The director of Bradford Regional Airport has been named
chairman of a state subcommittee charged with examining federal
Essential Air Service issues across Pennsylvania.

Airport Director Tom Frungillo was appointed to the post during
a recent Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Bureau of
Aviation air service meeting in Pittsburgh. Frungillo made the
announcement during Tuesday’s meeting of the Bradford Regional
Airport Authority.

“It was established to tackle EAS issues,” Frungillo said while
discussing the Pennsylvania Air Service Committee. “You need to
fight for it (EAS), but you also have to put the tools in place to
make the program work.”

EAS ensures that airports that received commercial air service
before deregulation in 1978 continue to receive it.

Frungillo said the subcommittee was formed out of a larger study
being done by Eclat Consulting, a German firm offering strategic,
analytical and financial advice to the state regarding air service
issues.

Among those on the subcommittee include other airport officials
from facilities on EAS, members of the state Bureau of Aviation and
Eclat and other airport industry officials interested in learning
about the effects EAS has on the industry. Frungillo said he’s also
received inquiries about joining the committee from airport
officials in West Virginia.

Frungillo, who said he isn’t getting paid to serve as chairman,
said the subcommittee “meets” roughly every month, sometimes in
person at various locations across the state, or by teleconference
or e-mail.

“There is lots of information being passed around,” Frungillo
said. “This is really the first time airports across the state are
openly sharing thoughts on aviation issues. It’s also the first
time the state has taken such an active role on air service
issues.”

Frungillo said he was selected for the role, in large part,
because of his and airport officials’ familiarity with EAS.

“We’ve been vocal about the program and looked at it from every
angle,” Frungillo said, noting an air service committee has been
established at the airport. “Me being appointed is a reflection on
the airport authority and advisory committee.”

The EAS program has come under increased scrutiny lately,
especially with the Bush administration, who would like to see the
$117 million program – which was hiked by $7.6 million over last
year – either eliminated or greatly scaled back. Members of
Congress hailing from urban areas would also like to cut into the
program.

However, the program is a lifeline for small, rural airports
such as Bradford Regional who rely on commercial air service to
survive and provide economic opportunities to the region it serves.
The airport has been trying to free itself from the yoke of EAS for
several years.

The issue is particularly pertinent for Bradford Regional, which
is facing a change in air carriers, parent airlines and hub cities
from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. Airport officials had hoped to retain
current carrier Colgan Air Inc. and change hub cities to
Washington’s Dulles International Airport, but were struck down by
the U.S. Department of Transportation, who ruled earlier this year
it would go with RegionsAir, in large part, because of a lower
subsidy level the federal government would have to pay.

“You have to ask yourself, ‘is a solely financial decision
really what’s best for the community'” the airline serves,
Frungillo said, noting an airline also has a responsibility to
market the region and provide the best ticket prices available.

In a conversation with The Era in April, Frungillo said there
needs to be more checks and balances in the EAS program which
ensure an airline lives up to its end of a deal.

All told, there are 16 primary airports statewide that provide
commercial air service. Six of those are on EAS – including
Bradford and DuBois – while Latrobe is trying to operate without
EAS and Reading has no air service.

“I think we can definitely make some changes (to EAS),”
Frungillo said. “If we could get some recommendations approved (by
Congress) it will make a difference.”

In May, Frungillo said the state is looking at setting up a
funding stream to improve air service, possibly using some funding
currently set aside in the budget for infrastructure. The state
committee was also interested in making headway in Congress during
the reauthorization of EAS.

U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., who has been a staunch proponent
of the EAS program and rural airports, will also be involved with
the matter.

Bradford Regional Airport officials are still waiting to hear
from the Bradford Sanitary Authority over whether the airport will
be allowed to deposit deicing fluid into the sewer system.

The issue was discussed for the second time in as many months
during Tuesday’s Bradford Regional Airport Authority meeting.

Officials first broached the subject during last month’s meeting
of the board, during which they hoped to work out a deal with the
sanitary authority to allow “trickles” of deicing fluid to enter
the sewer system from the airport’s deicing pad.

At that time, airport engineer Ed Nasuti told the board the
sanitary authority was checking with its engineers to see if such a
material would be harmful to the sewage treatment plant, which is
located roughly 16 miles away in Foster Township.

The sanitary authority’s engineers are Gannett Fleming of
Pittsburgh.

“We are still looking at getting a connection from the apron
into the (sewage) system,” engineer A.J. Coval said.

Airport officials said the deicing mixture used on planes is a
50-50 combination of glycol-based material and water. It is heated
to 100 degrees and has a quick evaporation rate. Officials believe
by the time the fluid reaches the treatment plant, the amount in
the system will be relatively small.

Airport Director Tom Frungillo said previously that during rain
and snow storms, more water would be collected into the system than
anything else.

Officials said it’s possible to pump out the fluid at the
airport, however, it would cause an added expense to the facility’s
operations.

The “trickle” method is already used at the nearby DuBois
airport.

In other news, the authority received good news on its 2006
audit, which was clear of any major findings.

The authority has been in the process of revising its
bookkeeping methods and has a finance committee in place to oversee
the issue. Among the improvements was a transfer over to the
QuickBooks Accounting system on the airport’s computers.

Authority and finance committee member Max Brady said “our
bookkeeping has moved in the right direction over the past year.
The authority should be confident the checks and balances are in
the right places.”

Also, Frungillo said the audit will be sent to all the county
controllers in the airport’s service area, including McKean,
Potter, Elk and Cameron counties.

Meanwhile, Frungillo said the 2007 budget is in the process of
completion, noting it appears the county’s contributions to the
authority will remain the same as last year.