Airport chief navigated many challenges in 17-year tenure
Elaine Roberts has navigated major changes in her 17 years overseeing the Columbus airport system. She will retire Friday from her post overseeing John Glenn Columbus International Airport, cargo-focused Rickenbacker Airport and general-aviation airport Bolton Field.
Nine months after she was hired as executive director of the Columbus Airport Authority — predecessor to the Columbus Regional Airport Authority — the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, forever changed the demands of airport security.
Two years later, in 2003, America West pulled its mini-hub from Port Columbus, resulting in a sudden 90 percent reduction in its number of flights at the airport.
In 2008, Columbus startup Skybus Airlines began service to great anticipation, then abruptly shut down after just 10 months of operation.
In 2016, airport officials scrambled to plan and pay for a name change after state legislators informed them that they planned to have the airport renamed in honor of John Glenn, the military hero who went on to be an astronaut and a U.S. senator.
The past few years have brought increased planning for a long-discussed new terminal building at John Glenn Airport. The huge project will cost billions of dollars and require buy-in from the airlines, rentalcar companies and others.
One wouldn’t blame Roberts for looking forward to retiring after such an eventful 17 years. As she prepares to step down, she reflected on her accomplishments in Columbus, and on the to-do list for her successor, Joseph R. Nardone, who currently heads the airport authority that runs Detroit’s airport.
What would you highlight among your
accomplishments at the airport?
One of the first projects I was charged with was getting the dedicated interchange off I-670. That was the start of a lot of capital improvements, including the rerouting of International Gateway (the road leading up to the terminal). Altogether, it was almost $1 billion in improvements.
Four months after I got here, the county and city started talking about merging the management of the airports (Port Columbus and Rickenbacker). That really changed my job. Rickenbacker and the foreign-trade zone there have had a lot of success.
And we’ve almost completed planning for the new terminal (at John Glenn Airport, being planned for 15 to 18 years from now). We’re already starting on some of the enabling work, such as the new rentalcar facility.
New air service, especially to business markets and longer-haul destinations, seems very hard to come by these days. Why is that, and what do you think of the prospects for Columbus getting something besides flights to vacation destinations on low-cost carriers?
The airlines have lots of places to put their planes and not enough planes. Several of the airlines, including Southwest, are going through fleet changes and are waiting on more aircraft before they can add more flights. ... (A) few years ago, airlines began parking the smaller 50-seat regional jets that weren’t cost-efficient.
I think we’ll see a lot of haves and havenots emerge as a result among airports. A number of cities smaller than Columbus have already seen that. We have growth, demographics and a good economy on our side in Columbus. We’re fortunate to be a “LUV” city for Southwest — a city where they want to be the leading airline.
The business community may have to step up. We almost certainly will have to provide a revenue guarantee to get a nonstop flight to Europe, for example. We’re also seeing the public sector putting public money toward securing flights. They’ve done that in Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. JobsOhio doesn’t necessarily see air-service development that warrants state money.
It’s a major risk for an airline to add a route without knowing if it will be profitable. Unlike Cincinnati (with Procter & Gamble), we don’t have one super-user. So a guarantee becomes important, as was done in securing the Oakland flight (on Southwest two years ago).
Overall, I think the future is very bright. The road map is there to build on.
What will be the priorities for your successor?
Shannetta Griffin (hired this summer in the new position of chief development officer) will oversee the day-today details of planning for the new ... terminal, but that also will be a major focus for the new CEO. For Rickenbacker, establishing long-term sustainability remains the goal. We’re still supporting it with some revenue from (John Glenn Airport).... We’re working with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission on a regional plan for Rickenbacker.
We’ll also have a continued emphasis on engagement with employees. It’s our people who are driving the front-line experience and services. And in a tight job market, as a quasi-governmental agency, we are challenged in attracting people with higher pay. ... We want people to feel valued and engaged.
So what are your plans after leaving your post here?
We’ve been building a home in South Carolina, in the northwest corner of the state.
I’ve lived in eight states. Columbus is my favorite by far. I’ll be coming back a few times a year, as I’m on the State Auto (Financial) board. I was on the United Way board until May, when I decided I should step down, as I will be moving. I’m assuming my successor should be taking over my seat on the Columbus Partnership and on the Experience Columbus board.