January 8, 2026 • 15 mins
New Sarasota Bradenton International Airport CEO Paul Hoback joined Maverick and Lulu in the studio to talk everything SRQ. From the new terminal, new airport features and future expansion. They also discussed, possibly adding new destinations, adding a new parking garage and rental car area and so much more. LISTEN HERE
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's my Averickan lul Luis CTQ ninety two to one
and one O three one.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
We're honored to have a special guest in studio. We've
kidnapped him for the hour.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
I guess we're honored to have the new CEO of
the Sarah C. De Brandenson International Airport, mister Paul Hovek.
Speaker 4 (00:17):
Thank you so much. It's just an honor to be here.
Just thank you for having me on your show this morning.
And it's just I feel like the last three months
I've been in paradise and I have no doubt in
my mind that's going to continue.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
So well.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
We feel like it's a get for us because we've
been dying to have you in here.
Speaker 5 (00:32):
I appreciate that. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
So Paul comes to us from Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
You ran the Pittsburgh Airport, Yeah, and now you started
in October. Just give us your assessment because you've visited
the west coast of Florida. But now that you've been
in Sarah Ciamanatee County for about three months on the
job and live in your assessment of our area.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
I've absolutely fallen in love with this place. I've been
here for three months. I will say I've been here
all alone. Basically, my wife is a great teacher back
in Pittsburgh, and she said, I can't leave the kids
in the middle of the school year, so she flies
back and forth. But I will tell you that I
appreciate so much this community welcoming me with open arms.
(01:12):
It has been an honor and a privilege to take
over the role for Rick, who's done unbelievable things for
that airport over the last thirty years. The team is amazing,
the community is incredible, and it's just I pinch myself
every day that I get to do this job. And
it's just been such an honor to be here. It
is paradise. And I will tell you that my wife
(01:32):
and son. My son's nineteen years old. He's at Arizona
State and they both flew in for the holidays and
they spent two weeks with me. And my wife is
a little bit it's a little more difficult for her
to adapt to change. So after spending two weeks here,
she saw the same thing that I've seen over the
last three months, and she said the same thing to me,
that this is paradise. And she's like, I can't wait
(01:54):
to come back and call this my permanent home.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
So it is just so great to be here. Love it.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
So the airport is undergrown, a lot of growth. You're
going to stay with us for a little bit, so
we'll get into a lot of this. But the growth
started over the last couple of years and it's going
to continue for several more years.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
But let's start where we really start. At the beginning
of this year. You have a new.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Terminal that opened up, and you've added a lot of
new amenities for passengers in terms of restaurants and shops
and that kind of stuff, and you kind of walk
into that, but you're kind of tweaking some of that
stuff because it's really new. Walk us through some of
the new changes, because if you haven't been to SRQ
in the last two or three months, you're not going
to recognize parts of it.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
Oh yeah, it's been amazing, and I will tell you
the journey that they've had over the last six or
seven years has been incredible. It is the fastest growing
airport in the country, growing from about a million passengers
back in twenty eighteen to we're probably going to hit
the four and a half million mark in twenty twenty five.
We're waiting on those final numbers, but we're really close.
So that's very exciting. But it also comes with problems,
(02:59):
and I will tell you it's problems to us, it's opportunities.
