Centerlines - December 2008 - (Page 21)

COVER STORY close to $9 million in cuts even after its budget was approved. “We looked at every single spending item in our operating budgets and either tried to delay the spending or cut back on what we thought we could live without,” he said. The agency also looked its big contracts and secured favorable bids and contract changes with companies cleaning its buildings and terminals and providing baggage system maintenance. It also has looked at alternative fuels for airports to work together on “a holistic review” of total airport costs with a view to identifying ways to reduce costs and increase operating efficiencies. The initiative grew out of a presentation ATA and a panel of airline representatives made to an airport Chief Financial Officers summit in the summer, McElroy said. It outlines a process to develop a checklist of ideas individual airlines and airports have used for cost savings and efficiency gains that will be shared with others as a basis for their discussions. Laura McKee, the ATA’s managing director, airport affairs, said the initiative would start a process of sharing information on ideas and practices that may or may not have worked, to everyone’s benefit. “Even if one airport benefits or one airline benefits, that’s success,” she said. ■ Ed Freni, director of aviation, Massport: Massport has saved $9 million in a budget cutting exercise and scaled back and reduced the scope of a couple of capital projects. Performance FROM GREAT COMPANIES COME GREAT IDEAS Ricondo & Associates, Inc. would like to extend its congratulations to three clients who are currently in the process of commissioning new runways: its vehicles to try to offset the cost of gas and oil prices. Freni said Massport was able to save a lot of money by reducing overtime pay when it shortened the hours of the office doing background checks and badges for employees. It used to be open from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week; now it’s open during business hours. Tenants are adjusting to it, he added. Although it has scaled back and reduced the scope of a couple of capital projects, Freni said Massport and its airlines had spent over $4.5 billion in major capital improvements over the last eight or nine years “which puts us in a pretty decent position going into this.” City of Chicago, Department of Aviation Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Abu Dhabi Airports Company R&A applauds the hard work and dedication of these clients in bringing their great ideas through to fruition. Airline Airport Efficiency Initiative With airlines and airports individually focused on reducing costs, ACI-NA and the Air Transport Association (ATA) have begun work on an Airline Airport Efficiency Initiative to develop a process for airlines and RICONDO & ASSOCIATES, INC.,. an Aviation Consultancy 20 North Clark Street, suite 1500, chicago, illinois 60602 USA tel: +1 [312] 606-0611 fax: +1 [312] 606-0706 info@ricondo.com • www.ricondo.com • an equal opportunity employer www.aci-na.org | CENTERLINES 21 http://www.ricondo.com http://www.aci-na.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Centerlines - December 2008

Centerlines - December 2008 Contents President’s Message Canadian Airports Associates’ Corner Policy Center On the Hill and On the Stump Cover Story: Airport Belt Tightening On Management: Pooling DBE Resources Revenue Arena: New Revenue Streams Griesbach Concessions Award Winners Security: Employee Screening Pilot Tests New Technology: Wireless Growth Now Underway Grand Openings New Members Index of Advertisers/Advertiser.com Box Scores

Centerlines - December 2008

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