Posted by
Jack Cruger on Monday, August 25, 2008 10:46:43 AM
By Doug Decker, of the Myrtle Beach Insider Crew
For a company that has made 'hundreds of thousands of dollars' so far from Horry County on the airport debacles, M.B. Kahn has now taken to 'name calling' of the citizens of Horry County who did not fall in line with the defunct 'West Side Taj Mahal' as 'chicken littles'. Senior Executive Mr. Rick Ott chose the wrong example stating that our fathers had the insight to build all those interstates years ago, since most of those interstates missed South Carolina.
His comments show that he is $$$ driven stating that Myrtle Beach always loses some flights in the Fall and Winter and seems positive the Airline Industry will turn itself around. The projections of future passengers originally used in the push for the West Side Terminal by the FAA have been totally revised, the figures were based on crude oil at $35-$40 per barrel, not $130-$140 per barrel, and the 'then' current state of the airline industry. Mr. Ott fails to mention the Billions of dollars in debt these airlines have returned to; the loss of the Spirit Hub at LaGuardia and the continued cancellation of flights at the smaller destinations like Myrtle Beach on a daily basis, adjusting to these fuel costs.
It seems like the 'chicken littles' he speaks of is just more sour grapes because the original 'Grand Strand Plan' was shut down by the Myrtle Beach Community Appearance Board, and justifiably so. The first project was 'ramrodded' down the residents throats with no public input meetings as required by the FAA, and County Officials like Attorney John Weaver stating on my radio show that it would cost just as much to renovate the current terminal as it would to build a new one. Then, just before the last CAB Meeting, 4 comparison engineering plans surfaced showing expansions at the current site for 1/3 of the cost. If it were not for the 'chicken littles' involved, the County would be 'wasting' hundreds of millions of dollars.
Horry County and Airport Officials continue to say that the prices to fly from Myrtle Beach are in line with the rest of the similar terminals on the east coast which is also not true! These costs, coupled with fuel prices and planes not filled to capacity will result in further cancellations for the Grand Strand. Sure, there are deals from our airport, but if you are a family planning 6 months to a year ahead, those deals are almost non existent.
Our current airport is in a state of 'disrepair' only because of the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' mentality of the leaders in control or the terminal. Their thought, that has been conveyed to me many times by airport employees was 'we are building a new terminal on the West Side, so we are told to just fix what we have to'. So much for 'preventative maintenance'.
These are just a few of the reasons that these 'chicken littles' have gained the attention and support of Senator Luke Rankin and Representative Alan Clemmons to create an Airport Authority. It is time that the Politicians and the Puppet Airport Director Bob Kemp and this 20+ person chain of command in the current management structure be eliminated and an Airport Authority be created to eliminate the 'riff' between the City and the County! An Airport Authority doesn't seem like a great solution to some, but it will sure be better than the current structure the County is operating under.