Christina Burke/Caller-Times file Architectural details in the multimillion-dollar renovations completed recently at the Corpus Christi International Airport offer a good first impression of the area, business leaders say. ‘It’s starting off on the right foot, and it’s 180 degrees from where we were,’ said Tom Niskala, president and chief executive officer of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. Nonstop flights to Mexico and to a major city in the United States are expected by next year and could be announced as early as this summer, said airport director Dave Hamrick.

Newly renovated airport improves travelers’ first impression

Some say attractions such as Packery Channel, ballpark will help increase local arrivals, departures

February 1, 2003
By Matthew Sturdevant
Caller-Times

Sunlight bursts through floor-to-ceiling windows into the pastel terminal, and wavy sculptures hint that the airport is a gateway to the beachfront communities of South Texas.

These architectural details built recently into the Corpus Christi International Airport offer a good first impression of the area, and business leaders say that’s crucial to the future of tourism and development.

"The value of first impressions is something we all recognize," said Tom Niskala, president and chief executive officer of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. "It’s starting off on the right foot, and it’s 180 degrees from where we were."

Multimillion-dollar renovations in recent years have transformed the airport from a somewhat dark set of hallways to an open, communal terminal with large windows that overlook an upgraded infrastructure and runways.

‘Cautiously optimistic’
As a result, the renovations may boost the number of planes coming to and taking off from the airport, according to airport and other officials.

Nonstop flights to Mexico and to a major city in the United States are expected by next year and could be announced as early as this summer, said airport director Dave Hamrick.

"We don’t have an airline that has signed up yet, but I’m cautiously optimistic about it," he said.

The most feasible connection would be to Monterrey, Mexico, he said. Eventually people will be able to switch planes in Monterrey and fly from Corpus Christi to Mexico City and back within a day, Hamrick said.

But the biggest challenge remains that the airport loses 225,000 customers each year to the San Antonio airport. It’s a problem that’s difficult to solve, according to one local airline manager.

The common excuse among customers is that flights out of San Antonio take less time because they don’t require passengers to switch planes and wait during layovers. Others contend that flights to and from San Antonio are less expensive than flying out of the Corpus Christi airport.

"My first reaction is: they must be getting package deals to special destinations, like Las Vegas," said Stan Cielak, local station manager for Southwest Airlines. "Otherwise I can’t imagine why you’d want to make that drive."

Cielak said Southwest doesn’t plan to expand its number of planes to and from Corpus Christi unless there is a surge in the number of customers.

More customers, flights
But airport and airline managers hope that Corpus Christi’s airport will have more customers in years to come as tourists and business leaders visit the area to see new attractions.

"Corpus Christi is on the verge of expanding beyond belief," Hamrick said. "Landry’s, the Packery Channel, the ballpark. There’s just so many things going on."

Each of those new projects could attract people to the city and increase the number of customers on commercial flights. More customers will justify more arrivals and departures at the airport.

Increasing the number of jet flights from Corpus Christi has been a longtime goal as a means to increase passenger bookings. Many say the future of the airport depends on successful attractions and development in the area.

However, Corpus Christi’s airport already has advantages over the airports in different cities, according to those involved in area economic development.

"Other than San Diego, I can’t think of another city where you can get from the central business district to the international airport in 15 minutes," said Ron Kitchens, president and chief executive officer of the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation. "Heck, in Kansas City it’s an hour to the airport and 20 minutes from the parking-lot to the terminal."

The close proximity to downtown and the area’s percolating success with ballparks and eco-tourism and development all bode well for the airport. But airport officials temper their enthusiasm with the reality that the airport competes for airline passengers with San Antonio and sometimes Houston.

"There’s a lot more good news coming, and if we can win back customers we are assured much better service, but we still have unfilled seats," said Airport Board Chairman Jerry Kane.

Contact Matthew Sturdevant at 886-3778 or sturdevantm@caller.com