So it's opportunities to continue to grow our facilities. The
team has been focused on growing first of all. Concourse
the construction of that it added six new gates total
that are used by Allegiant Airlines right now, and those
are phenomenal gates. I don't know if you've been in
that space yet, but it's really just fantastic space. Also
(03:22):
with that, you know, all the people that come in
and fly out of SRQ comes with the need to
have additional concessions, additional retail opportunity, additional food and beverage,
and our team has done a great job of really
putting in a mix of local and then national brands,
like with Madison's with Anna Maria Oyster House, and then
(03:44):
on the national brand side with Jimmy Johns and Wallberger's
is getting ready to open very soon. So we really
adapted very well to be able to serve all of
our passengers, and we appreciate our passenger's patients as we
continue to grow our facility. There's a lot more growth
that we're going to have to do in our facilities
and infrastructure, but you know, we're going to make sure
(04:05):
that we continue that family feel, that boutique feel. One
of the things that I found in the selection process
when I talked to our board and members of the community,
where was the fact that everybody loves that ease of
use airport, that family feel. We've got to make sure
that we maintain that throughout this I was.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
In the airport recently and I did see all the
local restaurants and everything. The experience at the SRQ airport
has made a major change already, and I know that
you've got more changes coming. What are the other things
that you are focusing on aside from you know, where
to hang and eat and all those kind of things.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
So it's all about the passenger experience. In my mind,
when you land in SRQ, you want to understand and
know that you're there.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
Now.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
We've got the man tee, we got the waterfalls, we
got the smell of the chlorine, and that really does
give it that resort feel the aquarium that exists, But
I want other things. I want personality in that building.
I want performing arts, you know, I want to partner
with organizations like Ringling and other arts and cultural entities.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
In the community.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
I want a steel drum band playing so that people
know that you're in a resort town. You've got that
laid back luxury around here that really makes us special.
And everybody in the country wants to come down here
in vacation. I want their vacation to start at the airport,
not when they hit the beaches.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
We're talking with Paul Hobak.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
He is the CEO of the Sarah c of Branden's
International Airport. He has been gracious enough to spend his
hour with us. You have another major infrastructure project that
you're actually going to be presenting next month to the board.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
So the new guy asking for money.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
And so the focus is going to be and this
is kind of interesting, a new facility for parking, rental
car and baggage claim.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
Oh sure.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
So because of the significant growth that we've been lucky
enough and fortunate enough to have over the course of
the last six years. You know, the next big problems
that we face, and there are opportunities because we love growth,
is the fact that you know, parking can be fairly
difficult around peak season. Ninety percent of the year, you
can park in the short term, long term or shade
(06:13):
lot and you're good to go. You just have a
nice little walk to the terminal and the parking situation
is perfect. But just around those the peak time, during
holiday seasons and stuff like that spring break, it can
be a little bit more difficult because we have to
use our overflow lots. So we have a project in
line right now that is going to build a new
parking garage right on site, right where the short term
(06:34):
parking lot is today. In the first floor of that
parking garage would be our rental car center. You know,
rental cars are our number one non aeronautical revenue a
source you know, most airports that's probably parking, but actually
rental cars at SRQ is that number one non aeronautical revenue.
So wow, that is a very important part of our
business that we need to certainly maintain and continue to
(06:57):
grow as our number of passengers. So that project is
going to get under design here very soon. We're still
in the planning stages for that, and you know, we're
going to build a parking garage. We're going to build
that rental car center. We're probably going to build what
is called a quick turnaround facility for our rental car
partners because it's important for them to process those cars
in between uses, getting them washed, little light maintenance, you know,
(07:22):
gassed up, things like that, and you have to have
that near that rental car center so that they can
continuously process those those vehicles. And then we also have
some baggage claim issues that we have to deal with
with our new groundboarding facility. We didn't build any new
baggage claim devices, so currently we have three baggage claim
devices and at different times of the day, we have
up to six airlines that need to use those, so
(07:45):
some airlines have to wait in line to use those
baggage claim devices. So we're going to have some short
term projects to make some changes down in baggage claim,
but also from a long term perspective actually moving baggage
claim into the parking garage, which is going to be
I think a very big benefit to the traveling public.
So yeah, some big, big projects coming up timeline on that.
(08:07):
So that's going to be a facility all together.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
So you're gonna present that this month, next month, and
then maybe shovel hits the ground next year.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
Yeah, so we have some enabling work, some projects that
have to get done before the main parking garage can
be built. There's going to be the relocation of our
return to Terminal Road that's actually going to add two
hundred parking spaces right there within walkable distance, so that
has to be done. We also need to move a
pond so that we can increase our size of employee
(08:38):
parking because with all these growing pains and again there
are opportunities we have grown the number of employees we have.
