Friends of Flight moves forward

RTA to offer $400 credits to participating businesses

The Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority is moving forward with its plan to provide area businesses with airline credits in exchange for their participation in a flight-marketing program.

Dubbed Friends of Flight, the program will seek to involve 25 businesses in Gunnison County, with the first four businesses becoming involved by January 24, and the official roll-out of the program occurring on March 1.
“We want businesses to feel a sense of urgency and honor in participating,” said RTA airline consultant Kent Meyers. “By limiting the number of participating businesses, we are able to make the program exclusive.”
The overall idea behind the program is to get local businesses’ buy-in to promote the new Houston to Gunnison summer flights specifically and Gunnison airport in general. Businesses participating in the program will be expected to place a link to the RTA homepage on their websites, and will also be encouraged to promote local flights and the airport through other marketing efforts and the placement of collateral material within their establishments.
In return, they will receive a credit, likely worth $400, for use toward the purchase of an airline ticket on the Houston-Gunnison service. The credit will need to be redeemed through a yet-unspecified local travel agency, and will expire after the last Houston flight in August.
The RTA expects that even with the cost of the credit, the program should make money, since those using the credit will be inclined to buy additional tickets for friends and family with whom they wish to travel.
“We know that the majority of people traveling for pleasure take someone with them,” said Scott Truex, executive director of the RTA. “It is our hope that the program will encourage more people to take advantage of flights from Gunnison to Houston and beyond.”
The RTA’s budget for the program is about $16,000, the majority of which covers the cost of the vouchers. The goal is to have the program paid for out of the recently received federal air grant for summer service, said Truex.