WEBVTT

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>> HELLO AND WELCOME TO INSIDE
INDIANA BUSINESS. I'M GERRY
DICK.
IT'S THANKSGIVING WEEKEND AND

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TRAVEL NUMBERS ARE NOT ANYWHERE
NEAR WHERE THEY NORMALLY ARE
THIS TIME OF YEAR. THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC HAS CHANGED THE WAY WE

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ARE CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAY.
INSTEAD OF JUMPING ON A PLANE TO
SEE FAMILY OR FRIENDS, MANY OF
US ARE STAYING HOME...AND THAT

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HAS HAD A DRAMATIC IMPACT AT
INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT...BUT ARE THINGS
BEGINNING TO CHANGE?

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FOR SOME ANSWERS, I'M PLEASED TO
BE JOINED INDIANAPOLIS AIRPORT
AUTHORITY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MARIO RODRIGUEZ.

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MARIO, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> GERRY, IT'S GREAT TO BE WITH
YOU VIRTUALLY.
>> YEAH, VIRTUALLY, WISH WE WERE

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IN PERSON. GIVE US AN IDEA,
MARIO, WE ALL KNOW THE AIRPORT,
AND ALL AIRPORTS HAVE BEEN VERY
DRAMATICALLY IMPACTED BY THE

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PANDEMIC. WHERE ARE THINGS NOW
IN TERMS OF -- HOW FAR HAVE YOU
COME BACK IN TERMS OF FLIGHTS
AND BUSINESS?

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>> WELL, THINGS ARE STARTING TO
COME BACK SLOWLY. BUT I CAUTION
EVERYBODY, SLOWLY IS THE
OPERATIVE WORD. WE EXPECT TO BE

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SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 40 TO 45% OF
2019 NUMBERS BY THE END OF THIS
YEAR. RIGHT NOW DURING THE
HOLIDAY SEASON, WE HAD A LITTLE

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BIT OF AN UPTICK, AND WE'RE
ABOUT 50% OF WHERE WE WERE IN
2019. NOW, AS YOU PROBABLY HAVE
SEEN, THE AIRLINES HAVE CUT BACK

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ROUTES AND CUT BACK CAPACITY.
AND YOU CAN PROBABLY EXPECT THAT
FOR A LITTLE WHILE
FOR -- ACTUALLY FOR 2021, AND

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EVERYTHING WILL START TO PICK UP
AFTER.
>> YEAH. SO, PERHAPS A BIT OF A
CONSOLIDATION. HOW

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ABOUT -- AIRLINES I KNOW NOW ARE
FOCUSED ON LEISURE TRAVEL. DO
YOU EXPECT BUSINESS TRAVEL TO
TAKE A HIT, PERHAPS BE NOT WHAT

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IT ONCE WAS?
>> WHAT IS INTERESTING, IF YOU
START LOOKING AT COVID-19, IT'S
BEEN INCREDIBLY TRAGIC, AND IT'S

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PUT OUR SOCIETY ON ITS HEELS.
BUT STEP BACK FROM IT. BUSINESS
HAS BEEN AFFECTED BECAUSE
BUSINESS HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO

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THINGS THAT THEY DID BEFORE
VIRTUALLY. SO, IN OTHER WORDS,
IT REALLY -- COVID HAS
ACCELERATED WHERE WE WOULD HAVE

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BEEN IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, AND
IT ACCELERATED IN FIVE MONTHS.
SO, IN OTHER WORDS, BUSINESS
TRAVELER COULD DO A VIRTUAL

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MEETING RATHER THAN GET ON AN
AIRLINE THEY'LL DO IT. NOW THERE
WILL BE A NEED FOR BUSINESS.
THAT WILL NEVER STOP. BUT, THE

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EVOLUTION OF THE BUSINESS
TRAVELER HAS ALREADY OCCURRED.
SO, IT WILL BE A LITTLE BIT
DIFFERENT GOING FORWARD,

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AIRLINES WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT
TYPE OF BUSINESS TRAVELER, AND
THEY'LL HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF
LEISURE TRAVELER GOING FORWARD.

