| Course | AVF-4740 Airport Management II |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Blog entry: marketing the airport |
| Length | About 360 words |
| Format | Discussion post with APA 7 citations |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | B.S.B.A. in Aviation Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for AVF 4740 Module 3
Blog entry: Selling an Airport Twice
Selling an Airport Twice: Marketing Cumberland Bay Regional to Airlines and to the People Who Drive Past It
Two Audiences
An airport sells itself twice. First it must persuade airlines that a route will be profitable; then it must persuade local travelers to use that route instead of driving to a larger airport. Halpern and Graham (2021) describe route development as a core marketing task for airports and stress research on the catchment area's travel patterns as its foundation.
Marketing to Airlines
Cumberland Bay Regional's air service team builds a case for each target route from ticket data showing how many local residents fly to that destination from other airports, the fares they pay and how far they drive. It presents this case to airline network planners at industry conferences and in direct meetings. The airport may offer incentives, such as waived landing fees for a new route for a limited period, but FAA rules require incentives to be available to any airline that meets the same terms and to be time limited, so the airport cannot simply pay one airline to stay. The airport also applied for a federal Small Community Air Service Development Program grant, which can fund marketing and revenue guarantees for new service at smaller airports.
Marketing to Travelers
Winning a route is only half the job. Prather and Steele (2015) note that airports also market to the businesses and residents of their region, and Wells and Young (2011) describe air service development as a continuing relationship with carriers rather than a single deal. If local travelers keep driving to the larger airport, the airline will leave. The airport promotes new routes with the airline through local radio, social media and community events, and it stresses what a small airport offers: short lines, close parking and a short drive.
Keeping Service
Cumberland Bay Regional has lost airlines before. The airport now tracks each route's load factor and meets the airline's station and network teams twice a year to hear concerns early. Keeping a route costs less than replacing one. Does your airport have a "fly local" campaign? I am curious whether classmates have seen one work.
References
Halpern, N., & Graham, A. (2021). Airport marketing research and route development. In Airport marketing (2nd ed., pp. 84-119). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003039563-4
Prather, C. D., & Steele, R. N. (2015). Airport management. Aviation Supplies & Academics.
Wells, A. T., & Young, S. B. (2011). Airport planning and management (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
What the AVF 4740 Module 3 instructions ask for
Each of AVF-4740's six blog entries is a short public post on a module topic, and the six receive one combined grade when the course ends. Module 3, Marketing the Airport, covers the third and tenth course objectives. An entry on airport marketing should explain how an airport attracts airlines and travelers, with evidence, and apply it to an airport you know. Federal rules on air service incentives are worth a sentence or two, since they shape what an airport may offer. Because the final project focuses on stakeholders, notice that airport marketing depends on several groups: airlines, travelers, local businesses and the community. Explain how the airport would know whether its marketing worked, such as load factors on a new route.
Inside the AVF 4740 Module 3 example
The entry frames airport marketing as selling twice, citing Halpern and Graham on route development. One section explains how the composite airport builds a route case from ticket data, what incentives it may offer under FAA rules and its federal grant application. Another explains marketing to local travelers who drive to larger airports, with a margin note on why both halves matter. A closing section on keeping service describes tracking load factors and meeting airlines twice a year. The entry ends with a question about fly-local campaigns, as blog entries invite discussion. The entry treats keeping a route as part of marketing, a point many airport marketing discussions miss.
Reading the AVF 4740 Module 3 grading rubric
Because all six posts share one grade, each should be accurate, readable and sourced. For this module, mentors look for an understanding that airports market to airlines and to travelers, and for awareness of the rules that limit incentives. Applying the ideas to a specific airport and its catchment area shows more than general description. Mentioning results, such as load factors or retention, shows management thinking. A conversational but informed voice, short sections, a clear question for classmates and APA references meet the blog's expectations. Showing awareness of what incentives an airport may and may not offer under federal rules adds accuracy that mentors notice.
AVF 4740 Module 3 help: mistakes that cost marks
Airport marketing entries often describe advertising aimed at travelers and forget airlines, which decide whether a route exists. Others suggest paying an airline to stay, which federal rules restrict. Explain both audiences, describe what data an airport uses to attract an airline and mention incentive rules accurately. Focus on one airport. Stay brief, then close by asking classmates something. Since the final project centers on stakeholders, name the groups involved. Ask and the desk writes your first AVF-4740 marketing blog draft at no cost. Name the data an airport uses to make its case to an airline, since that shows how route development really works. Mention whether your airport has lost a route before, since that history shapes how it markets itself now.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More AVF 4740 and B.S.B.A. in Aviation Management sample papers
- AVF 4740 Module 1: Written Assignment: A Master Plan Built to Change at a County Airport
- AVF 4740 Module 2: Blog Entry: Building a Terminal Without Closing the Airport
- AVF 4740 Module 4: Written Assignment: Grant Assurances, Revenue Rules and Public Relations at a County Airport
- AVF 4740 Module 5: Blog Entry: Leases, Concessions and Parking at a County Airport
- AVF 4740 Module 6: Written Assignment: Setting Rates and Charges at a County Airport
- AVF 4740 Module 7: Blog Entry: Paying for the Runway and Counting the Airport's Value
- AVF 4740 Module 8: Final Project: Stakeholders in the Airport System at a County Airport
- AVT 3050 Module 5: Written Assignment: Service Failure and Recovery at Boardwalk Air
- AVF 4720 Module 3: Written Assignment: Runway Capacity, Markings and Vehicle Movement at a County Airport
- AVT 3010 Module 6: Final Project: Research Paper on JetBlue Airways
AVF 4740 Module 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free AVF 4740 Module 3 sample paper?
This post shows an invented county airport courting airlines and the residents who drive past it.
How do airports attract airlines?
With route studies based on local ticket data, meetings with airline network planners and incentives such as temporary fee waivers that follow federal rules.
Can airports pay airlines to start service?
Airports may offer incentives such as temporary fee waivers, but FAA rules require them to be available to all qualifying airlines and limited in time.
What is the Small Community Air Service Development Program?
A U.S. Department of Transportation grant program that helps smaller communities attract or improve air service.
What does AVF-4740 Module 3 cover?
Marketing the airport to airlines, travelers and businesses.