We have now four thousand, five hundred badges at SRQS
WOW at different times, four thousand, five hundred employees that
are working that are that are really helping generate get
that economic engine churning for this region. So you know,
we also have to add parking spaces for our employees.
(09:00):
So there's a lot of enabling projects that we're going
to have shovels in the ground for this year that
have to be done so that when the parking garage
starts probably twenty twenty seven, that it'll be ready to go.
And so, yeah, a lot of exciting work happening in
the very near future.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Well, It only makes sense because this whole area has
just it's booming and it started off as a sleepy town.
But you don't think about these things, the behind the
scene things. Now, if something happens with your luggage in
any airport or anything like that, it could be you
might think about it then. But my gosh, So what
is number one? Is parking the number one thing right now?
(09:34):
Because there's so many things that you know, behind the
scenes that we don't know.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
Would that be the number one focus?
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Then?
Speaker 5 (09:39):
I would say it's parking in rental car.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
You know, we're able to manage the baggage claim right now,
and we're going to have some short term band aids
that we would really help. We're going to turn those
flat plates down there into slope plates, which adds the
amount of bags that you can have. And you don't
have the recirculation of those bags outside of the walls,
like you said today, So your bag, if you miss it,
is not going to go outside where you can't get it.
(10:05):
So you're going to see some changes, immediate changes like
that in the next year. But you know, i'd say
parking and rental cars definitely the number one. You know,
I started at this airport on October twentieth. On October
twenty first, I actually had a tenant meeting and the
rental car managers came running up to me after the
meeting and said, Paul, we need more space. We are
(10:26):
actually turning away rental cars in February and March. We
are sold out already in October for rental cars, and
it is a big time problem. And with you know,
rental cars being our number one non aeronautical revenue, that
is something that we have to have to address immediately.
So what about technology, Oh, technology is something that we're
constantly evolving. We have an amazing team that is innovative,
(10:49):
that is thinking about the future, that's thinking about technology
and thinking about what's next for airports. You know, verteports
is something that we're talking about in ev talls, which
is those electric aircraft that move in a much shorter distance.
You know, I see a world where maybe five years
from now, we have a verteport at the airport. We
have a verteport up in Lakewood Ranch, one you know
(11:12):
over on long Boat Key, one over in Cista Key,
and instead of people waiting in traffic on bridges, we're
moving those people in those electric aircraft coming to the airport.
And so that is the future that I see, you know,
five years from now, and it's going to come around
sooner rather than later.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
That's exciting.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Paul how Back, the CEO of Sarah Siti Branking to
the International Airport, just started the job in October.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
We're already peppering him with questions because we know you
have them.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
This is awesome, Thank you, thank you for taking the
time you come in. We've got this brand new terminal.
We now have eleven airlines, we've got sixty nine destinations,
and I know this is something that's been on Lulu's mind.
She wants even I mean not that sixty nine isn't enough,
but she wants even more destinations.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
More destinations around the country, maybe beyond. And what about
NonStop plates, more of those?
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Oh absolutely, we're always I think right now we're really
going to be focused on strategic growth, you know, because
we have some facilities and infrastructure issues that we're working
on and opportunities that we're working on. We really need
to be specific on which NonStop destinations we're looking for.
I know my team is focused on we'd love nothing
more than to have West coast service. You know, we
(12:23):
have I think Denver is our is our farthest west service.
We're looking at things like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,
and I have no doubt that this market can support that.
By putting butts and seeds, that's what we call it
in the airline industry, and so that's so important to
when we start new routes, and you have to be strategic.
