YRA Hires New Air Service Consultant

Yellowstone Regional Airport (YRA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Volaire Aviation Consulting to assist in the development of air service to Cody. This hire replaces the previous consultant.

Aaron Buck, Executive Director for Yellowstone Regional Airport said, “We’re excited to add one of the largest aviation consultant firms to our team. They have extensive experience with small communities and understand our unique situation here in Cody.”

Volaire’s Track Record

Voliare’s experience and depth of industry connections spans the company’s founding in 2016. In that time, they have launched 250 new routes at client airports. Their team boasts over 200 years of experience in the industry, bringing a wealth of insights to YRA as the community moves towards adding air service.

Why Do We Need Air Service Consultants?

Community members have questioned the need for outside consultants. It’s a valid question. There are many reasons airports hire air service consultants. The main reasons are to tap into the relationships they have built with the airlines, to leverage the depth of research they can provide, and to help build a case for bringing additional air service to the community.

1 | Routes are determined by the airlines, who rely on aviation industry data to make those decisions. Air Service Consultants have access to comprehensive data that the airlines also see. They know how to read the data and translate it into a plan for a community to expand its air service, using the same format the airlines will use to test the proposals.

2 | They also represent the community at airline industry meetings along with local representatives. They have done this work for years and have forged strong relationships with the airlines. Having access to the decision-makers, the airline network planners, means a greater chance of success. Airlines are more open to working with people they know. Since most communities are professionally represented, those without an air service consultant may be passed by.

3 | Similarly, consultants use their experience to develop forecasts that airlines will accept. A route launches only if a carrier’s analysts believe it will become profitable. That requires modeling a specific aircraft type against fare levels, load factors, crew costs, and seasonal demand. Consultants build those forecasts in the same format the airline will use to test it.

4 | When it comes to negotiating revenue guarantees (MRGs), the consultants help the community size them correctly. Priced too low, a carrier declines. Priced too high, the community overpays or exhausts its fund in a single season. Years of experience in this area help a community grow its air service logically.

5 | A consultant’s job is to keep the air service after it starts. Recruitment is half the work. The other half is monitoring how the flight performs. They diagnose whether a soft month reflects a fare issue or a schedule issue, and directing marketing efforts toward the travelers still leaving from other airports. Routes are cut for underperformance far more often than for any other reason, and the window to correct a problem is short.

While professional representation does not guarantee additional routes will be added, it certainly increases the chances through their access, credible analysis, and by helping the community create a plan to present. They are a crucial piece of the puzzle when creating or expanding air service.

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