On Wednesday the Tallahassee city commission will consider the implementation of the Air Service Incentive & Capacity Improvements program.
On May 8, 2025, the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency (BPIA) approved a Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget and five (5)-Year Capital Improvement Plan that included new economic development funding to recruit new air service to the community. As part of its FY 2026 Budget, the Office of Economic Vitality (OEV) established the Air Service Incentive & Capacity Improvements program under the Incentives, Grants, and Programs master project, with a total allocation of $10,050,000 funded through community-sponsored sources through Fiscal Year 2040.
The item before the commission takes the next necessary step to implement the incentive program by formalizing the administrative process necessary to carry out the delegation of approval authority to the City Manager related to service incentive funds for air service development, improvements, including Minimum Revenue Guarantees (MRGs).
An MRG is a financial risk-mitigation tool used by most communities and airports to attract new air service. It guarantees an airline a minimum revenue amount for qualifying new service or seasonal service. This support helps mitigate early-stage financial uncertainty with the goal of creating long-term, self-sustaining air service that benefits the community. Granting this authority allows the City to act quickly and in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements to support air service development.
The agenda item notes, “The expeditious deployment of these incentives is critical in a highly competitive and time-sensitive airline recruitment environment and directly supports the City’s economic development goals, and its approved five (5)-year strategic goals for the Airport, by enhancing the City’s ability to expand air service options for residents, businesses, and visitors.”
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The city and county need to entice businesses and industry that will bring people into Tallahassee. There is nothing for people to do here that will draw visitors. Pensacola, Destin, Panama City, etc. have beaches. If the airport expects local people to fly enough to bring other airlines in or lower fees, that has not worked in the past. United was flying to Houston before Covid. Why did they pull out? We as local residents can only fly so many times a year/month (I only have so much vacation time) so we need reasons for other people to come here besides football and the legislature. The airlines want people in the seats. Just giving an airline incentives to come here will not work if they do not have people in the planes. Otherwise, they will leave when the incentive contracts end, like all of the others in the past. What types of businesses/industry will attract visitors who would be flying into Tallahassee? I am glad they are trying something, but it seems like they keep trying the same things over and over expecting different results. Maybe have 20-30 year contracts with these incentives instead of short term.
Resident since 1990 – I really like your comments. The truth is, doing nothing is not the answer for making efforts to attract more airlines to Tallahassee.
To Tallahassee Reports, thank you for posting this item discussed during the City Commission Meeting. I skimmed through various online news outlets this morning and you were the only source of information about this new airport incentive. All the other Tallahassee news outlets were posting about the 30 minute time limit discussion approved by the Commission.
Robert is spot on. I travel once a moth and rarely ever book a flight out of Tallahassee because my company has a $500 limit and seldom does TLH have any fares that meet that criteria. As a matter of fact, ECP is easy-breezy parking and flights that are about 1/2 to 1/3 less expensive than TLH. Lost revenue for TLH but I’m sorry, I vote with my wallet.
Lower the Cost of all your Fees, even end some of them.
Hey Staff at TR, I have asked several times already but will again…….. Can you do an in-depth Article on all the Airports Fee’s for Landing a Plane there?
Due to corruption with the city of Tallahassee, no new air service will be the norm here. I have to fly to Atlanta to go to Ft Lauderdale. It’s disgusting ! No flights to central Florida. The capital of Florida and we have the worst air service in the country.
Dan
Because this has worked every time we’ve done this before?
I’m tired of my good money being thrown after bad.
It didn’t work with Jet Blue.
Tired of Tallahassee Airport being a hub for the Lawyers, Lobbyists and Legislators. They don’t pay for their own plane tickets, therefore the airlines can jack up the rates. We regular folks would love to take advantage of the convenience of having an airport in our city, but we can’t. The corrupt dirtbags that run this county/city won’t let it be. They continue to fleece us all for as much as they can. It is more economical to drive to Jacksonville, Panama City or Pensacola and stay the night to take an early flight then to fly out of home town Tallahassee. Isn’t that sad? Not sad, disgusting. Tallahassee is wrought with corrupt self serving idiots.
What “financial risk-mitigation tools are the other 4 Panhandle airports using…because they each (Pensacola, Destin, Fort Walton, Panama City) have +/-2M passengers EACH.
TLH doesn’t have beaches, but maybe we need more flights to TPA, MIA, MCO, and FLL, (cruise ports), and maybe to JFK or LAX for international flights.
Yes, folks from here drive to Tampa, Miami, and Orlando, and Fr. Lauderdale, and so do I, but parking at these cruise locations is now $40+ per day.
Make it cheaper to fly there and take Uber to the port or to the business district.
Delta and American have really upped their game regarding service here since Silver pulled out of Tallahassee, and I am loyal to each one, BUT it is really an inconvenience to pay to take a flight from TLH and have to pay extra to take a connecting flight somewhere else.
More direct flights from Tallahassee International Airport, please.
I understand “supply and demand” and I’m not smart enough to know the demographics of the typical TLH flyer.
I am also not a huge fan of BPIA, but maybe they, and the city can create something good here that will attract and keep folks/businesses interested in visiting Tallahassee.