(12:44):
You have to truly identify, you know, which routes are
going to be successful, and so I have no doubt
that those routes could be very successful. And from a
long term perspective, you know, I would love some international service,
and I think that there's an opportunity for us to
serve you know, one of those European markets, and so
you know that's nothing that's going to happen in the
next couple of years, but you know, three to five
(13:06):
years down the road, I would love that opportunity for
this region, and I think it could be very successful.
So we're always looking at what those next routes are.
We're always working with our airline partners and we're always
doing a lot of data and analytics about who's flying
from this region and where are they flying to and
then working with our airline partners to see what that
(13:28):
next good route would be.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
That's great news because we all want to fly out
of Surcuit.
Speaker 5 (13:32):
Yes, no doubt, and we want you to as well.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
So before we let you go, Paul, I guess the
last question would be three to five years after the
parking rental car situation that you're working on now, over
the next couple of years, is there a possibility for
some further expansion of the actual airport more gates another terminal.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Absolutely, and that would be our next big project after
this infrastructure work, because I truly believe and I see
an opportunity for this airport to continue to grow. You know,
typically in the airline world that I know, a lot
of people talk about catchment area and then what that
means is the number of people that are within an
hour drive or whatever that important number is of your airport.
(14:14):
But down here, it's a little different than that catchment
area because it's how many people are flying into this region.
And I can tell you that within a within a
couple hour drive, like whether it's Orlando Airport, Tampa Airport,
Saint Pete, Punta Gorda, Fort Myers. I mean, there's upwards
of eighty to one hundred million people that fly into
this region and we're a four and a half million
(14:35):
piece of that puzzle. So there, I think there's an
opportunity to continue to grow, but you also have to
make sure it's strategic growth and that you're growing those
facilities and infrastructure. Because the most important thing that I
heard from you know, everyone in this region is they
love how easy it is to use our facilities. That
they love the family feel, the small town feel, and
(14:58):
we need to maintain that. We need to make sure
that our facility is and infrastructure continues to grow with
that that that growing capacity that we have at our airport.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
Well, it's an honor to have the new CEO of
the Sarah cit of Brandinson International Airport, mister Paul Hoback,
thank you for taking the time for hen You're welcome
back anytime.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
I'll be back tomorrow. We got plans
It's my Averickan lul Luis CTQ ninety two to one
and one O three one.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
We're honored to have a special guest in studio. We've
kidnapped him for the hour.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
I guess we're honored to have the new CEO of
the Sarah C. De Brandenson International Airport, mister Paul Hovek.
Speaker 4 (00:17):
Thank you so much. It's just an honor to be here.
Just thank you for having me on your show this morning.
And it's just I feel like the last three months
I've been in paradise and I have no doubt in
my mind that's going to continue.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
So well.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
We feel like it's a get for us because we've
been dying to have you in here.
Speaker 5 (00:32):
I appreciate that. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
So Paul comes to us from Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
You ran the Pittsburgh Airport, Yeah, and now you started
in October. Just give us your assessment because you've visited
the west coast of Florida. But now that you've been
in Sarah Ciamanatee County for about three months on the
job and live in your assessment of our area.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
I've absolutely fallen in love with this place. I've been
here for three months. I will say I've been here
all alone. Basically, my wife is a great teacher back
in Pittsburgh, and she said, I can't leave the kids
in the middle of the school year, so she flies
back and forth. But I will tell you that I
appreciate so much this community welcoming me with open arms.
