John Schalliol, executive director of the South Bend Regional Airport

By Phil D’Amico, director of business growth, The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County

Recently, I had a chance to sit down and chat with John Schalliol, executive director of the South Bend Regional Airport. John has been with the airport since 1977.

During his esteemed career, John has played a major role in getting the airport through seven different expansion projects. The latest expansion project has helped shape the airport into an economic development tool for our region. He also has helped South Bend play host to Air Force One on several occasions, and he has had the pleasure of meeting seven different U.S. presidents.

John Schalliol, executive director of the South Bend Regional Airport

Q: We’ve kept you hopping these last couple of years with this latest expansion. Life has been anything but boring for you.

A: This has been a lot of fun. It was a lot of work and effort by many great people, but I really believe this latest expansion makes our airport a great first impression for our visitors, and it is an economic development asset for our community.

Q: You have overseen many airport expansion projects in your 34-plus years. What made this recent project different from the previous ones?

A: Well, in the previous expansions, many of those were infrastructure improvements — a number of which may or may not have been visible to the average citizen. Some of the previous projects included runway and airport space expansions, as well as ramps. We did bring the South Shore line out here in 1992, which would have been a very visible expansion to our citizens. This expansion addressed a lot of the inside effects that many passengers want to see in today’s travel.

Q: So what were some of the items you addressed with this recent terminal expansion?

A: Well, for starters, we now have food and beverage services inside the terminal. We have also added kids’ rooms for a more family-friendly environment. We now offer 45 minutes of free Wi-Fi, so that our passengers can utilize technology more effectively in our airport. The new terminal and security checkpoint areas allow us to be more focused on customer service issues. We hope all of the changes allow the customer to have a very positive flying experience.

Q: I love flying out of South Bend. It absolutely is so convenient and a very stress-free experience. What feedback have you gotten from the average passenger?

A: Yes, no question about it, our passengers are saying the same thing you just alluded to. I look at four factors that make flying into and out of South Bend a great experience: Competitive fares; proximity to our residents (which by the way is about a 70-mile radius); the ease by which we process our travelers through security checkpoints; and we are a multimodal transportation hub, in that we have our airlines and the South Shore Train station.

Q: How big of a role does the University of Notre Dame play in the airport?

A: It is a huge factor. I think the first and obvious role is that it is a global institution with both national and international students. We get students and professors from all over the world and United States that fly in and out of our airport. The second role is certainly Notre Dame’s increased objective of spinning off technologies into business. They attract business and national leaders at their University from all over the world. The increased focus on research and development is only going to grow, and, quite frankly, we needed an airport that continues to lend to a great first impression. Staff travel remains very heavy as well, and we only see that increasing in the future.

Q: It seems to me that flying has changed so much over the years, and I am sure you have seen a great deal of change, too. What have been the most significant changes that you have seen throughout your career?

A: Boy, have we seen some changes. The most obvious change is in the area of security. I think security is going to be the No. 1 issue moving forward; security changed forever and will always be a top priority.

Q: What else do you see on the horizon, as far as changes in airport technology?

A: There is no question that you are going to be looking at more use of technology, such as kiosk-driven boarding passes, cell-phone technology that will provide online boarding passes, and more paperless and “people-less” technologies.

Q: What other projects do you see the airport completing?

A: By November 2011, we will have completed the security checkpoints, repavements completed and finishing touches on the terminal expansions. After that, I’m not sure what else I can do as it relates to expansion. I have been so fortunate to have played a part in developing an airport that everyone can view as an asset for our community.

Q: What plans do you have when you retire?

A: The community won’t get rid of me that easy. I will still be around and look forward to seeing this area continue to grow and prosper.