Manuel de Luna Jr., operations manager for Laredo International Airport (LRD), presented a CPM practicum recommending a coordinated strategy of incentives, collaborative marketing and service improvements to attract and sustain additional airline service.

De Luna said LRD is strategically positioned near the U.S.'Mexico border and supports cross-border business and trade demand. He summarized five themes from his research: strategic airline partnerships and network development; collaborative/co-branded marketing; incentive programs and financial support; customer experience and operational efficiency; and stakeholder engagement to build sustained demand.

The practitioner presented survey results from 26 respondents (airport staff, aviation professionals and community passengers) and reported that competitive financial incentives, promotional marketing of local tourism and improved terminal dining/retail scored highest among suggested actions to attract or expand airline service. "To attract and sustain new routes, we must offer competitive incentives, such as revenue guarantees or targeted marketing support," he said, and suggested a phased approach beginning with smaller aircraft or limited frequencies to test markets.

De Luna also recommended operational upgrades to enhance the passenger experience (more seating, charging stations, improved dining and retail), streamlining check-in and security processes and exploring a potential air service development fund to underwrite route launches and revenue guarantees.

Panel feedback praised the topic but urged a stronger research design, larger sample size, clearer target-market definitions and comparisons to other airports of similar scale. De Luna said a fuller practicum includes comparative examples and more detailed route-viability work. No decisions or funding commitments were made during the presentation; the session was informational.