AVF 4740 Module 5 Blog Entry: Leases, Concessions and Parking at a County Airport Example

Reviewed by Edgar Pennington, MBA Thomas Edison State University Updated October 2026

This AVF 4740 Module 5 example is a blog entry for AVF-4740, Airport Management II, in TESU's B.S.B.A. in Aviation Management. Module 5, Properties, Contracts, and Commercial Development, covers how airports earn money from airlines, tenants and land. This entry, one of six graded together, compares residual, compensatory and hybrid airline agreements and explains why Cumberland Bay Regional, the course's imagined county field, moved to a compensatory approach. It describes the airport's concession, rental car and hangar leases and draws on research about commercial revenue to argue for developing airport land. The entry ends with a question about non-aviation land leases.

CourseAVF-4740 Airport Management II
ModuleModule 5
Paper typeBlog entry: properties, contracts and commercial development
LengthAbout 367 words
FormatDiscussion post with APA 7 citations
SchoolThomas Edison State University
ProgramB.S.B.A. in Aviation Management
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for AVF 4740 Module 5

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Blog entry: Who Pays for the Terminal?

Who Pays for the Terminal? Airline Agreements, Concessions and Land at a County Airport

Three Kinds of Airline Agreements

Airline use and lease agreements set how airlines pay for the airport. Prather and Steele (2015) describe three types. Under a residual agreement, the airlines together pay whatever is needed to balance the airport's budget after other revenues, so they carry the financial risk but share the benefit of strong parking and concession income. Under a compensatory agreement, airlines pay rates based on the cost of the facilities they use, and the airport keeps any surplus and carries the risk. Hybrid agreements mix the two, for example residual on the airfield and compensatory in the terminal.

TypeWho carries the riskWho keeps surplus
ResidualAirlinesAirlines, through lower charges
CompensatoryAirportAirport
HybridSharedShared by cost center

Why Cumberland Bay Regional Chose Compensatory

When the airport had one airline, a residual agreement would have left that airline paying for the whole budget, and its departure would have left a hole. The airport now uses a compensatory approach: each airline pays for the space and landing weight it uses, and the airport keeps its parking surplus to fund projects and incentives. This gives the airport more control, although airlines pay higher rates in years when other revenue is strong.

Concessions, Rental Cars and Hangars

The terminal café pays a percentage of sales with a minimum annual guarantee. Rental car companies pay a percentage of gross revenue and rent for counters and ready spaces. Wells and Young (2011) count parking and rental cars among the largest non-airline revenue sources at U.S. airports. General aviation hangars are leased for set terms with rent reviewed against market rates, and the fixed-base operator must meet the airport's minimum standards.

What this page is doingShowing how each tenant pays makes the entry's point about non-airline revenue concrete before the research supports it.
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Developing Land

Graham (2009) found that commercial, non-aeronautical revenues had become close to half of airport revenues internationally, and that airports depend on them to keep airline charges reasonable. Cumberland Bay Regional has unused land along its access road. Leasing it for a hotel or logistics building would add revenue that does not depend on airlines. Do your airports lease land for non-aviation use? I would like to know what has worked.

References

Graham, A. (2009). How important are commercial revenues to today's airports? Journal of Air Transport Management, 15(3), 106-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2008.11.004

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 5 instructions ask for

The blog entries in AVF-4740, six in all, earn one combined grade at course end and may feed the final project. Module 5, Properties, Contracts, and Commercial Development, covers the second, tenth and twelfth course objectives. Your post should make clear how airports structure agreements with airlines and tenants and how they earn non-airline revenue, applied to an airport. The difference between residual and compensatory agreements is central, so explain it clearly. Since contracts define relationships between the airport and its stakeholders, this entry is especially useful for the stakeholder project. Use a small table to compare agreement types, then spend your words on why your airport chose one.

Inside the AVF 4740 Module 5 example

The entry opens by explaining residual, compensatory and hybrid airline agreements, citing Prather and Steele, with a three-row table of who carries the risk and who keeps surplus. A section explains why the composite airport moved to a compensatory approach after relying on one airline. Another describes how the café, rental car companies and hangar tenants pay, with a margin note linking them to the argument. The entry closes with Graham's research on commercial revenue, a proposal to develop land along the access road and a question to classmates about non-aviation leases. The entry connects contract choices to the airport's history of losing an airline, which explains the decision. Each tenant type is described by how it pays, not just by what it does.

Reading the AVF 4740 Module 5 grading rubric

With one grade for the whole blog, mentors reward entries that stay accurate and clear from first to last. For this module, a strong entry explains airline agreement types correctly, with the trade-off between risk and surplus, and applies the choice to a specific airport. Describing how tenants such as concessions and rental car companies pay shows practical knowledge. Research on non-aeronautical revenue adds evidence. Short sections, a table where it clarifies and a question for classmates suit the format, and APA references remain necessary. Entries that state who carries risk under each agreement show the understanding mentors look for in this module. Accurate use of the terms residual and compensatory matters, since they appear on module quizzes as well.

AVF 4740 Module 5 help: mistakes that cost marks

Students often reverse residual and compensatory agreements or describe them without saying who carries the risk. Others list tenants without explaining how they pay. Define each agreement by risk and surplus, choose which fits your airport and say why. Show at least two kinds of tenant agreements. Use a research source on commercial revenue. Keep the entry focused and short, and end with a question. Since contracts link the airport to its stakeholders, note who each contract involves. Your first AVF-4740 agreements blog, built on your airport, is drafted free. Describe at least one non-airline revenue source with how it is priced, such as a percentage of sales.

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 5 questions, answered

Where can I find a free AVF 4740 Module 5 sample paper?

The blog entry above compares airline agreement types and explains a composite county airport's leases and land plans.

What is a residual airline agreement?

An agreement in which airlines together pay whatever is needed to balance the airport's budget after other revenues, carrying the financial risk.

What is a compensatory airline agreement?

An agreement in which airlines pay cost-based rates for the facilities they use, while the airport carries the risk and keeps any surplus.

What are non-aeronautical revenues?

Airport income from sources other than airlines and aircraft, such as parking, rental cars, concessions and land leases.

What does AVF-4740 Module 5 cover?

Airport properties, contracts and commercial development.