instance, a business flight to Minneapolis from Minot was 93% higher than a Bismarck fare, and a Phoenix fare was 15% higher in Minot. A Seattle fare was 9.7% higher in Minot, while Denver fares were the same.

Leisure Traveler

A leisure traveler going from Minot to Minneapolis would pay 15% more than a Bismarck traveler going to Minneapolis, while the traveler would pay 27% more to go to Phoenix, in the point-in-time fare comparison. However, a flight to Seattle cost 9% more from Bismarck, and a Denver fare was $4 higher in Bismarck.

Competition

Feltner said costs of a ticket are influenced by competition due to the number of carriers, the number of available seats to fill and how full planes are when they depart. Bismarck has more airlines and about 30% more seats, he said. Minot has a fairly high load factor, with planes often leaving at 80% full or better, which means there's little pressure on airlines to reduce rates, he said.