Lighter Ban & Airport Smoking Policy Press Conference
By Ben DeCosta Aviation General Manager Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport	Atrium Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport March 1, 2005

Good morning,

Our mission at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is to be the world’s best airport by exceeding customer expectations. I believe one of our customers’ expectations is to know and understand airport policy and how it impacts their travel.

With the Transportation Security Administration’s announcement yesterday that it will prohibit all lighters beyond security checkpoints, I knew air travelers would have questions, so today I will talk briefly about how this new TSA policy may affect airport operations.

Also, a few weeks ago, private health experts and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report about the impact of smoking at U.S. airports. So, I will also talk about our smoking policy.

On the financial front, we have found that the TSA’s ban on lighters beyond the security checkpoint will have a negligible impact on concessions revenue. Hartsfield-Jackson Airport concessionaires sold about 1,000 lighters per month in 2004. At an average cost of $4 per lighter, last year’s total revenue from lighter sales was about $48,000. That is much less than a tenth of a percent of our 2004 gross retail sales revenue. ($98-million)

In terms of the ban’s impact on smoking, we do not believe there will be a significant change. Lighters are banned, but matches are not. So when the policy goes into full enforcement beginning April 14, 2005 passengers who smoke will still be able to do so in the designated smoking areas provided throughout the airport, so long as they light up with matches.

We have 11 smoking lounges on our concourses, as well as designated smoking areas in a few select food and beverage facilities. We understand the impacts of smoking and second-hand smoke that health experts have shared over the last few years, so we have worked to strike a balance between smokers and non-smokers.

Nearly 70 percent of our travelers are connecting through the airport, so direct access to smoke outside is not always possible. By providing designated smoking areas we help prevent smoking in public areas, and prevent unwanted second hand smoke from reaching non-smokers.

Given our focus on exceeding customer expectations, we ask passengers about our service on a quarterly basis. Smoking is a subject we have asked about numerous times. Travelers are split on this issue. Some want smoking in the airport banned completely. Others have requested that we upgrade our smoking lounges. We have tried to oblige both.

To protect the health of those who do not smoke, we have employed state of the art ventilation technology in our smoking lounges. The lounges are on a separate ventilation system, and equipped so that fresh air is circulated into the room from outside, and air inside the room is immediately exhausted out.

We believe the policies and provisions we have put in place strike a balance of good service to our customers who do not smoke as well as those who do.

Of course, we are always evaluating our policies, especially based on comments from customers. For those who travel through the airport often, I encourage you to pick up one of our Air Talk Comment Cards located in wall holders throughout the airport, and let us know what you think on this issue.

You should also know that once the TSA begins fully enforcing the lighter ban in April, we will no longer sell lighters in airport stores on either side of security…that includes stores here in the Atrium and those out on the concourses. We want to do our part to ensure full compliance with TSA’s regulations.

Thank you for your attention, I will now take any questions.

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