Blue Grass Airport Prepares to Welcome Aviation Leaders for the 14th Annual Boyd Group Aviation Forecast Conference

LEXINGTON, Ky., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Grass Airport and the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau will soon welcome aviation leaders from across the country to Lexington, Kentucky for the 14th Annual Boyd Group Aviation Forecast Conference in 2009. The Boyd Group International, a leading aviation research and consulting firm, announced at its 2008 aviation conference in Aspen, Colorado that Lexington, Kentucky had been selected as the 2009 conference venue. More than 300 industry leaders are expected to attend this conference to learn about trends in the airline industry and forecast data of what to expect in the year ahead.

"It will be a privilege to host this aviation summit in Lexington," said Eric Frankl, interim executive director at Blue Grass Airport. "Boyd Group International is considered one of the industries best known sources for aviation forecasting and its conference will undoubtedly attract leaders from across the aviation spectrum. We look forward to welcoming airline and airport representatives to our community."

The Boyd Group Aviation Forecast Conference will be held October 4-6, 2009 at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort. The conference agenda will include forecasts covering air traffic and airport enplanement projections, global airliner demand and fleet shifts, cap and trade legislation fallout and new techniques in air service recruitment and retention. Pre-conference workshops will be offered on Sunday, October 4th and will include topics such as branding your airport, economic impact studies and air service planning during challenging times.

"Lexington is the perfect venue for the 14th Annual Aviation Forecast Summit. It typifies the new emerging role of America's mid-size communities as part of the expanding global economy," said Michael Boyd, President of Boyd Group International. "In October, as we discuss the future, we'll be doing it in a community and a state that are prime examples for the rest of the nation to follow. We are pleased to have been invited by Blue Grass Airport and the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau, and look forward to another successful Summit."

"We are honored the Boyd Group International chose Lexington as their meeting destination and look forward to welcoming this prestigious group to Lexington," said David Lord, president of the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We are thrilled to have an opportunity to showcase the unique natural beauty of Lexington's Bluegrass Region to this group of aviation professionals."

Scheduled aviation leaders who will be presenting during the conference include:

Airbus -- Brent McBratney, Director Airline Marketing

AirTran -- Kevin Healy, Sr. Vice President Market Planning

American Airlines -- Will Ris, Sr. Vice President Government Affairs

ATH Group -- Captain Michael Baiada, CEO

ATR -- Mark Neely, Vice President Sales

Boeing -- Drew Magill, Director of Marketing

Bombardier -- Chuck Evans, Director Market Development

Cape Air -- Dan Wolf, CEO

Continental Airlines -- Jim Compton, Executive Vice President Marketing

Delta Air Lines -- Don Bornhorst, Sr. Vice President Delta Connection

ICAO -- Narjess Teyssier, Chief of Economic Analysis

General Electric Aviation -- Andrew Chuang, Forecasting & Analysis Leader

Great Lakes Aviation -- Chuck Howell, CEO

MIT -- William Swelbar, Research Engineer International Center for Air Transportation

Oil Price Information Service -- Ben Brockwell, Director Data

Republic Airways -- Bryan Bedford, CEO

Southwest Airlines -- Bob Jordan, Executive Vice President Strategy & Planning

US Airways -- Andrew Nocella, Senior Vice President Planning/Scheduling

United Airlines -- Speaker to be Announced

About Boyd Group International

Boyd Group International provides strategic planning and tactical solutions for aviation-related clients, including forecasting, research and consulting. It also produces Airports:USA(R) - a comprehensive suite of aviation information and strategic decision tools, including Aviation DataMiner(TM), the most advanced analytical information source available today. Airports:USA is also the only source of independent enplanement forecasts accomplished in the private sector, covering 146 of the nation's airports, representing over 95% of all passengers. Boyd Group International is headquartered in Evergreen, Colorado, just west of Denver. For more information on the firm, visit www.aviationplanning.com.

About Blue Grass Airport

Blue Grass Airport, the Official Airport of the 2010 World Equestrian Games, is served by six major airline brands providing convenient non-stop service to 11 major hub cities with connecting service to hundreds of destinations worldwide.

SOURCE Blue Grass Airport