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Project Runway

A new, privately owned airport in Branson means big changes for you and for 417-land. Find out what's in store once this unprecedented project is complete.

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A view of where the construction process stands now.

There is no legacy with this airport. The new airport will feature state-of-the-art everything and be one of the most up-to-date airports in the nation.
Peet says ultimately, though, the goal is to have an airport that is unobtrusive to the traveler.

“We can build an airport that is more efficient than what is out there typically,” Peet says. “I think we can do a better job than most airports do. People don’t fly anywhere to go to the airport, though. The airport isn’t the destination, but it shouldn’t detract from the trip.”

Part of that streamlining will come from the way the airport can cut deals and negotiate with airlines. Its business model is closer to a Disney World than a municipal airport. “We can negotiate with airlines different than any municipality in the country,” Bourk says. “We don’t take federal grants, so we can offer exclusivity.

“Take Atlanta as an example. We can offer an airline that flies from that city to Branson a guarantee of no competition on that route. At any airport that takes federal grants, it is illegal to do that.”

That is seen as a big boon in a tight marketplace. What airline wouldn’t want to see the skies free of competition?

“To be able to offer an airline, especially in this time of high fuel prices, a route with no competition is a strong negotiating point,” Bourk says. “They can fly that route and offer their low fares knowing they won’t be driven down by competition.”

Another example is envisioned in the rental car business. The team with Branson Airport is looking to greatly streamline the process of renting and returning a car.

“One of the things that was very important for the airport was that if you rent a car, you can drive right up to the airport, drop the car off, check your bags and walk right in,” Coleman says. “You don’t have to take it out to some facility to turn it in.”

It is a little something more they can ask of the rental car companies in exchange for not bringing in six competitors. Like the exclusivity on airline routes offered to the various airlines, exclusivity means the rental car provider will be able to have the whole pie to themselves rather than spending marketing dollars at the airport to secure a slice. Bourk says they are encouraging the potential vendors to ensure their pricing structure to keep them from gouging the consumer. “We are not just encouraging them; it is in our contract,” Bourk says.

Another change in the way airports have done business comes in the form of naming rights. While that model has become common in the field of sports, it has never been done at an airport. Peet will tell you it isn’t as big as naming rights at Yankee Stadium, but at the same time, he will point out that when it happens, it will be historic.

While some airports have sold naming rights to a single concourse, this will be the first time naming rights for the entire facility have been sold.

“If the name becomes synonymous with the Branson experience, then with every marketing or advertising dollar spent, the name would be mentioned,” Peet says. “The scale of the value of this is far greater than just the eyeballs of those who go through the space.”

“Let’s say for instance it is Bass Pro,” Coleman said. “Bass Pro can put their name all over the front, and they would have a huge space in their shops and all that. Being a private commercial airport, they can just do it. There are not all the politics involved over who they can award the contract to.”

It should be a pleasant experience for the traveler. Once they arrive at Branson Airport, everything about the airport will be designed to cater to them from streamlined luggage handling to waiting rental cars. When they arrive to depart, that experience will be catered to their needs as well, from the fast car drop-off and luggage check-in to the quick and easy concessions.

Branson Airport won’t be private forever. It gets turned over to the county in 45 years. Coleman says there were some tax breaks for doing it that way, but realistically, things can be renegotiated before then. The county can hire anyone it wants to run the airport at that time, and if things are working, there would not be a great incentive to take the airport on.

While the airport is private, that doesn’t mean it is cutting corners on safety. It still falls under FAA regulations and has a long, long checklist of regulatory hurdles to clear on that front.

Bourk says the FAA is intrigued with Branson Airport. They often don’t have a category for a private airport like this, Bourk says. The airport constantly finds itself leaping bureaucratic snafus that come with not having government funding. That may herald another change.

“I personally have a strong feeling that this airport will set a precedent of more private airports in the United States,” Coleman says. “I fully expect there to be a trend of more city airports and airports that are county- and state-funded that decide to forgo government funding and go private. It will be interesting to see what happens.”
Coleman says we have privatized all other entities in the country, why not airports?