Dayton: Airport needs to have more options | StarTribune.com

Dayton: Airport needs to have more options

At MAC presentation, the governor said passengers would benefit from new competition. Delta welcomed change but said it offers plenty.

Sounding a populist tone in support of passengers, Gov. Mark Dayton on Thursday called for greater competition among airlines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to curb ticket costs and provide better services.
"The airport belongs to the people," Dayton told more than 400 business people and government officials at a presentation in Bloomington by the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
Referring to Delta Air Lines' overwhelming presence at the airport, Dayton said there is a "need to bring in other options and alternatives" and establish "more of a competitive balance" in flights and pricing.
"It's important to me that the commission view its customers as first and foremost the people," he said.
Dayton, a DFLer, made his remarks as he prepares to put his stamp on the commission with appointments replacing some who served under his GOP predecessor, Tim Pawlenty.
In an interview after the gathering, Dayton didn't offer specific strategies for fostering competition. But he noted that Delta, headquartered in Atlanta, took over Twin Cities-based Northwest Airlines. He said he looks forward to talking with Delta CEO Richard Anderson and obtaining assurances that it will maintain or increase employment at Minneapolis-St. Paul.
"It certainly is a concern that we no longer have the company headquartered here, that we're one of a larger number of hubs," Dayton said. "So we need the offsetting advantage of having greater competition."

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