A group of MYPros take a tour of equipment at MBS International Airport as part of a lunchtime event on March 28, 2024.
Isabelle Pasciolla/Midland Daily News
Deputy Airport Director Courtney Page (left) guides the Midland Young Professionals through the equipment at MBS International Airport on March 28, 2024.
Isabelle Pasciolla/Midland Daily News
Members of the Midland Young Professionals eat lunch and socialize before an event at MBS International Airport March 28, 2024.
Isabelle Pasciolla/Midland Daily News
Go Great Lakes Bay Director of Sports Tourism Tim Shelton (left) and MBS International Deputy Airport Director Courtney Page (right) present ways to boost tourism in the Great Lakes Bay during a MYPros luncheon March 28, 2024 at the airport- to boost the region.
Isabelle Pasciolla/Midland Daily News
Airport Deputy Director Courtney Page leads a group of MYPros through MBS International's equipment, including a fire truck, on March 28, 2024.
Isabelle Pasciolla/Midland Daily News
Equipment racks will be on display for a tour by the MYPros at a luncheon March 28, 2024 at MBS International Airport.
Isabelle Pasciolla/Midland Daily News
Members of the Midland Young Professionals enjoy lunch at MBS International Airport on March 28, 2024.
Isabelle Pasciolla/Midland Daily News
A group of young professionals from Midland met for lunch Thursday at MBS International Airport to discuss air and ground transportation needs in the Great Lakes Bay Region and how they can help make improvements.
Attendees heard from Courtney Page, deputy airport director at MBS, and Tim Shelton, director of sports tourism at Go Great Lakes Bay. Both presented ways that MYPros and other local residents can help increase tourism in the area and thereby stimulate economic development.
Among other things, Page encouraged attendees to use MBS International for their own flights. She explained that people living in the northern Thumb region, the Great Lakes Bay and the northern east coast of Michigan should use MBS, but often don't.
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In the aviation industry, passengers are recorded as “passengers per day and route”. By collecting travel data in this way, airlines have found that people prefer to go to Detroit or Grand Rapids to get a cheaper flight because of the high prices at MBS. Airlines will then choose to operate their flights at these airports instead of places like MBS.
Page urged attendees to consider the additional costs associated with this decision, such as high parking fees at Detroit Metro Airport.
“As you make these decisions and think about them, I encourage you to look at the bigger picture,” Page said. “The airlines see this data and see that you're willing to go somewhere else and that impacts our community because now we're talking about people coming into our community.”
Page acknowledged that ticket prices at MBS are more expensive than at other airports and explained that ticket prices will decrease over time as more people choose to fly from MBS. However, prices are high now because people prefer to go to other airports.
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“For the airlines to make money, the plane has to be full,” she said. “If the plane is empty, they spend a lot of money on fuel and crew just to fly an empty plane.”
Page said MBS would like to offer more flights or even add an ultra-low-cost airline like Allegiant or Spirit, but they need to be able to prove that people will choose them for their flights.
“The airlines make sure you fly to Flint and pay the $85 cheaper if you fly from there,” she said. “They won’t come if we continue to choose other airports.
“Believe me, I’m also about saving money, but I’m also looking at what it does for our community.”
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Recently, MBS conducted an economic impact study to determine the overall impact that people flying to MBS have on the community. Last year, that impact was nearly $20.9 million through lodging, food/beverage, retail/leisure and more.
“Think about it if MBS weren’t here,” Page said. “This means that people who come here to visit their families will not rent a car (here). On the way here they will stop somewhere else to get something to eat. They will probably stay somewhere else that is a little cheaper and more convenient from their departure point. They will not choose our communities.”
Page encouraged participants to not only use MBS themselves, but to encourage their colleagues to use it as well. Page said residents can also help by sharing their experiences at MBS on social media or supporting its events, such as the Children's Grief Center Grit Your Grief 5K on May 18.
“We’re really trying to advocate for you guys to get out of here,” Page said. “We try to get the best deals for you and promote partnerships.”
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Shelton addressed the need for more ground transportation in the region. He explained that the lack of convenient and affordable land transportation, especially across county borders, is negatively impacting tourism in the region.
He emphasized the use of Uber and Lyft because there are so few taxi services in the area compared to other areas. He said more Uber and Lyft drivers could benefit those flying into MBS, other visitors to the area and even the drivers themselves by providing alternative income.
“The tourism industry in the state of Michigan spends more than $3 billion annually in direct spending,” he told Shelton. “Here in the Great Lakes Bay Region, the most recent number I have is almost $400 million in a given year.”
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If the region could improve its ground transportation, Shelton said the Great Lakes Bay could help attract and host major events. He cited the upcoming Memorial Cup, which will be held at the Dow Event Center, as an example.
In order to host the Memorial Cup in Saginaw, they had to prove there was enough public transportation for all attendees. The Saginaw Transit Authority and Regional Services reached out and offered to expand their routes to even run until 2 a.m. during that 10-day period.
MBS International has also added flights specifically for the Memorial Cup and Shelton said they are now looking for Uber and Lyft drivers from the area or other cities to provide more transportation during the event.
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“As this community gets involved and organizes more events, we will only need this transportation to support the tourists,” Shelton said. “Especially when it comes to public transportation, we simply can’t keep up with some of the communities we’re supposed to be competing with.”
Isabelle Pasciolla is a political/government reporter for the Midland Daily News. Email her at [email protected].
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