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>> SPEAKING OF LEISUR TRAVEL,
THE AIRLINES FOCUS, ACCURATE TO
SAY THAT TRAVELERS CAN PROBABLY
FIND SOME DEALS AS THEY'RE

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LOOKING TO TRAVEL FOR THE NEXT
NUMBER OF MONTHS?
>> VERY, VERY ACCURATE. AND
TRAVELERS CAN FIND SOME DEALS

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RIGHT NOW. THERE IS MORE
CAPACITY IN THE SYSTEM THAN
THERE ARE PASSENGERS. SO THE
AIRLINES ARE REALLY TRYING TO

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CUT THE PRICING DOWN. REMEMBER,
GERRY, A SEAT IS A PERISHABLE
COMMODITY. ONCE THAT AERO CRAFT
LEAVES AND A PERSON IS NOT IN

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IT, THE AIRLINE HAS LOST THE
ABILITY TO MAKE MONEY OFF THAT
SEAT. THEY WANT TO MAKE AS MUCH
AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN FROM THAT

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SEAT WITHIN REASON. THEY'RE
TRYING TO FILL AS MANY SEATS.
NOW, ONCE THEY DIAL IN ON THE
CAPACITY, I DO EXPECT PRICING TO

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GO UP. SO, JUST FYI.
>> CERTAINLY FOR THE FORESEEABLE
FUTURE, THE CLEANLINESS,
SANITATION, IF YOU WILL,

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FACILITIES, AIRPORTS, OR
OTHERWISE, VERY IMPORTANT. AND
INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL
RECENTLY RECEIVED AN IMPORTANT

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ACCREDITATION WITH RESPECT TO
THAT. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT NOW
GENERATING MORE BUSINESS GOING
FORWARD?

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>> IT KIND OF VALIDATES THAT
WE'RE DOING A GOOD JOB ON
CLEANLINESS. IT'S THE GLOBAL
HEALTH ACCREDITATION FROM THE

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AIRPORT COUNCIL'S INTERNATIONAL,
WHICH IS OUR TRADE ASSOCIATION.
BUT IT'S ALSO TIED TO THE
INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION

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ORGANIZATION, WHICH IS A UN
ORGANIZATION. OUR INCREDIBLY
DEDICATED STAFF OVER HERE, THEIR
MAIN FOCUS IS TO MAKE SURE OUR

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CUSTOMERS ARE SAFE, AND TO
ELEVATE THE LEVEL OF CUSTOMER
SERVICE. SO, YOU KNOW, THE
AIRPORT IS HOSPITAL GRADE CLEAN

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ALL THE TIME, AND WE HAVE AN
INCREDIBLY DEDICATED STAFF TO
MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
>> THE NEXT TIME FOLKS MAKE IT

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TO INDIANAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL,
YOU'VE NOT BEEN SITTING STILL
THERE, WHAT CAN THEY EXPECT TO
SEE DIFFERENT, IF YOU HAD A BIG

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CONCESSION, TENS OF MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS IN IMPROVEMENTS TO
CONCESSIONS THERE, AND TO
VENUES. PUT ON HOLD, BUT

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CERTAINLY BEEN SLOW. BUT YET
WE'VE SEEN SUN KING AND SOME
OTHERS OPEN UP AT THE AIRPORT.
>> YEAH, YOU CAN START SEEING,

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AND YOU NAMED IT, YOU START
SEEING NEW RESTAURANTS COMING
UP, SUN KING IS ONE, WHICH IS
FANTASTIC. AN INCREDIBLE LOCAL

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PARTNER. HARRY AND IZZY'S HAS
REOPENED, STARBUCKS HAVE OPENED
UP. SLOWLY, AS PASSENGERS COME
BARKS PASSENGERS WILL SEE NEW

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CONCESSIONS COMING BACK ONLINE.
>> MARIO RODRIGUEZ, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR AT THE AIRPORT,
CERTAINLY CHALLENGING YEAR,

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MAYBE A CHALLENGING NEXT YEAR,
AS WELL. BUT I KNOW THINGS
POINTED PERHAPS IN THE RIGHT