Attracting airlines and marketing our region
1) Marketing our region to airlines. What does it take to convince an airline to start service in Wichita? Or, to convince an existing carrier to add service? The competitive airline industry and its challenges will be presented and you will leave with a greater understanding of how significant an achievement it is to attract new service.
2) Marketing our airport to our region. Promoting our airport and our air service makes for strong airline relationships – a key component in sustaining and enhancing air service. Increased awareness of our air service leads to increased passenger traffic and revenue, all of which ensures successful air service and keeps costs low. Airport marketing strategies will be shared.
We’ll also show construction progress photos of the new terminal project.
About Valerie Wise, Air Service and Business Development Manager
Valerie Wise began her career at the Wichita Airport Authority in 1994 as an Administrative Aide and became the Air Service and Business Development Manager in June 2006. Valerie is responsible for the development, maintenance and promotion of the air service at Mid-Continent Airport. She directs all marketing and advertising programs, media relations, and customer service programs. Her former career was as a Commodities Market Analyst at a small firm in Chicago. Valerie attended the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and Securities School in Minneapolis. Valerie serves on the Board of the South Central Chapter, American Association of Airport Executives, and is a member of Women in Aviation International. She serves on the City’s strategic marketing committee, and is actively involved in her church. She and her husband have three children and five grandchildren.
Some of her accomplishments include:
- Significant contributions to the Affordable Airfares campaign
- Created the Courtesy Crew customer service program
- Implemented an electronic customer survey kiosk system
- Created an online booking engine for the Airport
- Launched the Thanks Again customer loyalty program (Oct. 2013)
- Launched the Vibe-It mobile survey app (Oct. 2013)
Air service development successes include:
- Allegiant Air service to Orlando-Sanford (May 2007). (Service discontinued in August 2008)
- Non-stop service to Los Angeles on ExpressJet d/b/a Delta (July 2007), followed by United Express (September 2007). (Service discontinued in 2008).
- Frontier Airlines’ low-fare service to the west (October 2007). (Frontier left ICT November 2012)
- Non-stop service to Detroit on Pinnacle Airlines, d/b/a Northwest Airlink (May 2008). (Service discontinued August 2009)
- Allegiant Air seasonal service to LAX (May 2009)
- Allegiant Air service to Phoenix-Mesa (Nov. 2009)
- Non-stop service to LAX on United Airlines (May 2013)
- 2008 was a record year in passenger traffic despite rising fuel costs and softening travel demand during the last half of the year
- The highlight of her career was convincing the Network Planners at Southwest Airlines to start service in Wichita