(01:12):
It has been an honor and a privilege to take
over the role for Rick, who's done unbelievable things for
that airport over the last thirty years. The team is amazing,
the community is incredible, and it's just I pinch myself
every day that I get to do this job. And
it's just been such an honor to be here. It
is paradise. And I will tell you that my wife
(01:32):
and son. My son's nineteen years old. He's at Arizona
State and they both flew in for the holidays and
they spent two weeks with me. And my wife is
a little bit it's a little more difficult for her
to adapt to change. So after spending two weeks here,
she saw the same thing that I've seen over the
last three months, and she said the same thing to me,
that this is paradise. And she's like, I can't wait
(01:54):
to come back and call this my permanent home.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
So it is just so great to be here. Love it.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
So the airport is undergrown, a lot of growth. You're
going to stay with us for a little bit, so
we'll get into a lot of this. But the growth
started over the last couple of years and it's going
to continue for several more years.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
But let's start where we really start. At the beginning
of this year. You have a new.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Terminal that opened up, and you've added a lot of
new amenities for passengers in terms of restaurants and shops
and that kind of stuff, and you kind of walk
into that, but you're kind of tweaking some of that
stuff because it's really new. Walk us through some of
the new changes, because if you haven't been to SRQ
in the last two or three months, you're not going
to recognize parts of it.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
Oh yeah, it's been amazing, and I will tell you
the journey that they've had over the last six or
seven years has been incredible. It is the fastest growing
airport in the country, growing from about a million passengers
back in twenty eighteen to we're probably going to hit
the four and a half million mark in twenty twenty five.
We're waiting on those final numbers, but we're really close.
So that's very exciting. But it also comes with problems,
(02:59):
and I will tell you it's problems to us, it's opportunities.
So it's opportunities to continue to grow our facilities. The
team has been focused on growing first of all. Concourse
the construction of that it added six new gates total
that are used by Allegiant Airlines right now, and those
are phenomenal gates. I don't know if you've been in
that space yet, but it's really just fantastic space. Also
(03:22):
with that, you know, all the people that come in
and fly out of SRQ comes with the need to
have additional concessions, additional retail opportunity, additional food and beverage,
and our team has done a great job of really
putting in a mix of local and then national brands,
like with Madison's with Anna Maria Oyster House, and then
(03:44):
on the national brand side with Jimmy Johns and Wallberger's
is getting ready to open very soon. So we really
adapted very well to be able to serve all of
our passengers, and we appreciate our passenger's patients as we
continue to grow our facility. There's a lot more growth
that we're going to have to do in our facilities
and infrastructure, but you know, we're going to make sure
(04:05):
that we continue that family feel, that boutique feel. One
of the things that I found in the selection process
when I talked to our board and members of the community,
where was the fact that everybody loves that ease of
use airport, that family feel. We've got to make sure
that we maintain that throughout this I was.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
In the airport recently and I did see all the
local restaurants and everything. The experience at the SRQ airport
has made a major change already, and I know that
you've got more changes coming. What are the other things
that you are focusing on aside from you know, where
to hang and eat and all those kind of things.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
So it's all about the passenger experience. In my mind,
when you land in SRQ, you want to understand and
know that you're there.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
Now.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
We've got the man tee, we got the waterfalls, we
got the smell of the chlorine, and that really does
give it that resort feel the aquarium that exists, But
I want other things. I want personality in that building.
I want performing arts, you know, I want to partner
with organizations like Ringling and other arts and cultural entities.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
In the community.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
I want a steel drum band playing so that people
know that you're in a resort town. You've got that
laid back luxury around here that really makes us special.
And everybody in the country wants to come down here
in vacation. I want their vacation to start at the airport,
not when they hit the beaches.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
We're talking with Paul Hobak.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
He is the CEO of the Sarah c of Branden's
International Airport. He has been gracious enough to spend his
hour with us. You have another major infrastructure project that
you're actually going to be presenting next month to the board.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
So the new guy asking for money.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
And so the focus is going to be and this
is kind of interesting, a new facility for parking, rental
car and baggage claim.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
Oh sure.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
So because of the significant growth that we've been lucky
enough and fortunate enough to have over the course of
the last six years. You know, the next big problems
that we face, and there are opportunities because we love growth,
is the fact that you know, parking can be fairly
difficult around peak season. Ninety percent of the year, you
can park in the short term, long term or shade
(06:13):
lot and you're good to go. You just have a
nice little walk to the terminal and the parking situation
is perfect. But just around those the peak time, during
holiday seasons and stuff like that spring break, it can
be a little bit more difficult because we have to
use our overflow lots. So we have a project in
line right now that is going to build a new
parking garage right on site, right where the short term
(06:34):
parking lot is today. In the first floor of that
parking garage would be our rental car center. You know,
rental cars are our number one non aeronautical revenue a
source you know, most airports that's probably parking, but actually
rental cars at SRQ is that number one non aeronautical revenue.
