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La Crosse Regional Airport outlines $1.5 million minimum revenue guarantee to entice airlines
Summary
Airport director Jeff Tripp asked La Crosse County supervisors to support a minimum revenue guarantee (MRG) fund targeting $1.5 million (including a hoped-for $750,000 federal grant) to reduce startup risk for new or expanded air service and attract carriers for routes such as Minneapolis, Denver or seasonal leisure markets.
La Crosse County Board of Supervisors heard a detailed presentation Jan. 14 from La Crosse Regional Airport Director Jeff Tripp on a proposed minimum revenue guarantee (MRG) intended to attract and stabilize new airline service.
Tripp told supervisors the airport is pursuing a combined target of roughly $1,500,000: up to $750,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development Program grant and about $750,000 in local and airport contributions, including marketing-budget cash and waived fees. "The MRG is a valuable tool to help stimulate air service development," Tripp said, describing it as a means to "mitigate some of the risk for the airlines" during the first two years of a new route.
Why it matters: the airport lost substantial ridership after 2019 and now competes with larger hubs — in particular Minneapolis — for outbound passengers who currently drive to other airports. Tripp said La Crosse served about 95,000 outbound passengers in 2019 but is at roughly 38,000 with single-airline service now. The county’s participation would be part of a mixed local, city and private match alongside the airport’s incentive program.
How the MRG would work: Tripp said the federal grant would be used first and local funds would be drawn only as necessary to cover…
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