Louisville airport working to OK pickups by Uber, Lyft

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Louisville International Airport plans to embark on a safety upgrade to an aging runway, add flights to existing destinations and allow ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft to pick up passengers in 2015.

Skip Miller, executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, foreshadowed those changes in a briefing with reporters Tuesday that also included a recap of 2014.

Miller said airport officials expect to meet with Uber and Lyft representatives about permitting their drivers to pick up passengers who order rides via a smartphone app. Anyone can drop off travelers at the airport, which restricts pickups to Yellow Cab and Ready Cab under a contract with those companies.

“Our goal is to get them out here and get them legally operating and providing new services. … My goal is to, between now and March, have those rules and regulations in place and have them operating for pickup,” Miller said.

The airport has fined at least one Uber driver $100 for picking up a passenger. Miller didn't immediately know how many citations have been issued, but he said the airport would continue to penalize ride-sharing drivers until the new rules take effect.

Kentucky enacted emergency regulations earlier this month, requiring the companies apply to do business in Kentucky and renew their applications every year; certify that each driver has undergone a national criminal background check; ensure drivers have $1 million in liability coverage while ferrying passengers; and be insured while awaiting requests for rides.

Once at the airport, travelers will see some changes to flights offered in and out of Louisville.

Miller suggested those changes could include a mix of losing flights to some cities altogether, having fewer flights to other airports and gaining more flights to cities already served by Louisville's airport.

“I will tell you that we're looking forward to some service additions to existing markets—I just can't tell you what they are at this point,” he said.

In response to a reporter's question, Miller said the airport has seen little impact from low-cost airline Allegiant Air, which operates flights from airports in Lexington, Owensboro and Covington, Ky.

“We're surrounded by Allegiant Airlines,” Miller said. “We think they're missing the boat. We think they ought to be here.”

Miller said “the premier reason why they're not serious about coming to Louisville is another little airline called Southwest Airlines. They do not want to compete with Southwest any more than they have to.”

In November, the airport had 72 daily flights, or seven fewer than during the same month the year before, according to a report Miller presented at November's meeting of the airport authority. The number of overall daily seats – 5,983 – was more than 570 fewer than in November 2013.

On Tuesday, Miller said the number of available seats in Louisville dropped 19 percent from 2007 to 2014 – nearly twice the national average.

As part of his year-end review, Miller also said:

-The airport will make $22 million in safety improvements to a runway that has yet to meet Federal Aviation Administration standards. Some minor resurfacing also will take place.

-Two of the three phases of the $27 million relocation of Crittenden Drive have been completed. The third phase, which includes replacing the Woodlawn Overpass, is underway and expected to ramp up in 2015.

-While jet fuel costs have stabilized at $2.95 per gallon in 2014, airlines still lost $37.4 billion since 2000 and may not adjust fares even with lower fuel costs. “I think the airlines would be very hesitant to change their airfare structure based on some short-term fuel pricing,” Miller said.

Officials also are winding down the decades-long relocation of families living near the airport. Nearly 3,700 families having moved and 46 remain, said Linda Solley-Kanipe, who oversees the program.

For the most part they're folks who have not gotten an offer yet or who are challenged with some issues,” such as health and financial problems, she said.

“We don't have all necessary funding,” Miller said. “But we have significant portions of the funding right now in the bank so we could take care of a good portion of those 46 as we speak.”