So wow, that is a very important part of our
business that we need to certainly maintain and continue to
(06:57):
grow as our number of passengers. So that project is
going to get under design here very soon. We're still
in the planning stages for that, and you know, we're
going to build a parking garage. We're going to build
that rental car center. We're probably going to build what
is called a quick turnaround facility for our rental car
partners because it's important for them to process those cars
in between uses, getting them washed, little light maintenance, you know,
(07:22):
gassed up, things like that, and you have to have
that near that rental car center so that they can
continuously process those those vehicles. And then we also have
some baggage claim issues that we have to deal with
with our new groundboarding facility. We didn't build any new
baggage claim devices, so currently we have three baggage claim
devices and at different times of the day, we have
up to six airlines that need to use those, so
(07:45):
some airlines have to wait in line to use those
baggage claim devices. So we're going to have some short
term projects to make some changes down in baggage claim,
but also from a long term perspective actually moving baggage
claim into the parking garage, which is going to be
I think a very big benefit to the traveling public.
So yeah, some big, big projects coming up timeline on that.
(08:07):
So that's going to be a facility all together.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
So you're gonna present that this month, next month, and
then maybe shovel hits the ground next year.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
Yeah, so we have some enabling work, some projects that
have to get done before the main parking garage can
be built. There's going to be the relocation of our
return to Terminal Road that's actually going to add two
hundred parking spaces right there within walkable distance, so that
has to be done. We also need to move a
pond so that we can increase our size of employee
(08:38):
parking because with all these growing pains and again there
are opportunities we have grown the number of employees we have.
We have now four thousand, five hundred badges at SRQS
WOW at different times, four thousand, five hundred employees that
are working that are that are really helping generate get
that economic engine churning for this region. So you know,
we also have to add parking spaces for our employees.
(09:00):
So there's a lot of enabling projects that we're going
to have shovels in the ground for this year that
have to be done so that when the parking garage
starts probably twenty twenty seven, that it'll be ready to go.
And so, yeah, a lot of exciting work happening in
the very near future.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Well, It only makes sense because this whole area has
just it's booming and it started off as a sleepy town.
But you don't think about these things, the behind the
scene things. Now, if something happens with your luggage in
any airport or anything like that, it could be you
might think about it then. But my gosh, So what
is number one? Is parking the number one thing right now?
(09:34):
Because there's so many things that you know, behind the
scenes that we don't know.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
Would that be the number one focus?
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Then?
Speaker 5 (09:39):
I would say it's parking in rental car.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
You know, we're able to manage the baggage claim right now,
and we're going to have some short term band aids
that we would really help. We're going to turn those
flat plates down there into slope plates, which adds the
amount of bags that you can have. And you don't
have the recirculation of those bags outside of the walls,
like you said today, So your bag, if you miss it,
is not going to go outside where you can't get it.
(10:05):
So you're going to see some changes, immediate changes like
that in the next year. But you know, i'd say
parking and rental cars definitely the number one. You know,
I started at this airport on October twentieth. On October
twenty first, I actually had a tenant meeting and the
rental car managers came running up to me after the
meeting and said, Paul, we need more space. We are
(10:26):
actually turning away rental cars in February and March. We
are sold out already in October for rental cars, and
it is a big time problem. And with you know,
rental cars being our number one non aeronautical revenue, that
is something that we have to have to address immediately.
So what about technology, Oh, technology is something that we're
constantly evolving. We have an amazing team that is innovative,
(10:49):
that is thinking about the future, that's thinking about technology
and thinking about what's next for airports. You know, verteports
is something that we're talking about in ev talls, which
is those electric aircraft that move in a much shorter distance.
You know, I see a world where maybe five years
from now, we have a verteport at the airport. We
have a verteport up in Lakewood Ranch, one you know
(11:12):
over on long Boat Key, one over in Cista Key,
and instead of people waiting in traffic on bridges, we're
moving those people in those electric aircraft coming to the airport.
And so that is the future that I see, you know,
five years from now, and it's going to come around
sooner rather than later.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
That's exciting.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Paul how Back, the CEO of Sarah Siti Branking to
the International Airport, just started the job in October.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
We're already peppering him with questions because we know you
have them.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
This is awesome, Thank you, thank you for taking the
time you come in. We've got this brand new terminal.
We now have eleven airlines, we've got sixty nine destinations,
and I know this is something that's been on Lulu's mind.
She wants even I mean not that sixty nine isn't enough,
but she wants even more destinations.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
More destinations around the country, maybe beyond. And what about
NonStop plates, more of those?
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Oh absolutely, we're always I think right now we're really
going to be focused on strategic growth, you know, because
we have some facilities and infrastructure issues that we're working
on and opportunities that we're working on. We really need
to be specific on which NonStop destinations we're looking for.
I know my team is focused on we'd love nothing
more than to have West coast service. You know, we
(12:23):
have I think Denver is our is our farthest west service.
We're looking at things like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,
and I have no doubt that this market can support that.
By putting butts and seeds, that's what we call it
in the airline industry, and so that's so important to
when we start new routes, and you have to be strategic.
(12:44):
You have to truly identify, you know, which routes are
going to be successful, and so I have no doubt
that those routes could be very successful. And from a
long term perspective, you know, I would love some international service,
and I think that there's an opportunity for us to
serve you know, one of those European markets, and so
you know that's nothing that's going to happen in the
next couple of years, but you know, three to five
(13:06):
years down the road, I would love that opportunity for
this region, and I think it could be very successful.
So we're always looking at what those next routes are.
We're always working with our airline partners and we're always
doing a lot of data and analytics about who's flying
from this region and where are they flying to and
then working with our airline partners to see what that
(13:28):
next good route would be.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
That's great news because we all want to fly out
of Surcuit.
Speaker 5 (13:32):
Yes, no doubt, and we want you to as well.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
So before we let you go, Paul, I guess the
last question would be three to five years after the
parking rental car situation that you're working on now, over
the next couple of years, is there a possibility for
some further expansion of the actual airport more gates another terminal.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Absolutely, and that would be our next big project after
this infrastructure work, because I truly believe and I see
an opportunity for this airport to continue to grow. You know,
typically in the airline world that I know, a lot
of people talk about catchment area and then what that
means is the number of people that are within an
hour drive or whatever that important number is of your airport.
(14:14):
But down here, it's a little different than that catchment
area because it's how many people are flying into this region.
And I can tell you that within a within a
couple hour drive, like whether it's Orlando Airport, Tampa Airport,
Saint Pete, Punta Gorda, Fort Myers. I mean, there's upwards
of eighty to one hundred million people that fly into
this region and we're a four and a half million
(14:35):
piece of that puzzle. So there, I think there's an
opportunity to continue to grow, but you also have to
make sure it's strategic growth and that you're growing those
facilities and infrastructure. Because the most important thing that I
heard from you know, everyone in this region is they
love how easy it is to use our facilities. That
they love the family feel, the small town feel, and
(14:58):
we need to maintain that. We need to make sure
that our facility is and infrastructure continues to grow with
that that that growing capacity that we have at our airport.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
Well, it's an honor to have the new CEO of
the Sarah cit of Brandinson International Airport, mister Paul Hoback,
thank you for taking the time for hen You're welcome
back anytime.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
I'll be back tomorrow. We got plans
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